LOS ANGELES | Wilshire Grand Development | 335m | 1100ft | 73 fl | Demo

[aquaticko]

Blech, LA is home to some truly awful 80's architecture.

A city like it really ought to have a lot more of what this new tower brings.

[t94]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

Blech, LA is home to some truly awful 80's architecture.

A city like it really ought to have a lot more of what this new tower brings.

Not all 80's/90's architecture is bad. One of my favorite buildings is Two Prudential Plaza, built in 1990.



But I suppose this is a bit off topic.

[aquaticko]

Originally Posted by t94

Not all 80's/90's architecture is bad. One of my favorite buildings is Two Prudential Plaza, built in 1990.

But I suppose this is a bit off topic.

Oh, I know, hence the qualifier "awful" 80's architecture; supposed I might've phrased that differently .

Sidenote: I do think it's funny just how sensitive we can be about things being OT, particularly considering that there's only so much that can be said about a building before it starts construction.

[RobertWalpole]

Great news. I must admit though that the design is underwhelming.

[tim1807]

It indeed isn't big, like some of the big boxes on BH, but for being the tallest I think it's good to be this slender.

Originally Posted by aquaticko

Blech, LA is home to some truly awful 80's architecture.

A city like it really ought to have a lot more of what this new tower brings.

I hope you mean the lowrise, because the highrise is great.

[aquaticko]

I do. For a city with the reputation and climate that LA has, having these heavy and stale looking buildings, which look like they've taken the only the least interesting elements of early modern and art deco architecture, makes no sense to me.

Granted, I've never actually been to the city, but when I think of Los Angeles, I think of sunshine, a breezy yet brash personality, and the relentless pursuit of what's "fresh". It's not the kind of city I think I'd enjoy, but I do see the appeal.

Anyway, all that is why the Wilshire Grand seems like the perfect sort of tower for LA.

[PinkFloyd]

https://www.facebook.com/WilshireGrandCenter

[Kenny]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

I do. For a city with the reputation and climate that LA has, having these heavy and stale looking buildings, which look like they've taken the only the least interesting elements of early modern and art deco architecture, makes no sense to me.

Granted, I've never actually been to the city, but when I think of Los Angeles, I think of sunshine, a breezy yet brash personality, and the relentless pursuit of what's "fresh". It's not the kind of city I think I'd enjoy, but I do see the appeal.

Anyway, all that is why the Wilshire Grand seems like the perfect sort of tower for LA.

It is partly due to the fact that City regulations require that all skyscrapers have a helipad on top and all the safety features that entails, no ifs or buts. This, to facilitate the rescue of its occupants in case of an emergency, fire etc.

That is why LA lacks buildings with spires or other sleek designs. It hasn't been til recently that modern design ventures have married the two, the Ritz Carlton was a good breakthrough, and the Wilshire Grand is going to hit it out of the park and set a precedence for the future.

[RegentHouse]

Originally Posted by t94

Not all 80's/90's architecture is bad. One of my favorite buildings is Two Prudential Plaza, built in 1990.



But I suppose this is a bit off topic.

It all really depends on location. I take the area and its history into account on whether I "like" a building. Chicago is more historical, therefore postmodernism fits well. Los Angeles' history is based on cinema and sprawl, so bombastic Art Deco buildings and conservative International Style office towers are more appropriate.

Too bad Mies never built any megaprojects in Los Angeles. The Federal Center in Chicago would have fit well in the historical Broadway/Spring Street area, and would have acted as a catalyst for the area to compete with other centers like the Wilshire corridor and Westwood. It might have even saved Bunker Hill from the whole "slum clearance" era, but likely not the streetcars.

On a more on-topic note, I "don't like" the base according to the render.

[particlez]

Originally Posted by aquaticko

I do. For a city with the reputation and climate that LA has, having these heavy and stale looking buildings, which look like they've taken the only the least interesting elements of early modern and art deco architecture, makes no sense to me.

Granted, I've never actually been to the city, but when I think of Los Angeles, I think of sunshine, a breezy yet brash personality, and the relentless pursuit of what's "fresh". It's not the kind of city I think I'd enjoy, but I do see the appeal.

Anyway, all that is why the Wilshire Grand seems like the perfect sort of tower for LA.

http://you-are-here.com/

-this guy has a comprehensive photo database of LA architecture

On the grand scale of things, LA is let down because of its developer/profit/market-led urban planning, not its actual architecture. And well, DTLA is already miles ahead of places like Warner Center or Irvine, etc. Sadly these development patterns are becoming common throughout other areas too.

In my (utterly subjective) opinion, DTLA is actually quite pleasant from an architectural POV. Figueroa (the development is located there), Flower, and Grand have that 80s po-mo/Dallas/Houston/Atlanta look, but the older streets to the east (Olive, Broadway, Spring) look like Manhattan or Chicago.

Interestingly, commercials/tv shows/low budget movies are filmed in DTLA all the time, often subbing in for New York or Chicago. The architecture has similarities, but the ficus trees and street signs are always a giveaway.

[Kenny]

Many a times, have I seen filming in DT where they have cars parked with NY plates, street signs replaced, some to say "Snow Plow...don't park" etc.

What you say is true, there are some sight views of DT that you might as well be in NY or CH. Looking down 8th to the west and Figueroa around the ex-Arco Plaza for example, then there are the old areas of DT with classic buildings mimicking 40's-50's NY at street view.