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Shuttered Austrian Restaurant Re-Opens at Spring Arcade Building

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hen chef/owner Bernhard Mairinger announced he was closing his casual Austrian eatery Bierbeisl Imbiss last month, many people went online to lament the loss of the intriguing eatery in the Spring Arcade Building. As it turns out, Mairinger isn’t leaving after all. Buoyed by a swell of support from the community and a head-clearing trip to Austria, Mairinger has decided to stay put at the Spring Arcade, which features neighboring eateries such as Guisados and Gelateria Uli. Bierbeisl Imbiss reopened on Wednesday, May 18. The big change is that he has reconfigured the restaurant with table service — previously, diners ordered their sausages, schnitzel, pastries and more at the counter. The menu has expanded as well, with an array of daily specials and composed plates alongside the sandwiches and fries. Bierbeisl Imbiss is open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-8 p.m., but the plan is to add hours in the near future, according to the restaurant.

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Downtown Organizations Get NEA Grants

May 23, 2016

TAKE MY PICTURE GARY LEONARD

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unding is ever harder to acquire for arts organizations. Fortunately, a batch of Downtown Los Angeles providers are getting help from Washington. Last week, Congressman Xavier Becerra announced that California’s 34th Congressional District, which he represents and which includes Downtown, is receiving more than $400,000 in grant money from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The grants are going to 17 organizations, with Downtown recipients including the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is receiving $30,000, and Little Tokyo theater company East West Players, which is getting $25,000. The Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Grand Performances concert series are both slotted to get $30,000. Smaller $20,000 grants were allotted to the Latino Theater Company, which operates out of the Historic Core’s Los Angeles Theatre Center, and the L.A. Philharmonic Association. Skid Row theater organization the Los Angeles Poverty Department will receive $15,000. “With this funding, we will have more theater, museum exhibits, literary readings, musical performances, art and design programs for youth — all of which make our city an exciting place to be,” Becerra said in a prepared statement.

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ork on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $1.6 billion Regional Connector continues, and while the project will

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make cross-county rail travel easier and faster, in the short term it will create difficulty for Downtowners. Metro recently announced a new series of closures around First and Alameda streets, with that intersection being shut down for 55 Continued on page 26

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May 23, 2016

EDITORIALS

Pershing Square Redesign Is Inspiring, But Can It Really Work?

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image courtesy Pershing Square renew/Agence Ter

n May 12, the nonprofit organization Pershing Square Renew and the office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar announced that the French architecture firm Agence Ter had been selected by a nineperson jury to undertake the redesign of the long-maligned Pershing Square. With certain significant reservations, it’s a good choice. While the three other finalists all had noteworthy elements and ideas, Agence Ter’s proposal had the best combination of recreation space, community-friendly elements and context with the surrounding neighborhood.

Pershing Square Renew and Huizar deserve credit for creating an environment that allowed for a world of possibility, and for orchestrating an international competition that makes people excited about the future for one of Downtown’s most substantial open spaces. The new ideas are all a reaction to the park’s current iteration, a well-intentioned but highly unpopular 1994 design by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta and U.S. landscape architect Laurie Olin, giants in their field who were reacting to the mood of the time.

It’s a new time with new thinking and new public realities. A re-conceptualized park is called for.

We very much like the flatness of Agence Ter’s submission, or as they term it, “radical flatness.” That plus the addition of lots of trees and grass and ideas with a modern sensibility make the park feel larger, more open and inviting.

There’s real potential here.

We’ll start with that flatness, and the desire to achieve it by lopping off five feet of the parking garage and lowering the park proper so that it has instant connections with surrounding streets. While potentially problematic (more on that below), this would undo decades of old thinking and unfortunate choices, and with Downtown’s increasing residential population, it is more important than ever that the park lure people from all sides and serve as a community gathering point.

This idea set Agence Ter apart from some competing designs. Other architects proposed raised elements and sloping hills on the edges of the park — those would have created cafes and other components, but they would fail to draw people into the heart of the green space.

The design also checks off several boxes that are de rigueur in 2016, with environmental features such as a “smart canopy” topped with photovoltaic panels that will cover the park’s electrical needs, and a storm-water capture system that can help irrigate trees and plants. The canopy and trees (if feasible; again, more on that below) also will provide shade, something desperately lacking not just in Pershing Square, but other parks, too. The operators of Grand Park, which opened in 2012, learned how important shade is, and they will install a shade structure next month.

If people can’t stay cool, they’ll avoid the park on hot days.

Agence Ter’s vision seems to have a smart mix of gardens and water features — we particularly like the reflecting pool across from the Biltmore Hotel — as well as bicycle-friendly components. The latter (including bike

parking racks) will become important if the park is to draw careschewing people from South Park, the Arts District and other Downtown neighborhoods for events such as films screenings, concerts and a winter ice rink.

Big Questions The Agence Ter vision has many lovely elements. However, we see potential problems in the execution. They’re not insurmountable, but they demand attention.

While the design offers a welcome relief from granite and asphalt, we question the ability to put large shade trees in the park.

Shade trees were the first suggestion of most landscape architects from previous generations, but such trees, which require deep watering for what needs to become their deep roots, were nixed in favor of those with shallow root systems because of potential damage to and leaks in the roof of the parking structure beneath. Palm trees, for instance, with their shallow root systems, would work, but they don’t provide the shade exhibited in Agence Ter’s design.

The problem has ever been thus since parking was put under the square. Before parking, trees were abundant in the park.

Speaking of parking, the new plan raises another question: Can the surface of the park be lowered five feet without costing parking spaces below? An architect saying it works is different from a city engineer saying it works. There will have to be a thorough analysis of the impact of making the parking co-exist with the lowered park surface.

As for the long term, yes, yes, yes, people should walk, ride bikes and take mass transit, but parking availability has been shrinking quickly across Downtown. Can the current vision be achieved without obliterating hundreds of needed parking spaces, sure to become even scarcer over time?

Parking and trees may be easy compared to the political and financial challenges.

During the design competition, each team had to keep to a theo-

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

retical $50 million budget, and it seems a significant chunk of that will go to reworking entrances of the parking garage — Agence Ter envisions removing two of the four entrances to enhance sightlines and connectivity. We would not be surprised if, given the engineering and other challenges, the ultimate cost climbs higher. Yet to date, less than $1 million has been secured, according to Huizar.

This will be a challenge and, in a way, a litmus test for the evolving Downtown and, particularly, Huizar. There’s really no middle ground: This either winds up as a monumental victory in the form of a grand new park, one that cements the councilman’s legacy as a change agent in Downtown. Or it’s a fantastic failure, a splashy proposal that, like so many other visions, looks great on paper and during presentations, but for whatever reason never reaches groundbreaking.

Huizar has achieved surprising and inspiring progress on another big Downtown task, upgrading Broadway. We hope he and the nonprofit have the juice and stamina to see this new project through.

If it does come to fruition, as we hope, then there is one additional challenge: History has proved that none of it matters, no new design or engineering, if the park is not programmed with activities that bring in people. The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks has stepped up in recent years and assembled a strong lineup of free happenings, but in a new park this will have to be significantly expanded. Given Los Angeles’ climate, it makes sense to have concerts and other events from the early spring into the late fall. Given the city’s financial state, and Rec and Parks’ tight budget, it might take a private nonprofit such as Pershing Square Renew to help raise money for programming.

This is an exciting time, and we look forward to saying goodbye to the current iteration of the park. Huizar and Pershing Square Renew have raised expectations and set the bar high.

Now we need consistent progress toward this intriguing future.

May 23, 2016

Downtown News 5

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

The Perfect Storm of Housing Affordability Six Factors May Hamper Residential Development in Downtown and Beyond

By Simon Ha s an architect active in mixed-use developments and as Chair of the Planning Committee for the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, the question I get asked the most is, “Where are we in the development cycle?” It makes sense: With more than 10,000 housing units under construction

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GUEST OPINION in Downtown and another 15,000 units in the pipeline, people want to know if the boom is near an end.

Answering the question requires looking at what’s driving the demand. According to a study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, renter households in the United State increased from 34 million in 2005 to nearly 43 million in 2015. L.A. has a housing shortage of 82,000 units, which helped prompt Mayor Eric Garcetti’s goal to create 100,000 residential units by 2021, with approximately 46,000 of them priced at levels deemed “affordable” for low- or moderate-income individuals and families.

The projected number of units to be completed by 2021, however, is only about 60,000, according to a 2013 report from the City Planning department.

The current vacancy rate in the city is very low, near 3%. According to Richard Green of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, rents will continue to rise until we reach a 5% vacancy rate. This means people will pay more while a supply problem endures.

The issue is particularly pronounced in Downtown, where apartment buildings fill up nearly as fast as they open.

So back to the question: Where are we in the cycle?

The demand is there, but I’m starting to see six factors that are converging at once.

1) Community Opposition: In most parts of Los Angeles, getting a project approved is a drawn-out battle. Today there is a growing uproar over what people in communities such as Hol-

lywood see as out-of-control development. A group called the Coalition to Preserve L.A. is seeking to get the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative on the March 2017 ballot in the effort to, in its backers’ eyes, preserve “neighborhood character.” If approved, it would essentially stop all transit-oriented development and other areas targeted for growth for two years and prohibit city officials from making project-specific changes to the city’s General Plan. There would be an unintended effect: Freezing the supply of housing will increase rents.

2) City Policy Changes: The city is looking at a couple measures that would increase the cost of building housing. It gets a little arcane, but shifts to the Quimby fees system, which developers pay for park creation, and Garcetti’s proposed “linkage fee,” which would essentially tax market-rate housing projects to raise money for affordable housing creation, have the potential to add about 5% to the overall cost of housing production, which will be passed on to consumers.

3) Union Labor: The Better Build L.A. coalition is pushing a November ballot measure that would require that affordable housing be included in all projects that seek to exceed current land designation restrictions, which often applies to transit-oriented developments and projects in industrial areas such as the Arts District. The measure will include a provision that developers pay prevailing wages and use union construction crews.

Today, many market-rate apartment buildings in L.A. are built with non-union labor. The requirement for union workers will increase a building’s construction cost by 20%-30%.

4) Rising Construction Costs: The seven-story Avant project in South Park broke ground in 2012 and cost about $200 per rentable square foot. Similar projects that break ground today will cost about $300 per square foot, as sub-contractors have increased their prices due to more construction jobs and a shortage of qualified workers. The increasing costs are even more pro-

nounced with high-rises: 8th+Hope, a luxury building that broke ground shortly after Avant, cost just under $270 per square foot.

In 2016, high-rise developers can expect to pay close to $400 per square foot.

5) Land Value: Here’s another Downtown now-and-then comparison: In 2012, developer Sonny Astani purchased a threeacre parcel at 12th Street and Grand Avenue in South Park for $29 million, or about $221 per square foot. Two parcels across the street on the other side of Grand were purchased by the developer City Century in 2015 for about $585 per square foot.

That’s not an outlier in today’s Downtown.

6) Rent Affordability: Five years ago, developers knew they needed to get $2.75 per square foot in rent in a sevenstory (or less) building to make a project pencil out, and $3.80 per square foot in a luxury high-rise. Today, the rent needed for the projects to be economically viable is around $3.25 per square foot for seven-story buildings and $4.40 per square foot in a high-rise. In most of Downtown now, land costs are too high for a seven-story project. The majority of the projects being proposed today are high-rise, limiting the pool of consumers who can afford the rents.

All these factors will increase the cost of building housing.

Those 10,000 units under construction will come to the market, but we’ll have to see how long they take to fill up and how many consumers are willing and able to afford $3,000 one-bedroom or $5,000 two-bedroom apartments.

If the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative and/or the Better Build L.A. proposal pass, the affordability crisis could be exacerbated.

If city fees rise and additional costs are added, rents will increase.

If investors and lenders lack confidence that consumers will pay these higher prices, then the housing will not get built.

In other words, we may be facing the end of the cycle. Housing is a product and like it or not, the prices are driving a change.

Simon Ha, AIA, LEED AP is a principal and urban mixed-use practice leader at Steinberg, Chair Elect for National American Institute of Architects Housing Knowledge Community, and a member of Re:Code LA Zoning Advisory Committee for the Los Angeles Department of City Planning.

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May 23, 2016

Proposed Shift of County Workers Divides Board of Supervisors Plan to Move 150 Employees From Downtown to Alhambra Sparks Opposition

By Eddie Kim or decades, the city, county, state and federal governments have all acknowledged the importance of concentrating operations in Downtown Los Angeles’ Civic Center and growing it as the regional seat of government. The trend continues today, with projects including the ambitious restoration and reopening of the Hall of Justice in late 2014, the coming $323 million Federal Courthouse on First Street and Broadway, and the soon-to-begin $19 million renovation of the Edward R. Roybal Building.

Yet there may soon be a vacancy in the Civic Center, as plans are in the works to move the roughly 150-person county Department of Regional Planning from the County Hall of Records building at 320 W. Temple St. to a new office seven miles away in Alhambra. The proposal has divided the powerful five-person County Board of Supervisors and sparked opposition from the union representing department workers.

The effort is being spearheaded by Fifth District Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who broached the idea in February. Antonovich, whose district includes Alhambra, said the move is a response to complaints from constituents who want a one-stop center near the county Public Works headquarters in Alhambra.

While planning departments in cities such as Los Angeles and Glendale oversee operations in their municipalities, the County Regional Planning office handles proposals for unincorporated areas and cities without a designated planning department. Currently, some applicants must visit multiple offices to clear a project — whether an addition for a house or a new office building — said Edel Vizcarra, planning deputy for Antonovich.

“I’ve been in this role six years, and we’ve been hearing about this the whole time,” Vizcarra said. “Right now it’s $25 to park in Downtown and go to Regional Planning. Then it’s on to Public Works in Alhambra. Fire Prevention is in Commerce. Environmental Health is in Baldwin Park. We don’t want to be critiqued as business unfriendly and inefficient. This move is combating that.”

Under Antonovich’s proposal, Regional Planning and some other department employees from Downtown and other areas would move to a roughly 100,000-square-foot space in The Alhambra, a mixed-use complex owned by The Ratkovich Company, which is helmed by Wayne Ratkovich, a developer long active in Downtown. The county already leases about 20% of The Alhambra, Vizcarra said.

The proposal has sparked skepticism from some supervisors.

Fourth District representative Don Knabe has questioned the proposal, and recently introduced a motion to look at the feasibility of leaving some or most Regional Planning staff in Downtown, or beefing up the nine smaller Regional Planning field offices with additional staff to essentially create multiple one-stop shops.

“I don’t support moving forward with The Alhambra,” Knabe said at the May 10 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Third District Supervisor Sheila Kuehl has also raised concerns, amending Knabe’s motion to include a review of more options such as teleconferencing and digital file review so that applicants may not even need to visit a one-stop office in Alhambra.

“I brought the amendment to explore the possibilities of using electronics and 21st century technology to allow people to file online and do e-consults,” Kuehl said in a phone interview.

“We’re doing it in medicine, and we should look at it here, not just consider a physical move.”

First District Supervisor and current Board Chair Hilda Solis, whose territory includes Downtown, initially seconded Antonovich’s motion. Later, however, she offered support for reviewing all approaches before moving forward.

“I like the idea that we put this all together and then bring [reports] back,” Solis said at the May 10 board meeting. “[I like] that we include our concerns, which I think will help us.”

Antonovich, who will be termed out of office in December, pushed at that meeting to move ahead with the relocation, rather than wait while county CEO Sachi Hamai explores the costs of Knabe and Kuehl’s suggestions.

“This way, we move forward with the Alhambra project, which has already been through the process and which the department supports,” Antonovich said.

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photo by Eddie Kim

The roughly 150-person county Department of Regional Planning has long been headquartered in the County Hall of Records building on Temple Street.

Supervisor Mike Antonovich wants the department to move to Alhambra where, he says, it can be part of a one-stop shop for people seeking permits.

Other supervisors and a union representing department workers oppose the move.

He pressed the matter moments later, noting that “the department is already in support of The Alhambra.”

Not everyone agrees with that assertion. Blaine Meek, counsel for the California Association of Professional Employees, the union that represents county Regional Planning and some other department employees, said the union in April submitted a petition to Hamai opposing the move.

“From our members, we have not heard a cry to move to Alhambra or any complaints about the lack of a one-stop [office],” Meek said in an interview. “The move never made any sense.

This has been stressful on our members because it’s a major organizational move.”

The Ratkovich Company is proposing an eight-year lease with up to two five-year extension options, Regional Planning Director Richard Bruckner told the supervisors at an April 26 meeting.

The total cost of the move would be about $3.5 million-$4 million, Vizcarra estimated.

Ratkovich is offering to cover 55% of the cost of tenant improvements before the move-in, a boost from the 35% that landlords typically cover, Vizcarra said. He downplayed Knabe’s proposed alternatives, saying that multiple one-stops would require too much additional space and staff at each field office, and that the Civic Center likely lacks space for the one-stop option.

Meek, however, believes Knabe’s idea to add relevant staff to field offices would be a more effective alternative.

“Then they can work with not only permits of big developers that are more complex, but improve service for all of our constituents,” he said.

The proposed move would not only inconvenience the planning staff by potentially adding to commute times and access to amenities such as daycare, but also runs contrary to the county’s philosophy of centralizing offices in Downtown, said David Louie, a Regional Planning commissioner who was appointed by Second District Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

“The county’s Hall of Administration is in the Civic Center. The city, state and federal government also have their headquarters there. We spent millions upon millions so that transit and roads all branch out from Downtown,” Louie said. “So when the idea to relocate to Alhambra came up, it didn’t make sense, especially for communication between the supervisors and staff.”

Hamai’s office is expected to present its findings on Knabe’s proposal and details on the costs of moving to Alhambra at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 24. If a move occurs, it is unclear who would fill the empty space in the Hall of Records, or exactly how the move would impact the county budget in coming years. eddie@downtownnews.com

May 23, 2016

Downtown News 7

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT All Rise The Latest Information on 102 Downtown Projects

By Eddie Kim, Emily Manthei, Jon Regardie and Nicholas Slayton hat’s the hottest business sector in Downtown Los Angeles right now? Nightlife is an easy guess, as people from throughout the county flock here for the plethora of bars, restaurants and concert venues. The pet industry also qualifies, as it seems that every new resident has a dog or cat.

The most reliable field, however, may be the crane industry, as in those who make the machines that facilitate housing and other development. Just open your eyes and look up — the cranes are seemingly everywhere.

How long they will remain and when the economy turns no one knows, but for now they are proof of the continuing boom in Downtown development.

In the following pages, Los Angeles Downtown News runs down the latest information on 102 area projects. They run the gamut of location and use, from the $323 million Federal Courthouse in the Civic Center to the $1.2 billion Wilshire Grand replacement in the Financial District to a park in the Arts District to the multiple billion-dollar, multi-tower projects from Chinese developers in South Park.

The face of the community is changing in front of our eyes.

Here’s a look at what is happening, and what all those cranes are bringing about.

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NEW PROJECTS These projects were either publicly announced, were revived or gained prominence in the past three months.

CAREER LOFTS Newport Beach-based developer United American Properties has announced plans for two adjacent buildings at 675 S. Bixel St. and 1111 W. Seventh St. in City West. The architecture firm Humphreys & Partners is designing the project. One building in the Career Lofts would be a seven-story hotel with 126 guest rooms. The other, a 36-story residential tower, would create 422 apartments. The tower would also feature a podium deck with a dog park and pool, plus 5,600 square feet of ground-floor retail.

Between the two buildings, there would be 596 parking spaces.

The timeline and budget have not been announced.

amenities including rooftop decks and pools. No budget or timeline has been revealed, but initial documents suggest a 2018 completion. At ghpalmer.com.

FIG + PICO New York City-based developer Lightstone is exploring plans to build a twin-tower hotel complex, with 1,100 rooms, in South Park. The project would rise across from the Los Angeles Convention Center, on a parking lot on the northeast corner of Figueroa Street and Pico Boulevard. The appropriately titled Fig + Pico would comprise 40- and 28-story hotel towers with 20,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Gensler and the firm Yabu Pushelberg are spearheading the exterior and interior designs, respectively, but before moving ahead, Lightstone is requesting development incentives from the city. The City Council has passed a motion to conduct a study into the economic feasibility of the hotel plan and what incentives could be offered. No budget or timeline have been announced.

GRAND AND CESAR CHAVEZ TOWER According to published reports, developer Cimmarusti Holdings is reviving plans for a residential tower at the site of a Burger King restaurant at Grand and Cesar Chavez avenues; the idea of creating housing on the property was first floated before the recession. The building would stand 22 stories tall and have 299 units. There would also be 8,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 408-car parking garage. No budget or timeline have been announced.

OLYMPIC TOWER

CATALINA BUILDING Newport Beach-based Statewide Acquisition Corp. bought the 1923 Catalina Building in the spring for $20.5 million. Now the new owners are turning the 39-unit edifice at 443 S. San Pedro St. into 78 live/work lofts. Fourteen of the residences will be penthouses. The ground floor will have two retail spaces. Stucco on the lower levels will be removed to reveal the original terra cotta façade. In honor of a previous occupant, the Catalina Swimwear Company, murals in the style of old swimwear pinup ads will be created on two sides of the property. The project is currently in the planning stage as the owners are trying to get the structure designated a historical landmark; the original architect was William Douglas Lee, who also designed the Chateau Marmont. Construction is expected to start in October. No budget has been announced.

FERRANTE Prolific Downtown developer G.H. Palmer Associates has filed plans with the city for Ferrante, which would create approximately 1,500 apartments and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space on a 9.6-acre site at 1000 W. Temple St., along the western edge of the 110 Freeway and across from the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center. The site currently holds a 10-story office building and a four-story parking structure that would have to be demolished. Ferrante would include parking for about 2,600 vehicles and 1,680 bicycles, according to documents filed with the City Planning department. Like Palmer’s other Downtown projects, Ferrante would have numerous indoor and outdoor

Neman Real Estate Investments is working to build the 57-story Olympic Tower. Neman purchased the property in 2014 for a reported $25 million. Plans from architecture firm Nardi Associates show a tower with an exterior featuring a diamond pattern, LED lights and trees built into a wall in the middle of the building. The project would create 374 residential units, along with 373 hotel rooms and a rooftop pool and gym. There would also be 33,500 square feet of office space and 65,000 square feet of retail on the lower levels. Olympic Tower would include 838 parking spaces. Neman is still seeking entitlements. No budget or timeline have been announced.

ROW DTLA

image courtesy of Row DTLA

Developer Atlas Capital bought the 30-acre, seven-building complex at Seventh and Alameda streets in 2014 and is now diving into final designs and early construction work on what it has rebranded as Row DTLA. The plan is to create 1.3 million square feet of creative office space, approximately 100 stores, more than 20 restaurants, and spaces for community gatherings and public events. The complex, known to many as the home of American Apparel, would have themed streets: “Market Row” would run along a pair of 70,000-square-foot, two-story buildings that would hold office tenants. It would be adjacent to “The End,” a public square, while nearby “Dock Street” would focus on dining options. “The Narrows” would offer cultural and entertainmentleaning storefronts, while “Center Street” would host an open-air produce market. The redevelopment does not have a specific timeline, but one feature will come this summer with the debut of Smorgasburg, an open-air Sunday market for vendors of food, home goods and artisanal products. No budget has been revealed. At rowdtla.com.

RESIDENTIAL 255 GRAND RENOVATION Goldrich and Kest Industries and Shapell Properties’ redevelopment of the Grand Promenade tower continues. The companies are updating the 1989 Bunker Hill building to put it on par with the new residential projects in Downtown. The building has been re-christened 255 Grand. The $34 million project involves improvements to common spaces, updating infrastructure and redesigning the 391 apartments. The common area upgrades have already been completed, and the building has a new 2,200-square-foot gym. Units on 11 of the 27 floors have been renovated, according to Leasing Manager Marlo Capps, and crews from Mike Rovner Construction are currently working on updating the top two penthouse levels. The plan is for the renovation to be finished in September 2017.

image courtesy of Nardi Associates

Plans are in the works to replace the longstanding car wash at the northwest corner of Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard.

801 E. FIFTH ST. Developer Daryoush Dayan is still seeking entitlements for a 66,082-square-foot adaptive-reuse project near Skid Row, according to a project representative. Dayan intends to transform four buildings into micro-lofts. The structures at 801, 809 and 813 E. Fifth St. would become 132 market-rate apartments, while 28 units of veteran housing would be created across the street at 721 E. Fifth St. All of the residences are intended to be Continued on page 8

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May 23, 2016

Development

PROJECT UPDATES, 7 small, starting at 214 square feet. There would also be 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. David Gray Architects is handling the designs. The timeline and budget have not been announced.

801 S. OLIVE ST.

950 E. THIRD ST. Fairfield Residential and Legendary Development broke ground on a massive project in the Arts District in March. Dilip Bhavnani, a principal at Legendary, said the six-acre site will contain five six-story buildings. The complex will create 472 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and amenities will include rooftop decks and a courtyard. There will also be 22,000 square feet of retail space. Kava Massih Architects is designing the development at 950 E. Third St. Bhavnani said construction will take 30 months, and an opening is expected by late 2018.

the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center will create 106 residential units and roughly 4,700 square feet of commercial space. There will also be a rooftop lounge and a second-floor pool deck. No budget has been revealed.

ALEXAN

950 S. BROADWAY

image courtesy of Trammell Crow Residential

photo by Gary Leonard

San Francisco-based Carmel Partners’ 33-story residential tower at 801 S. Olive St. continues to rise, with the lower-level facade already wrapped in glass and steel. The project is slated to wrap in late 2017, according to company Senior Vice President of Development Dan Garibaldi. The project at Eighth and Olive streets will have 363 units, with studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments and eight penthouses. Amenities will include a rooftop pool and lounge area, a second pool and recreation area on the fifth-floor deck, a fitness center and more. There will also be 10,000 square feet of street-facing retail. The tower’s five-story parking facility will be wrapped in translucent panels so that it glows softly at night.

825 S. HILL ST. Vancouver, Canada-based Onni Group broke ground on a 49-story tower just south of Eighth Street between Hill and Olive streets in February. The high-rise designed by Chris Dikeakos Architects will create 490 apartments, according to Onni Development Manager Mark Spector. The roof will feature a garden as well as a pool. The project will include 600 parking spaces on seven levels, two of them underground. The budget and timeline have not been revealed.

888 S. HOPE ST. After a temporary delay in construction, the CIM Group’s 34-story apartment tower at 888 S. Hope St. is preparing to restart construction, according to a project representative. There will also be an outdoor terrace on the top level and about 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The tower will be next to a seven-story parking structure with 654 spaces. The parking podium’s deck will include a pool, open green space and a lounge. Construction is expected to begin in the summer. No budget has been revealed.

920 S. HILL ST. Developer Barry Shy’s project at 920 S. Hill St. is still in the entitlement phase, according to project representative Kate Bartolo.

Plans call for the building adjacent to the Ace Hotel to break ground in 2017. David Takacs Architecture is handling designs for the 32-story edifice that would create 239 condominiums, along with five ground-floor retail spaces. No budget has been announced.

photo by Gary Leonard

Developer G.H. Palmer Associates is continuing interior work on its first adaptive reuse project, a renovation of a small 1913 building at 950 S. Broadway. The seven-story edifice will feature 30 apartments, with a rooftop deck and about 7,500 square feet of retail space on the street and basement levels. The design from Killefer Flammang Architects includes re-creating a decorative cornice along the roofline and adding balconies to better reflect the original design. Completion of 950 S. Broadway is expected this summer, according to company head Geoff Palmer.

The 102-year-old building sits next to Palmer’s under-construction Broadway Palace, which will create nearly 700 apartments in new seven- and 10-story buildings at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway.

1001 S. OLIVE ST. According to the most recent information available, developer Lennar Multifamily hopes to open a seven-story, 201-apartment complex at Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street this summer.

The South Park project will include 12 two-story townhomes, a pool deck, a roof deck, a dog run and a large fitness center. The building will have 228 parking spaces spread across two levels, as well as 4,100 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

1212 S. FLOWER ST. The Onni Group is still seeking entitlements for a pair of towers at 1212 S. Flower St. in South Park, according to company Development Manager Mark Spector. The project, being designed by Chris Dikeakos Architects, would create 31- and 40-story highrises. The two towers would be connected via a landscaped podium deck. The project will go up next to an existing five-story office building. There would be a total of 730 residential units, along with 843 parking stalls. No budget or timeline have been announced.

1400 S. FIGUEROA ST. DHG Family Trust broke ground on a South Park housing project in February and is now in the excavation stage. The development is expected to take 20 months to complete, with an anticipated opening in late 2017, according to Don Getman of GMP Architects, which is designing the project. The complex across

Developer Trammell Crow Residential is awaiting a public hearing for its proposed Alexan project. Plans calls for building a 27-story tower at 850 S. Hill St. Designed by the architectural firm RTKL, the Alexan would have 305 apartments, 336 parking spaces and more than 300 bicycle parking spots. There would also be approximately 6,200 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Amenities in the steel and glass edifice would include a 2,700-square-foot rooftop deck and a landscaped podium deck on the seventh floor. The project has been opposed by residents of the neighboring Eastern Columbia Building, who claim it would block the Art Deco building’s iconic clock.

AMP LOFTS Greystar Real Estate Partners bought the Amp Lofts site at 695 S. Santa Fe Ave. from Bolour Associates late last year for $43.4 million. A representative from Greystar said that the company is continuing the plan for the Amp Lofts in the Arts District, and is awaiting building permits. The development will create 320 live/ work apartments, which would be joined by 20,000 square feet of commercial space and 390 parking spaces. Plans from the Shimoda Design Group call for a J-shaped complex comprised of two-, three- and seven-story buildings. There would also be a community garden and a dog park on the 2.38-acre site. Greystar did not announce a budget for the Amp Lofts, but under the previous owner it was projected at $130 million.

BEACON TOWER Equity Residential is still pursuing entitlements for a 33-story tower at the northeast corner of Fourth and Hill streets. Though the project has been delayed — Equity applied for permits in March 2015 — the company anticipates breaking ground this summer, according to Equity Vice President of Development Dustin Smith. The project would rise on what is currently a surface parking lot, and would feature 428 apartments (studios, one- and two-bedroom units) and 2,900 square feet of groundfloor retail. The design from architecture firm TCA features a glass-heavy facade with balconies and a rooftop “beacon” for decorative lighting. The project near Pershing Square would have a subsidized housing component, with 22 very-lowincome units and 86 workforce residences. Construction would take two years.

BROADWAY AND OLYMPIC CONDOS Developers Barry Shy and Joe Bednar continue to seek entitlements for a 15-story condominium project at 955 S. Broadway.

Plans for the building at Broadway and Olympic Boulevard call Continued on page 10

May 23, 2016

Development

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PROJECT UPDATES, 8 for the creation of 163 residential units, with a second-floor outdoor space, according to project representative Kate Bartolo. The rooftop would include a pool and there would be eight ground-level commercial spaces. The goal is to break ground in 2017 and construction is projected to take 18 months to two years.

BROADWAY PALACE Developer G.H. Palmer Associates is in the framing stage on a two-building project at Olympic Boulevard and Broadway. Broadway Palace includes a 10-story, 439-apartment building and a six-story, 247-unit structure on adjacent lots. Unlike most of company head Geoff Palmer’s projects, which have a fauxMediterranean look, Broadway Palace will have brick facades that complement the historic buildings on Broadway. The project with a total of 686 apartments will be complete in early 2017, according to company head Geoff Palmer. The complex is a partnership between Palmer and parking lot company L&R Group. At ghpalmer.com.

BUNKER HILL TOWERS UPGRADE The $76 million renovation of the Bunker Hill Towers from owner Essex Apartment Homes continues, with the goal to upgrade 456 apartments in the 1969 complex by the end of 2017.

The exact timing depends on when existing tenants leave or transfer to a temporary unit while improvements are made. The work in the pair of 19-story buildings at 234 S. Figueroa St. includes new HVAC systems and plumbing lines. All the windows are being replaced with more energy-efficient panes, and Essex plans to add full-size balconies on corner units and smaller balconies with sliding glass doors on center apartments. The plan includes the creation of a two-story amenity center, with a gym and pool deck, along Third Street between Flower and Figueroa streets, on a current parking lot. That work is expected to take place in 2017.

CIRCA The first few floors of the massive podium of the Circa project, at 1200 S. Figueroa St. in South Park, are complete. The project from a development group composed of Hankey Investment Company, Jamison Services, Falcon California Investments and Highlands Capital will create twin 36-story towers with a combined 648 luxury condominiums, sitting on top of a seven-story retail podium with 48,000 square feet of space. The complex will have

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Development 1,770 parking spots. Additional features at the approximately $500 million South Park development, designed by architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux, include a two-acre outdoor amenity deck and a 15,000-square-foot ribbon of LED signage along Figueroa. Circa is slated for completion in late 2017.

E. ON GRAND Hollywood-based 4D Development has completed four floors of wood framing on a sevenstory apartment building at 1249 S. Grand Ave. The $30 million E. on Grand, designed by architecture firm AFCO Design, will feature an articulated facade with colored accent panels and glass balconies on each of the 115 units.

The project will contain studios and one- and two-bedroom residences averaging 670 square feet with rents of approximately $3.50 per square foot, according to 4D Development rep David Pourbaba. The South Park property will include a pool, sun deck, recreation room, gym and 120 underground parking stalls, as well as about 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The project is expected to open in late December. At 4ddevelopment.us.

ETCO HOMES LITTLE TOKYO A groundbreaking for Beverly Hills-based developer Etco Homes’ eight-story condominium complex in Little Tokyo has been pushed back from March to June, according to Marketing Director Joy Maine. However, completion is still expected in the fall of 2017. Architecture firm BGA Inc. is handling designs for the 77-unit building at 118 Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka St. It will offer one- and two-bedroom units from 700-1,200 square feet, and amenities will include a fitness center, pool, lounge, barbeques and dining areas. A dog run is also being discussed. There will be 2,500 square feet of retail space and three levels of parking and bicycle storage. The budget has not been revealed.

FOREST CITY/SOUTH PARK Developer Forest City has begun framing on a pair of seven-story structures at 1100 S. Hill St. and 1200 S. Broadway. K.C. Yasmer of Forest City said the $135 million development is expected to open in the summer of 2017. The structure on Hill Street, which Forest City will connect to the nearby Herald Examiner Building via a pedestrian paseo, will contain 177 studio to two-bedroom units above 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The Broadway edifice will contain 214 studio to two-bedroom apartments, also above 7,500 square feet of retail. Residences in both buildings will range

from 500-1,200 square feet, and amenities will include a pool, spa, outdoor deck, fitness center, barbeques, pet spas and a film room.

The project will offer 500 parking stalls and 450 bicycle parking spaces.

G12 Both phases of developer Sonny Astani’s G12 project are now underway. The development will create two seven-story buildings with a total of 640 units, and residences will average 700 square feet. The first building, at 12th Street and Grand Avenue, will have 347 apartments, and an opening is expected in 2017. The second building, at Pico Boulevard and Olive Street, will have 293 units, and is scheduled to complete construction in 2018. Plans call for G12 to include 42,000 square feet of retail and commercial space as well as underground parking. No budget has been disclosed. At astanienterprises.com.

GAREY BUILDING The Garey Building in the Arts District has begun pre-leasing in anticipation of a June opening. Tom Wulf, senior vice president of developer Lowe Enterprises, said that the finish work and landscaping are now taking place at the 320-unit apartment complex at 905 E. Second St. Lowe is partnering on the $60 million development with Megatoys and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

The project on the site of the former Megatoys headquarters includes two five-story buildings between First and Second streets that flank Garey Street, which is now a pedestrian-only paseo. The project includes 15,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space with outdoor dining along the paseo. Designed by Togawa Smith Martin Architects, the Garey Building will have studio to two-bedroom apartments that average 733 square feet. Residences will have open floor plans with features including ninefoot ceilings, gourmet kitchens, quartz countertops, and washers and dryers. The property contains four courtyards with one dedicated to pets and another offering a pool, spa and sundeck with grilling areas, fire pits and an indoor/ outdoor lounge. Other amenities include a fitness center, pet salon, business center and a bike storage and repair area. The development is being constructed to LEED certification standards and will include 530 parking spaces for both retail and residential tenants. At thegareybldg.com.

GRAND RESIDENCES City Century, LLC, a subsidiary of the Shanghaibased Shenglong Group, is seeking entitle-

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ments for a South Park residential tower, according to Stuart Morkun, City Century’s executive vice president of development. Tentatively dubbed the Grand Residences, the 24-story edifice at 1233 S. Grand Ave. is expected to break ground in the third quarter of the year.

The hexagonal design from Steinberg Architects includes 161 apartments, with 15 studios, 93 one-bedroom, 47 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units. The project would include 215 on-site parking spots. The budget has not been revealed.

HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP/ 732 S. SPRING ST. Developer Holland Partner Group has begun construction of a 24-story tower at 732 S. Spring St., according to Southern California division head Tom Warren. Renderings for the 276-unit building show a structure with glass and steel on the upper floors, and a number of protruding balconies on approximately a dozen levels over Spring Street. It would contain a pool and terrace, as well as about 7,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Construction would take about 30 months.

HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP/ EIGHTH AND SPRING Developer Holland Partner Group broke ground on a 24-story tower at Eighth and Spring streets in January, and construction is slated to last until summer 2018, according to Tom Warren, head of Holland Partner’s Southern California division. The 320-apartment building designed by Irvine-based architecture firm MVE & Partners will have an eclectic façade, melding a Beaux-Arts feel near the ground level with stone details, and a mix of steel-and-glass elements above. Amenities will include a pool, rooftop deck and 8,900 square feet of retail space. No budget has been revealed.

HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP/ SIXTH AND BIXEL Crews are in the final stage of framing and will soon begin interior work on a pair of sevenstory buildings at Holland Partner Group’s $200 million City West project. The complex will have 606 apartments in the new structures and a renovated medical building at Sixth Street and Lucas Avenue. The latter is expected to open this year, while the new properties would begin leasing in early 2017, with the final phase finishing the following year. The development will

May 23, 2016 have 25,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, much of it fronting Sixth Street. The designer is Togawa Smith Martin.

Residences will be studio to three-bedroom apartments with rents ranging from $1,500 to slightly under $4,000. Amenities will include rooftop decks, a large fitness center, a pool, a public plaza and 300 trees.

HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP/SOUTH PARK Holland Partner Group has begun pre-construction work on a 28-story, 341-apartment tower at the southeast corner of Ninth and Figueroa streets in South Park, according to Tom Warren, head of the developer’s Southern California division. The Vancouver, Wash.-based company anticipates construction taking roughly two and a half years. Designs by Preston Partnership show a glass tower with box-shaped clusters of balconies. Nearly 11,700 square feet of retail space would front the sidewalk along Figueroa and on Ninth. No budget has been revealed.

HOLLAND PARTNER GROUP/VIBIANA LOFTS Vancouver, Wash.-based Holland Partner Group is continuing construction of a mid-rise apartment building with 237 units adjacent to the former St. Vibiana’s cathedral at Second and Main streets. The project is largely framed, and interior build-out will begin this summer, according to Tom Warren, head of the company’s Southern California division. Plans call for five stories of wood construction over a concrete podium with approximately 247 above- and below-ground parking spaces. It will also include about 4,000 square feet of retail space. The $90 million development, designed by Togawa Smith Martin, is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2017. The building will appear to be eight stories when viewed from Los Angeles Street and seven floors when seen from Main Street.

JADE ENTERPRISES/EMERALD Developer Jade Enterprises is seeking entitlements for its South Park project the Emerald, according to a company spokesman.

Designs from architecture firm MVE & Partners show a sevenstory building with a pool. The 154-apartment project at 1340 S. Olive St. would also have approximately 11,000 square feet of

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Development retail space on the ground floor. The project would include two levels of underground parking. No budget has been revealed.

structures. The developer is currently seeking entitlements. No timeline or budget have been revealed.

JADE ENTERPRISES/ONYX

JADE ENTERPRISES/TOPAZ Jade Enterprise’s Topaz development is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year, according to a company representative.

The project at Sixth and Main streets in the Historic Core broke ground in 2014. The seven-story building will create 159 residential units, and there will be 23,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Jade would not reveal the budget.

photo by Gary Leonard

The Onyx rental complex is on track to finish construction in the first quarter of 2017, according to a representative of developer Jade Enterprises. Located at 440 W. Pico Blvd., the project consists of two seven-story buildings designed by the Downtown Los Angeles-based architecture firm TCA. The Onyx would create a total of 410 apartments and have 462 parking spaces.

There would also be approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space. Currently the building has a construction fence of colorful designs made by children at the Metro Charter Elementary School as part of an anti-graffiti effort. The budget has not been revealed.

JADE ENTERPRISES/SAPPHIRE Longtime Downtown property owner Jade Enterprises has revealed plans for its Sapphire project at 1111 W. Sixth St. in City West. The development would create 369 residential units in two buildings between Fifth and Sixth streets, connected by a sky bridge. Each building would contain two levels of underground parking and the Sapphire would have a total of 22,000 square feet of retail space. The site currently houses an office building that would be demolished to make room for the new

MACFARLANE PARTNERS PROJECT The long-awaited project just north of Pershing Square is slated to begin the first phase of construction by July, according to Jeff Barris, the director of development for Macfarlane Partners. The two-phase project on Fifth between Olive and Hill streets will create a total of 660 apartments in seven- and 24-story buildings. Barris said the first building, the mid-rise, will have 313 units, 7,500 square feet of retail and a 140-by-170-foot courtyard two stories above ground level. Construction is expected to take 28 months. The high-rise, which Barris anticipates will break ground later this year, will contain 347 residences and take 26 months to build. It will include a pool, lounge, business center and private dining area on the rooftop overlooking Pershing Square. Portland-based architects Ankrom Moisan are handling designs. Plans call for opening the first units in late 2018. No budget has been revealed.

MACK URBAN/SOUTH PARK The first phase of Mack Urban’s six-acre South Park development is now under construction, with framing taking place on a sevenstory, 362-apartment structure bordered by Pico Boulevard, Olive and Hill streets. It is scheduled to top out in early summer, according to a Mack Urban spokesperson. Residences will average approximately 761 square feet, and there will be 438 subterranean parking stalls and 4,000 square feet of retail space. A 38-story tower at Grand Avenue and 12th Street containing 562 residences is slated to break ground this month. The project will Continued on page 12

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Development

PROJECT UPDATES, 11

photo by Gary Leonard

photo by Gary Leonard

also hold 13,000 square feet of retail and a 10,000-square-foot park. AC Martin and Togawa Smith Martin are handling the designs. Three additional buildings, for which details have not yet been released, will complete the $1 billion project.

MARIONETTE LOFTS Financing is in place for developer and landowner Eli Melech’s $20 million apartment structure above the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre in City West, but no groundbreaking date has been. The project at 1345 W. First St., where the theater now stands, would involve building a five-story edifice with 102 oneto three-bedroom apartments above the designated HistoricCultural Monument. Approvals from the city’s Office of Historic Resources and the Department of City Planning have been secured, Melech said. The commercial space on the ground floor, including the theater, would remain unchanged, and could serve as a lobby to the new project, according to Melech.

SB OMEGA Developer Barry Shy’s long-planned Historic Core project is still in the environmental review process. Current plans call for a 38-story edifice with 452 apartments at 601 S. Main St. The building would include a seven-story parking podium and there would also be space for bicycles. When work on the project at Sixth and Main streets does begin, plans call for construction to take about 18 months.

TEN50 The $100 million luxury condominium complex at 1050 S. Grand Ave. in South Park topped out in early April. San Francisco-based developer Trumark Urban’s managing director, Arden Hearing, said that unit framing and exterior window system installation is complete on the lower floors. The 25-story edifice will contain 151 one- and two- bedroom residences that range from 6861,368 square feet. There will also be one- and two-story penthouses. The condos will feature hardwood floors and expansive windows. Ten50 will have a fifth-floor pool deck with cabanas, a fitness center, entertainment rooms and small pockets of green space, as well as 251 underground parking spaces. Downtownbased architecture firm Hanson-L.A. is handling the design, which is highlighted by the Rubik’s Cube-esque glass features overlooking the street. The project is on track to finish in the fall, with move-ins slated for the end of the year. At ten50.la.

THE HILL Entitlements are still being sought for a 20-story project at Ninth and Hill streets, according to the project manager. Fred Shaffer of Saiko Investment Corp., which is managing the development dubbed The Hill, said that he expects to be finished with the planning process by the end of summer. The project, which would include 234 studio to three-bedroom apartments, comes from a Korean investment group calling itself 940 Hill LLC. It would include 355 parking spaces on six levels, two of them below grade. The Hill will have a pool, rooftop garden and 14,000

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square feet of commercial space. The budget is $130 million and construction is expected to take two years.

TITLE INSURANCE BUILDING According to the most recent available information, construction continues at the 1928 Title Insurance Building at Fourth and Spring streets. Developer Capital Foresight’s project will create 215 residential units with 60,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Interior demolition, seismic upgrades and infrastructure improvements are all underway at the 13-story Art Deco edifice. Capital Foresight anticipates the work will last into 2017.

VALENCIA Sonny Astani’s $60 million Valencia project in City West is slightly behind schedule, with move-ins now expected in early June.

Killefer Flammang Architects designed the six-story building at 1501 Wilshire Blvd., which offers 218 apartments comprised of 626-square-foot studios, 686-square-foot one-bedrooms, and 1,039-square-foot two-bedroom units. All of the apartments will have nine-foot ceilings, laundry facilities and private balconies.

Studios start at $1,500, while one-bedrooms go from $1,795 and two-bedrooms begin at $2,325. The project includes 20,000 square feet of landscaped recreation space, with barbeque areas, a pool, spa, fitness center and billiards room. There is underground parking and 244 bicycle spaces. There will be 4,400 square feet of retail space. At wilshirevalencia.com.

WAKABA L.A. Move-ins at developer Sares-Regis’ apartment complex at 232 E. Second St. are set to commence at the end of the month, according to Sares-Regis Communications Director Zoe Solsby. The Little Tokyo development at the corner of San Pedro and Second streets will debut its initial phase of residences while work continues on other parts of the project; it will be fully open by September.

The seven-story Wakaba L.A. (“wakaba” is Japanese for “young leaf”) will have 240 studio, one and two-bedroom apartments that range from 519-1,750 square feet. Studios start at $2,020, according to Wakaba’s website, while one-bedrooms begin at $2,295. The $84 million development also has 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. There are three levels of subterranean parking and two floors above ground, providing a total of 472 parking spaces. At wakabala.com.

low-income tenants. Market-rate rents will start at around $2.50-$3.50 per square foot. The ground floor will include 19,000 square feet of retail space, which Forest City is starting to lease. The project will include a 17,000-square-foot public plaza and walkway that connects Broadway to the nearby Metro Gold Line station. Blossom Plaza will have 175 public parking spaces. At blossomplazaapts.com.

BROADWAY TRADE CENTER The restoration and transformation of the massive Broadway Trade Center at 830 S. Hill St. continues. New York-based Waterbridge Capital acquired the former department store about 18 months ago, and work is expected to last for approximately three more years, according to project representative Elizabeth Peterson. Construction crews are currently working on rebuilding the infrastructure of the complex on Eighth Street between Hill Street and Broadway. The addition of a series of mezzanine levels will create a 15-story building with more than 1 million square feet of space. When finished, there will be creative office space, a 153-room hotel and 600 parking stalls. The first two floors will become a marketplace dubbed “Earth Market,” with a variety of vendors, along with four bars and four restaurants. Additionally, the rooftop will be transformed, with the developer adding a park and swimming pool.

CITY MARKET Tenants improvements are taking place at the first phase of the massive City Market complex, dubbed City Market South, and the businesses are expected to open in late summer and early fall, according to Mark Levi of the Lena Group, which is developing the project. The tenant roster in the 75,000-square-foot phase at 11th and San Julian streets includes the Italian restaurant Rossoblu, the Vietnamese-focused Slanted Door and an as-yet unnamed bar from the team behind Studio City’s Black Market Liquor Bar. A boutique coffee shop will also open at the complex. Entitlements are still being sought for later phases of City Market. The entire project could cost up to $1 billion, and is expected to take nearly two decades. Developed by Peter Fleming, the complete City Market will have 225,000 square feet of retail space, 295,000 square feet of office space, 210 hotel rooms and 945 residential units. The development will transform the land on San Pedro and San Julian between 11th and 12th streets. At citymarketla2.com.

COLLEGE STATION

MIXED USE BLOSSOM PLAZA Developer Forest City has completed about 95% of the fivestory, $100 million project at 900 N. Broadway in Chinatown, and pre-leasing began last month, said Forest City Vice President Frank Frallicciardi. Only minor site work, landscaping and finish detailing remain, and the company hopes to begin move-ins in early June. The building, designed by Chinatownbased architecture firm Johnson Fain, will offer 237 studio to three-bedroom apartments, 53 of which will be reserved for

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The final design process for the Chinatown mega-development College Station is underway, and developer Atlas Capital Group plans to break ground by the end of the year, according to a project representative. Designed by Chinatown-based architecture firm Johnson Fain, College Station would feature six lowrise buildings with retail space on the ground floor and various plazas and paseos in between the structures. It would be spread across a 5.7-acre site at Spring and College streets (near the southern tip of Los Angeles State Historic Park). The project, initially envisioned as a high-rise development, would have a total of 770 apartments and 51,000 square feet of retail, including a roughly 37,000-square-foot market.

HERALD EXAMINER RENOVATION According to the most recent available information, the Hearst Corp., the owner of the Herald Examiner Building, is partnering with New York-based Georgetown Company to redevelop the 1914 structure, with the goal of transforming it into a 100,000-square-foot creative office complex with retail and restaurant space. Construction on the property at 1111 S. Broadway is slated to begin by the end of the second quarter and finish in late 2017, with a budget of about $40 million. The building originally designed by Julia Morgan was formerly the headquarters of William Randolph Hearst’s Los Angeles newspaper, but has been mostly empty since the paper closed in 1989.

LA PLAZA CULTURA VILLAGE The groundbreaking for La Plaza Cultura Village, from the La Plaza cultural facility and development partner Trammell Crow, will take place by the end of June, according to Jim Andersen, senior vice president at Trammell Crow. Some small changes have been made to the plans for the massive mixed-use development, with designs from Chinatown-based architecture firm Johnson Fain.

It would rise on a 3.7-acre site near Olvera Street, creating 355 (up from a previous 345) residential units in five- and eight-story buildings, with 20% of the apartments set aside for low-income tenants. The project would include about 43,000 square feet of restaurants, cafes and shops, along with more than 700 parking spaces in subterranean and above-grade structures. The project

would rise on two parking lots on either side of Broadway. It is scheduled to open in 2019. At lapca.org.

LUXE HOTEL REPLACEMENT Chinese developer Shenzhen Hazens is working to finalize designs and secure permits for its $700 million, three-tower megaproject that would bring condominiums, shops, restaurants and hotel rooms to the current Luxe Hotel site near L.A. Live.

The first phase would include a 32-story, 250-room W Hotel and a 32-story condominium tower along 11th Street at Figueroa and Flower streets. The two structures would be connected by an eight-story podium with open-air amenities on top. A second phase would bring a 42-story tower to Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard, where the Luxe City Center hotel now stands. The South Park project would create a total of 650 condominiums. There would be 80,000 square feet of retail space, most of it fronting Figueroa Street. Shenzen Hazens hopes to break ground in 2017, with completion in 2020.

METROPOLIS

photo by Gary Leonard

All four towers of the Metropolis mega-project are under construction. The initial phase, consisting of an 18-story, 350-room

Hotel Indigo and a 38-floor condominium tower, is expected to be complete by the end of this year. The second phase, with 40and 56-story condominium buildings, broke ground in December and is scheduled to finish in 2018. The project from Chinese developer Greenland Group features designs from Gensler, with an emphasis on glass structures decorated with steel framework. The towers will sit on parking podiums that include two levels with more than 70,000 square feet of retail space along Francisco Street. Amenities in the buildings adjacent to the 110 Freeway will include fitness centers, outdoor pools and several small parks on top of decks. Metropolis, bounded by the 110 Freeway and Eighth, Ninth and Francisco streets, is budgeted at more than $1 billion. At metropolislosangeles.com.

OCEANWIDE PLAZA Beijing-based developer Oceanwide broke ground on its Oceanwide Plaza about a year ago, and it is on track to open the threetower project in 2018. The $1 billion development will consist of a 49-story tower and two 40-floor buildings, all sitting on top of a 100-foot-tall podium across the street from Staples Center.

Plans call for the South Park towers to hold a combined 504 condominiums and 183 hotel rooms. Most of the property’s amenities, including a pool and a park, will sit on a deck on top of the podium overlooking Figueroa Street. A 30,000-square-foot ribbon of LED signage will wind around the podium and illuminate the street below. Oceanwide Plaza will also hold 1,444 parking stalls and an open-air retail center with more than 166,000 square feet of retail space.

SUNCAL/SIXTH AND ALAMEDA Irvine-based developer Suncal, in a partnership with Michael Dell’s investment firm MSD Capital, is wrapping up the design phase for its 15-acre mixed-use complex at Sixth and Alameda streets. Suncal spent $130 million to acquire the Arts District property and is working with Swiss architecture firm Herzog & deMuron on a design that incorporates a mix of high-rise towers and low-slung buildings. Suncal anticipates releasing initial designs by the end of spring, according to Dan Rosenfeld, a landContinued on page 14

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May 23, 2016

Development

PROJECT UPDATES, 13 use consultant for the group. The project could include residential, retail and creative office components in multiple buildings. No budget or timeline have been revealed.

THE GRAND Developer Related Cos. remains in discussions with potential equity partners for the $850 million development known as The Grand, and according to the schedule approved by the joint powers authority that oversees the project on city- and county-owned parcels, construction must begin by Nov. 30, 2017. The project on Grand Avenue south of First Street, designed

by Frank Gehry, would include a residential tower with approximately 380-450 units (20% set aside as affordable housing), a 300-room Equinox-branded hotel tower, and a large retail and restaurant component built around a central plaza that opens to Grand Avenue. Related executives are speaking to dining and shopping tenants; they previously said the project would contain both an Equinox gym and a Soul Cycle studio. Related already completed Grand Park and the apartment complex The Emerson.

WILSHIRE GRAND REPLACEMENT The Wilshire Grand replacement is now 70% complete, according to a project spokesperson, and goal is to open the building at Seventh and Figueroa streets on March 8, 2017. The 73-story building held a topping-out ceremony this past March, and plans call for raising the rooftop spire in September. With the central core topped out, work is progressing at lower levels, with crews doing tasks such as installing floors and windows. The $1 billion project, which will be the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, will have 900 hotel rooms operated by InterContinental, along with 400,000 square feet of office space. Plans also call for restaurants and retail space. The Wilshire Grand replacement is being developed by Hanjin International, with a design from the Downtown-based architecture firm AC Martin. At wilshiregrandcenter.com CIVIC ARTS DISTRICT PARK The new park in the Arts District is on track to finish construction in the fall, according to Rick Coca, a spokesman for 14th District City Councilman José Huizar. The half-acre park at Fifth and Hewitt streets will include a mural wall, a performance space, a playground for children and a shade structure. Work started in

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photo by Gary Leonard

December 2014, but construction was delayed due to the discovery of contaminants in the soil. That has been remediated. The budget is $1.6 million.

CHINATOWN PARK The City Department of Recreation and Parks has approved the plans for a new Chinatown park, and construction on the attraction at Ord and Yale streets is expected to begin this year. The park is an expansion of the existing Alpine Recreation Center, according to Fredy Ceja, communications director for First District City Councilman Gil Cedillo. Plans call for the park to include fitness machines, a children’s playground, artwork and a shade structure. The project is still seeking $1.5 million to fund subterranean structural support, but has secured $8.25 million to finance construction. The park is scheduled to open in winter 2017.

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE The 625,000-square-foot Federal Courthouse at First Street and Broadway has pushed back its completion date from July to late August, according to Traci Madison of the U.S. General Services Department. Builder Clark Construction is working on the $323 million project designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill that will have 24 district courtrooms, 32 judges’ chambers and offices for the U.S. Marshals Service on 10 floors. Currently work crews are installing building finishes such as flooring, paint and ceilings, while sidewalks, planters and other hardscape elements are being installed on the project’s Hill Street, First Street and Broadway exteriors. The project is aiming for LEED Platinum certification with sustainable and energy-efficient elements including a pleated glass exterior that will cut solar heat gain, store energy and maximize natural light inside the building.

FIGUEROA CORRIDOR BIKEWAY Construction of the three-mile Figueroa Corridor bikeway project, officially known as MyFigueroa, has been pushed to later this summer, according to a project representative.

The roughly $20 million bikeway will run from Seventh Street in Downtown to 41st Street in South L.A., with a primary spine on Figueroa Street. It will slash eight driving lanes to five, and significant segments of the route will feature curbs that protect cyclists from cars.

The project will also create bus platforms that extend the sidewalk for transit riders, improve landscaping and install pedestrian-friendly lighting and signage, among other elements.

The project must be completed by March 2017 as a condition of its funding from state Proposition 1C. At myfigueroa.com.

FIRST AND BROADWAY PARK Four teams are finalists and a winner is

image courtesy of Brooks + Scarpa

expected to be named in June to design a park on a city-owned piece of land at First Street and Broadway, across from City Hall.

Rick Coca, a spokesman for 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, said work on the park adjacent to Grand Park is expected to start in late 2017. The four finalists are Eric Owen Moss Architects, Brooks + Scarpa, AECOM and Mia Lehrer + Associates. The First and Broadway park is estimated to cost $20 million, of which $14.1 million in Quimby funds has been secured. The city Department of Recreation and Parks also has identified $3.65 million for the development.

LOS ANGELES STATE HISTORIC PARK The renovation of the 34-acre park on the edge of Chinatown continues, with the focus on landscaping now that several structures, including restrooms and a visitors’ center, have been completed. The project is expected to finish this summer, according to a city representative. The work began in April 2014 but hit delays after the discovery of archaeological finds and toxic waste on the site; the latter required remediation work and the restoring of clean soil. The approximately $20 million project is transforming the park by creating several distinct areas, with new landscaping and features such as a pedestrian bridge and a two-acre wetlands zone. Other planned elements include a tree-flanked promenade, a large pedestrian bridge for sightseeing and a paved parking area. At lashp.wordpress.com.

LOS ANGELES STREETCAR Backers of the Los Angeles Streetcar are searching for ways to cover the cost of the urban circulator, which last year was pegged at $282 million (project proponents say this can be brought down to $250 million). One potential source was announced in March, with $200 million being earmarked by Metro as part of its proposed $120 billion county ballot measure to fund regional transportation projects with a half-cent sales tax increase.

However, that depends on voters actually approving the tax hike. The streetcar was initially announced in 2008 by 14th District City Councilman José Huizar, and he still hopes to have it operating by 2020. The streetcar, which would run in a 3.8-mile loop with a main spur on Broadway, has secured $65 million for construction via a tax levied on property owners along the route. It is also still in the hunt for a $100 million federal “Small Starts” grant, and officials are exploring public-private partnerships. Meanwhile, preliminary engineering and design efforts have begun, with 30% of the work expected to be finished by the end of the year. A draft of the project’s environmental impact report will be released this summer and completed by the end of 2016, according to officials.

MERCED THEATER AND MASONIC HALL RoTo Architects is still working on designs for the $23 million overhaul of the city-owned Merced Theater and Masonic Hall near Olvera Street. Bureau of Engineering spokeswoman Mary Nemick said those are expected to be complete by early June. Plans call for the building’s east and west facades to retain their historic look, while the south-facing perimeter will be overhauled to bring in more natural light and provide additional space for public access station Channel 35’s two television studios; the station will occupy much of the building’s 18,000 square feet of space. In addition, the complex will get a 50-seat auditorium open to the public for special events, office space, conference rooms, editing bays and parking for Channel 35 vans. Groundbreaking is scheduled for January 2017, after the project has been awarded to a contractor.

PERSHING SQUARE REDESIGN On May 12, the nonprofit Pershing Square Renew and the office of 14th District City Councilman José Huizar announced that the Parisbased firm Agence Ter had won a competition to redesign the five-acre park in the heart of the Financial District. The competition began last fall, and dozens of international firms had submitted entries. Agence Ter’s design is centered on the concept of “radical flatness,” which involves lowering the flat expanse of Pershing Square (the public park sits atop a parking garage) so that it is level with surrounding streets. This will create easy access and views from Fifth, Sixth, Olive and Hill streets. There would also be a “smart canopy,” a lengthy structure that would run along Hill Street from Fifth to Sixth streets, which would provide an expanse of shade, with shops and cafes underneath. Other elements would include a central lawn to host movie screenings and community events, a plaza on the Sixth Street side of the park, and on the western edge, gardens with edible plants and water features, including a reflecting pool directly across from the Millennium Biltmore Hotel).

No timeline has been announced, and budget details are expected to be released in coming weeks. At pershingsquarerenew.com.

REGIONAL CONNECTOR Construction on the $1.55 billion rail line continues in Little Tokyo, where the intersection of First and Alameda streets is being prepped in advance of underground tunneling. Closures of the Little Tokyo station and neighboring streets to relocate Gold Line tracks started in January and ended in March. Construction of the stations at First Street and Central Avenue, Second and Hope streets, and Second Street and Broadway is also ongoing. The 1.9-mile Regional Connector will join area light rail lines to streamline cross-county travel and reduce the need for transfers. Underground tunneling (starting in Little Tokyo and moving west to Seventh Street/Metro Center) is slated to begin in early 2017. The project is expected to open in 2020. At metro.net/projects/connector.

SIXTH STREET VIADUCT REPLACEMENT The 3,500-foot-long Sixth Street Viaduct, which for nearly a century connected Downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, is approximately 30% demolished, according to the city Bureau of Engineering. It is being torn down because of a condition that caused its concrete to weaken, raising safety concerns. Work started Feb. 5 and demolition is scheduled to last nine months. Once it has been razed, a new bridge will rise. Designed by architect Michael

May 23, 2016

Downtown News 15

Development lines. Metro last October secured a $12.3 million Caltrans grant to begin with streetscape improvements along Alameda Street.

At metro.net/projects/la-union-station.com.

COMMUNITY BUDOKAN OF LOS ANGELES Nonprofit developer the Little Tokyo Service Center is continuing fundraising for the Budokan of Los Angeles. Despite having secured more than 80% of the $23.5 million budget, groundbreaking has been pushed back to 2017, said the fundraising campaign’s director, Mike Murase. The proposed 88,000-squarefoot sports and activities complex on Los Angeles between Second and Third Streets in Little Tokyo would have a two-court gymnasium, a rooftop park, event space and small community rooms. The project will host basketball and volleyball courts, martial arts and other activities. At budokanoflosangeles.com. photo by Gary Leonard

GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL MEDICAL PAVILION

Maltzan, it will have a “ribbon of arches” theme, with bicycle and pedestrian space, and on the Arts District side there will be an arts park named for and funded by local developer Leonard Hill.

The replacement is scheduled to be finished in 2019. The total budget is $449 million. At sixthstreetviaduct.org.

UNION STATION RENOVATION The Metropolitan Transportation Authority continues to prepare the environmental impact report for a makeover of Union Station, and expects to finish this year. That would allow major physical work to begin in 2017. The Union Station Master Plan has two main components: It would build a larger indoor-outdoor passenger concourse to connect travelers to an updated rail yard, and it would demolish the Patsaouras Bus Facility near the eastern entrance to Union Station and replace it with an elevated bus terminal between the historic station building (the west entrance) and the new concourse. Other proposed improvements include the conversion of the west parking lot into a public plaza and the creation of a walkway over the rail

photo by Gary Leonard

The $80 million Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Pavilion, which had been scheduled to debut late last year, is now on track to open in the third quarter of this year, according to hospital spokeswoman Katrina Bada. Physician offices and the Specialties Clinic will also open in the third quarter, Bada added.

The 190,000-square-foot development will hold the Frank R. Seaver Ambulatory Surgery Center, with eight operating suites.

The architect is Ware Malcomb and the builder is Millie and Severson. The project at Wilshire Boulevard and Witmer Street will also have a pharmacy, outpatient clinics and the hospital’s Surgical Specialties Clinic.

ITALIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM The Italian American Museum is preparing for an early June opening, according to museum Executive Director Marianna Gatto. The long-in-the-works project at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument has finished interior upgrades, said Gatto.

Construction crews are now restoring the façade of the 1908 Italian Hall at 125 Paseo de la Plaza. Gatto said that the inaugural exhibit, a look at the Italian-American cultural experience from the birth of Los Angeles to the present day, is being installed. The $4.5 million museum will feature historic documents and artifacts, including photographs and maps. At italianhall.org.

VARIETY ARTS CENTER Downtown-based Robhana Group in January began a renovation of the 92-year-old Variety Arts Center at 940 S. Figueroa St. in South Park. The core of the building is being modernized with new infrastructure systems such as electrical, plumbing and air conditioning. Historic upgrades are being undertaken by the Spectra Company before a new tenant, the mega-church Hillsong L.A., moves in by the end of the year. The 1924 Variety Arts Center has a ground-floor theater with 1,100 seats, a smaller theater space on the third floor, and room for offices or other uses on the fourth and fifth floors. Hillsong will use the main theater for its Sunday services and have offices on upper floors.

Additional unused space would be rented out to other tenants, according to Robhana Group head Robert Hanasab.

Continued on page 16

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16 Downtown News

PROJECT UPDATES, 15 BUSINESS 537 S. BROADWAY Work continues at 537 S. Broadway, the six-story Art Deco structure being renovated by Beverly Hills-based developer King’s Arch. Interior construction is expected to wrap in the third quarter of this year, according to a company representative. King’s Arch bought the structure for $7.35 million last year and announced plans to turn it into creative office space. The renovation includes a seismic retrofit, new electrical and plumbing systems, and restoration of the intricately decorated facade. King’s Arch aims to recruit tech, media and fashion companies to the building, according to a company representative. The 1931 structure was originally designed by prominent Los Angeles architects Percy A. Eisen and Albert R. Walker.

AT MATEO The Arts District’s At Mateo complex is expected to open on March 1, 2017, according to a project representative. Max Radji, vice president of leasing at Blatteis and Schnur, which is developing the project, said that the company is looking for tenants to fill the 130,000 square feet of retail space and 50,000 square feet of creative office space. There will also be parking for 540 cars. Blatteis and Schnur paid $32.5 million for the property at Mateo and Palmetto streets in 2014, and has spent more than $30 million on developing the complex, although Radji declined to give the current budget.

Designed by Edge Architecture, the retail and office center is using repurposed wood, bricks and concrete. At atmateo.com.

May 23, 2016

Development CONVENTION CENTER RENOVATION The future of the Los Angeles Convention Center now has two official paths. Last June, a city panel picked the team of HMC Architects and Populous to handle a $470 million renovation of the aging convention complex that is divided into two buildings. Their design would create a ballroom on the top of the Figueroa Street venue and erect a new structure that bridges over Pico Boulevard, creating the contiguous space desired by meeting planners.

The proposal would also tweak the West Hall to create a large “outdoor ballroom,” with a large staircase drawing people in from Gilbert Lindsay Plaza just south of Staples Center. However, a December report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana threw the HMC/Populous plan into question, as it would require traditional city financing rather than Santana’s preferred public-private partnership, which would put the costs on a private developer.

The city is analyzing the pros and cons of each financing plan, and is expected to decide on which option to pursue in June.

FORD BUILDING The redevelopment of the Ford Factory Building in the southern portion of the Arts District continues, with the bulk of construction expected to be finished by the end of September, according to Andrew Neilly of San Franciscobased developer Shorenstein Properties. The project involves turning the five-story edifice at Seventh Street and Santa Fe Avenue into 254,000 square feet of creative office space.

Shorenstein bought the 1912 building, along with two nearby structures, in 2014 for $37 million. One of those properties is being turned into a 600-stall parking garage. No tenants

have been announced, nor has a budget been released. At fordfactoryla.com.

HARRIS BUILDING Developer Jade Enterprises expects to have new tenants in a restored Fashion District building at the southwest corner of 11th and Main streets by the end of summer. The sevenstory Harris Building was constructed in 1923 and was originally designed by architect Henry Haywood Hewitt; it initially housed Morris Harris’ Union Manufacturing Company. Now it is being turned into a creative office hub. The brokerage firm Industry Partners is leasing the second through seventh levels, which average 7,600 square feet. The ground floor will hold 6,400 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Jade Enterprises overhauled the infrastructure, put in new plumbing, HVAC and other systems, and is installing bike racks inside the building.

The office space will rent for approximately $3 per square foot.

ONE BUNKER HILL UPGRADES Development firm Rising Realty Partners last fall teamed up with Lionstone Investments and Hermes Investment Management to buy One Bunker Hill, a 12-story Art Deco structure at Fifth Street and Grand Avenue. Now plans for a renovation and rebranding of the 1931 building are in the works. Specifics have not been revealed, but Rising officials have said that initial steps will involve upgrading the property’s systems, including the elevators and its technology and fiber-optic capabilities. Rising also expects to undertake exterior and interior modifications on the edifice that features a central tower with terra cotta tiling. No timeline or budget have been revealed.

SKYSPACE AT U.S. BANK TOWER The U.S. Bank Tower’s 69th-floor observation deck, 70th-floor event space and 71st-floor restaurant, together dubbed Skyspace L.A., has an opening date: June 25. Singapore-based OUE spent $60 million on the upgrade to its tower in the Financial District. Admission is expected to be $25, according to OUE. Visitors will also be able to explore a 54th-floor tech-driven exhibit that shows off the city’s topography and other features, and there will be an outdoor slide that visitors can ride on the 70th floor. Skyspace is part of an overall $100 million upgrade at U.S. Bank Tower, with OUE also improving the elevators, the lobby and the streetscape along Fifth Street. That work is expected to be complete this summer. At skyspace-la.com.

SOHO HOUSE

photo by Gary Leonard

The London-based club Soho House announced in 2014 that it is converting the sixstory, 1917 building at 1000 S. Santa Fe Ave. into a branch of its private club. The project is currently on track to open in early 2017, according to Allison Wagner, Soho House’s direc-

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Downtown News 17

Development

tor of communications for North America. The Arts District building will be transformed, adding a market, bar, gym, screening room, rooftop pool and 16 hotel rooms. The redevelopment is being designed by Killefer Flammang Architects. Soho House bought the edifice for $18.5 million, but the renovation budget has not been not disclosed. At sohohouse.com THE BLOC Developer the Ratkovich Company is in the final stage of a $180 million transformation of the former Macy’s Plaza office, hotel and shopping complex. The Bloc has been turned from a 1970s-style mall to an open-air destination following the removal of a portion of the roof that fronts Seventh Street. Construction is expected to finish in the summer and there will be a series of roll-out events, according to a project representative. The lineup includes a flagship Macy’s store, Free Market and Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse. The Ratkovich Company and movie chain Alamo Drafthouse continue to work on plans for the design and location of a nine-screen movie theater in the mall.

The Sheraton hotel completed a $40 million renovation and was rebranded as the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles. At theblocdowntown.com.

HOTELS CLARK HOTEL New York-based Chetrit Group’s planned 348room Clark Hotel at 426 S. Hill St. still does not have an opening date, and the project remains in the final stage of construction, according to a representative. The Historic Core hotel, which has been delayed for years, was most recently headed toward an opening earlier this year.

The renovated 11-story structure just north of Pershing Square features guest rooms with lively Mod-style details, a lobby with bright marble and chrome accents, a ballroom, a pool deck and multiple dining spaces. Chetrit Group acquired the property more than a decade ago.

An operator has not been revealed.

EMBASSY HOTEL Although a project representative said the New York-based Chetrit Group has mostly built out the Embassy Hotel, it remains in a sort of limbo. There is no timeline to completion, according to the representative. The renovation of the historic edifice at 831 S. Grand Ave. will feature 183 guest rooms and the return of its Trinity Auditorium. A pool deck has been built on the roof and an outdoor patio is being constructed along Ninth Street. As with Chetrit Group’s other proposed Downtown project, the Clark Hotel, the Embassy has been owned by the company for more than a decade, and has missed repeated opening dates. An operator has not been revealed.

FREEHAND HOTEL New York-based Sydell Group and Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Company are deep into the transformation of the Commercial Exchange Building at 416 W. Eighth St. into a 200-room Freehand Hotel. A full interior renovation of the 1924 edifice has created the new rooms, while outside a rooftop pool and lounge are being built.

Upgrades to the aged property’s infrastructure systems are also part of the project. The hotel is slated to open by the end of the year, according to a project representative. The Freehand will have traditional hotel rooms as well as hostel-style accommodations with multiple beds in group rooms. There will be ground-floor space for retail and a restaurant, and the neon sign on the corner of the structure is being

preserved. Killefer Flammang Architects is handling the designs. Sydell is also transforming Giannini Place on Seventh Street into a hotel.

At thefreehand.com/losangeles.

HOTEL FIGUEROA RENOVATION The renovation of the Hotel Figueroa, known for its wall triptych facing L.A. Live, is well underway. The entire property is in demolition as rooms are being expanded and public spaces improved, according to Bradley Hall, managing partner of Capital Hall Partners, which acquired the South Park landmark with investment partner Green Oak Real Estate in mid-2014. Hall’s Urban Lifestyle Hotel Group will manage the building when it reopens at the end of the summer. The 13-story, 240,000-square-foot edifice, built as a YWCA hotel for women travelers in 1927 and later transformed into the Moroccanthemed Hotel Figueroa, is undergoing a restoration of its original Italian Renaissance facade and Spanish Colonial interior. The upgraded hotel will be a boutique establishment with amenities such as high-speed Internet service, a fitness and wellness center at the pool area and a rooftop vegetable garden, which will supply the hotel’s restaurants with produce. The approximately 270 guest rooms in the building at 939 S. Figueroa St. will range from 300-500 square feet. Parking will remain outside, in a lot next to the hotel. At hotelfigueroa.com.

HOXTON HOTEL The London-based investment firm Ennismore bought a 10-story, 89,136-square-foot building at 1060 S. Broadway in 2015 for $30 million and plans to convert it into one of Ennismore’s Hoxton hotels. The boutique Hoxton chain is known for built-in nightlife, restaurants and modern designs. The timeline and budget for the project have not been announced. The 1922 edifice started life as the Los Angeles Railway Building, the headquarters for the Los Angeles Railway’s Yellow Cars.

J.W. MARRIOTT EXPANSION Last March, L.A. Live owner Anschutz Entertainment Group announced plans to build a 755-room expansion of the J.W. Marriott/RitzCarlton hotel. The new rooms would be part of the J.W. Marriott brand. AEG is currently in the planning and design stage, according to company spokesman Michael Roth, and the goal is to break ground on the 38-story tower in early 2017. Plans call for the $500 million project, which would be built with union labor and create over 700 jobs, to be designed by architecture firm Gensler. The project, which will rise on a 60,000-square-foot lot at the northeast

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corner of Olympic Boulevard and Georgia Street, is expected to open in 2019. The new building would be connected to the 878-room J.W. Marriott, and there would be two levels of subterranean parking, ground-floor retail and a second-floor deck with a restaurant and a pool with cabanas. The project would also create more than 75,000 square feet of meeting, banquet, function and conference space over L.A. Live’s existing Event Deck.

MILLENNIUM BILTMORE HOTEL RENOVATION The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is on track to finish its renovation by mid-2017, according to hotel marketing manager Kendra Walker. Crews have overhauled 164 of the Financial District hotel’s 683 rooms. The renovation in the property at 506 S. Grand Ave. includes adding new carpets, repainting rooms and installing new fixtures and furniture throughout the hotel.

NOMAD HOTEL The New York firm Sydell Group bought the 1923 Giannini Place, at 649 S. Olive St., for $39 million last year and has begun turning the former Bank of Italy headquarters into the 250-room Nomad Hotel. Scaffolding has gone up on the outside of the Financial District landmark, and the schedule calls for opening the hotel in fall 2017, according to a project representative. The 12-story edifice at Seventh and Olive streets stood empty for more than a decade before Sydell acquired it. Under designs from Killefer Flammang Architects, the old banking floor is being turned into a large lobby, and the first floor will hold a bar and restaurant.

An event space and swimming pool will be

photo by Gary Leonard

constructed on the roof. The hotel is expected to have rooms with a higher price point than Sydell’s Freehand Hotel at 416. W. Eighth St. PROPER HOTEL The 13-story building at 1106 S. Broadway, long known as the Case Hotel, will become a Proper Hotel, part of a brand launched by one of the project’s developers, the Kor Group. Kor teamed with Channing Henry and Frank Stork to acquire the 1924 building for $13.5 million in 2013. The project will turn the structure, which has been empty in recent years after housing facilities for the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles, into a 148-room boutique establishment with a mix of standard rooms and large suites. The developers, who did not return recent requests for comment, previously stated that amenities would include a swimming pool on the seventh floor and a basketball court on the sixth floor. The project’s website says the hotel will open in early 2017. Downtown architecture firm Omgivning is handling the designs. At properhotel.com/downtown-la.

Continued on page 18

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May 23, 2016

Development

PROJECT UPDATES, 17 SPRING STREET HOTEL

the-works boutique hotel at 820 S. Spring St. is approaching an expected summer opening. A $5 million renovation is mostly complete, and in April signage for the Tuck was erected near the Spring Street entrance. The project from Juan Pablo Torre and his Tuck Ventures will be small, with only 14 rooms across roughly 9,000 square feet of space. The three-story, 1920s building in the Fashion District will include a 70-seat restaurant and bar on the ground floor.

Room rates are expected to be $200-$300 per night. The hotel is undergoing final inspections and seeking a certificate of occupancy.

OPENED IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS

image courtesy of Lizard Capital

A change has been made to New York-based investment firm Lizard Capital’s planned hotel at 633 S. Spring St.: It will now include parking.

Initial plans called for having parking offsite due to the narrow, 105,000-square-foot lot.

Now, the 176-room hotel will have an unspecified number of above-ground parking spaces that won’t be visible from the street. The 28-story project — the site is currently a parking lot — is being designed by architect Adam Sokol. The hotel will have a concrete, columnheavy design on its lower levels, part of an effort to fit in with other buildings along Spring Street. The upper floors would have a more modern look, with glass and steel elements.

The project would include a rooftop pool. The hotel is still seeking entitlements, and no budget or timeline have been revealed, although a representative of Sokol’s firm said construction should take two years.

TUCK HOTEL The hospitality group Tuck Ventures’ long-in-

DA VINCI Developer G.H. Palmer Associates has completed the rebuild of the second phase of the Da Vinci apartment complex at Figueroa and Temple streets, which was burned down in an arson fire in December 2014. The opening of phase two last month brings the total number of apartments at Da Vinci to 526, and it also adds 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space at 909 W. Temple St. and 1,000 parking spaces. Da Vinci offers studios and one-, twoand three-bedroom units, with rents ranging from $1,850-$3,860 a month. Like other projects from developer Geoff Palmer, the Da Vinci includes amenities such as a large gym, full-size basketball court, library and screening room. At thedavinciapts.com.

HANOVER OLYMPIC Move-ins began in March at Hanover Olympic, the third in a series of three seven-story South Park residential buildings from Houston-based Hanover Company. The 263-unit project at 936

S. Olive St. offers studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments, with rents starting at about $2,000 for a 540-square-foot studio, $2,200 for a 670-square-foot one-bedroom, and $3,100 for a 975-square-foot two-bedroom. Residences include stainless steel appliances, granite and quartz countertops, nine-foot ceilings and high-end bathroom finishes. The project has 20 “Eco-Green” apartments that Hanover says have net zero carbon footprints because they draw power from solar panels and have features such as reclaimed wood floors, recycled glass countertops and Nest thermostats. Building amenities include a fitness center, pool, rooftop decks, screening rooms and bike parking. At hanoverolympic.com.

HAUSER WIRTH & SCHIMMEL The Arts District mega-gallery Hauser Wirth & Schimmel opened March 13. The project at 901 E. Third St. is the sixth location for the Switzerland-based gallery owners and art dealers Manuela Hauser and Iwan Wirth. For the Downtown Los Angeles location, they partnered with former MOCA Chief Curator Paul Schimmel.

The project transformed a low-slung, sevenbuilding compound that began as a grain mill in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The firm Creative Space undertook the transformation that has created a series of galleries that mix private sales rooms with museum-caliber exhibitions open to the public. The project includes numerous community elements such as a 6,000-square-foot courtyard and a walkway connecting Second and Third streets.

There is an on-site bookstore, Artbook, and the 5,000-square-foot, Southern-influenced restaurant Manuela is scheduled to open in the summer. At hauserwirthschimmel.com.

LA KRETZ INNOVATION CAMPUS The $47 million La Kretz Innovation Campus is open, and the 60,000-square-foot building is now about one-third filled with clean technology and digital companies as part of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, which aims to support start-ups in the clean technology field. Much of La Kretz is flexible office space, with a number of cubicles and workstations as well as conference rooms and common amenities like a full kitchen. One wing of the campus is dedicated to prototyping labs, with disciplines such as chemistry, electrical engineering and computing. Another wing belongs to the city Department of Water and Power, which owns the property and building. The DWP is using its space at La Kretz for a customer engagement center and also for research and development of new technologies. At laincubator.org.

PIANO LOFTS The Piano Lofts at the southern end of the Financial District opened March 9. The project from Kiwi Neman and Ramin Rahimi, whose families have owned the building at 932 S. Hill St. since the 1980s, turned a four-story edifice into 18 upscale apartments. The $4.5 million effort is a transformation of a building that opened in 1932 and was the home of the Story and Clark Piano and Organ Company. Residences range from 968-1,586 square feet and feature stone countertops, kitchen islands and in-unit washer and dryers. Three apartments on each floor feature balconies, while the street-facing units have large windows. Rents start at $3,295 per month and go up to $7,995 for the penthouse, with an average of about $3,600. The project has a rooftop deck. At pianolofts.com.

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Downtown News 19

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL

photo by Gary Leonard

a special advertising supplement

Everything You Need Under One Roof TENTEN Wilshire Helps Small Businesses Thrive in Downtown Los Angeles

T

ENTEN Wilshire is the ideal place for entrepreneurs and business-minded individuals to live, work and play.

Perfect for start-ups and entrepreneurs in industries including tech, entertainment, fashion, law, finance, consulting, real estate and advertising, TENTEN Wilshire provides the perfect blend of amenities and necessities to fulfill the 24/7 needs of an entrepreneur.

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS You have heard the phrase “Live, Work and Play” countless times, but nowhere else have all three been combined into a comprehensive, single lifestyle solution. TENTEN Wilshire’s community goal is to offer a space for entrepreneurs, small businesses and young professionals to grow, network and expand across Downtown.

Helping to fuel a rebirth of the area, TENTEN Wilshire houses 227 fully furnished live/work units, and more than 243,000 square feet of space for businesses to rent and expand into as their companies grow. The building is designed to eliminate many of the major barriers to budding entrepreneurs including distribution of capital between living space and office space. By providing a flexible, turn-key environment with equally flexible

lease terms, TENTEN Wilshire has been able to sustain a 90% or higher occupancy rate every year since opening.

Additionally, due to exceptional zoning regulations, TENTEN Wilshire provides qualified individuals and all companies located on the premises special tax benefits including: live/work tax deductions, hiring credits, sales and work opportunity tax credits, utility cost savings, and expense and interest deductions.

TENTEN Wilshire, through its green standards, a coming major expansion and a keen focus on inspiring, promoting and helping entrepreneurialism, hopes to be the catalyst for 16,000-plus long-term jobs for Los Angeles.

Located within walking distance of the center of Downtown, TENTEN Wilshire is an ideal place for meeting people and networking, providing guests and residents an unparalleled professional and social environment. TENTEN Wilshire, together with its sister communities of Plug and Play Technology Center and Hollywood Production Center, are home to more than 600 technology and entertainment entrepreneurs, startups and companies. TENTEN Wilshire is dedicated to fostering community growth among its residents through constant contact and the sharing of resources.

With key multi-industry relationships including access to

more than 150 venture capital firms, and additional relationships with major corporations, entrepreneurs and startups at TENTEN Wilshire are provided a direct bridge to numerous resources including: n Operations (Legal, Accounting, PR, Banking, etc.) n Technology (Microsoft BizSpark, Sun Startup Essentials, etc.) n Entertainment (CBS, 20th Century Fox, BET, BBC, Merv Griffin Entertainment, etc.) n Business Development (M&A, Investing, Licensing) n Corporate Partnership Opportunities (Google, Cisco, Best Buy, Yahoo!, Ebay, etc.)

At 1010 Wilshire Blvd. For more information call (213) 785-5100 or visit 1010wilshire.com.

Turning Small Business Tenants Into Buyers Wells Fargo L.A. Bank Expert Discusses a Few Things to Consider Before Closing the Deal

O

ne question that may arise for many small business owners is whether to buy the property they currently lease.

If you’re one of those business owners who de-

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS cides it is in your best financial interest to buy, here are a few things you should consider: Financing If you occupy at least 51% of the property, you may qualify for SBA financing — a great financing option available for business owners in today’s market. SBA loan programs provide long-term financing to small businesses needing to acquire major fixed assets, including leased buildings. Some small busi-

ness owners think they can’t qualify for a loan because they are either unable to provide a down payment or have too much other debt.

However, with SBA financing a business owner can make a 10% down payment and derive that 10% from a number of sources they may not have considered.

Co-Tenancy If your goal is to generate income from your property while also using the space for your business needs, think about buying more space than you are currently leasing and renting the unused portion to another business. Not only will the other business help you pay off the mortgage on your building, it also could draw foot traffic your way.

When considering this option, it is important to keep in mind that the moment you lease space to another tenant, you become the landlord. Anything that goes wrong with the building, including plumbing, heating or water damage, becomes your responsibility to repair.

Tax Benefits Although you may write off the rent you currently pay while leasing your place of business, there are other tax benefits of property ownership. For instance, you may be able to deduct mortgage interest, depreciation and property taxes as an owner. If you are renting part of the space, landlord deductions may be available to you, as well. Check with a tax pro-

fessional to determine the tax implications of owning property for your business.

Potential Appreciation If your business is located in a popular and growing area, it is likely local rents will continue to increase. One way of controlling the fixed cost of your office space is to own it so you know precisely how much your payments will be for the length of the mortgage contract. If you decide to lease part of your space to another business, you may also collect those increased rent payments. Moreover, if you purchase versus lease space, your business will benefit from any appreciation in the value of the property.

Building Equity for Retirement Equity as a property owner benefits you in two ways. As the value of the property increases and the amount of your mortgage decreases, your property gains more equity, Continued on page 23

20 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL

Understanding the Downtown L.A. Housing Market The Loft Expert! Group Weighs In on the Bright Future of Resale Home Prices

W

hen buildings started opening in Downtown, mostly beginning in 2005, there was a large demand for homes — both condos and apartments. Unfortunately, many borrowers succumbed to

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS the disastrous offerings by financial institutions, with 0%, 3%, 5% and 10% down.

These loans got buyers into properties they couldn’t really afford. When the market crashed, many homeowners had to give up their properties through foreclosures and short sales.

Downtown experienced a huge amount of foreclosures and short sales, and as many as one-third of the units changed hands from 2007 to 2012. Because of this, new homeowners got great deals on their properties but they also had to conform to the new strict lending practices, such as 20% or more down and proof of employment.

Now, Downtown has renewed its aggressive growth, but under much more regulated financial principles. There has been continuous growth in residences, and that number is on pace to double, according to Downtown’s The Loft Expert!

Group, which has its finger on the pulse of the local residential market.

The new Downtown L.A. is a unique market because it really is only about 15 years old. Lots of developments, both public and private, are in the pipeline. Everything that is being developed by the city and government serves to raise the value of property in Downtown, including new Metro lines/stations, schools and parks. Add to the equation the fact that the Central City is experiencing the lowest inventory for residential properties in

years. This is a result of lenders avoiding condominium development loans and only financing apartment buildings, which means there are plenty of apartments coming and only a handful of condos.

So what does the future hold for Downtown L.A., even if it is in a “bubble”? Current resale home prices are hovering around $650 to $700 a square foot for the better properties, while new construction is selling at $1,000 and more. Bill Cooper, founder of The Loft Expert! Group, says resale condos in Downtown are on a path to approach $1,000 per square foot.

“Growth won’t happen overnight,” Cooper noted. “In fact, it has slowed down since we got to the $700 per square foot range, but I believe the resale home market will continue to see appreciation. Downtown Los Angeles should be and will be one of the top downtowns in the United States. We have the best weather, great development plans, passionate leaders and developers, and the ability to build density by building up.”

Cooper said the recent additions such as the Los Angeles Rams, as well as many innovative tech companies, are fueling the city’s growth even more.

“This is why I am excited to think about another 15 years of growth and change,” he said. “Downtown L.A. is a unique market and I can’t even imagine what it will look like five years from now, let alone 15 years.”

For more information visit The Loft Expert! Group at theloftexpertgroup.com.

255 Grand Arrives in Style Prestigious Bunker Hill Tower Gets a Modern Makeover

V

oted Best “from the ground up residential property” by the L.A. Downtown News, 255 Grand reimagines what it means to live grand.

255 Grand, previously known as Grand Promenade, a G&K Management Co. apartment community, is bringing

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS Bunker Hill to new heights with its multi-million dollar, top-to-bottom makeover. Located in prestigious Bunker Hill, this is the go-to neighborhood for fine dining, worldclass museums, upscale hotels, and a thriving arts and entertainment scene. 255 Grand offers its residents immediate proximity to attractions such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art and the new Broad museum. The architectural designs by Nadel bring a fresh new face to this beloved building.

With breathtaking views, awe-inspiring balconies, oversized patios and spacious floor plans, the 391-unit high-rise property includes studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 480 to 1,335 square feet in a uniquely suburban-urban setting. 255 Grand will also offer penthouse memberships with exclusive features and benefits for residents. Upgrades offer enhanced amenities such as a WiFi lounge equipped with a full kitchen and bar, stylish Mid-Century furnishings, large TVs, and free WiFi access extending to the pool.

Moreover, it boasts a state-of-the-art theater with reContinued on page 21

Sylvia Ena is the #1 Top Producer at Keller Williams! ...I put my name on it!

Downtown’s Loft/Condo Specialist Since 2005

Sylvia Ena

BRE#01129671

Keller Williams Realty 700 S. Flower St., Suite #2900 Downtown Los Angeles

626-712-9134

Believe in myself, first and foremost.

Be knowledgeable and know what my markets are.

Constantly build personal relationships and think from the clients point of view.

Randelle Green (Broker/CEO) cabre#01717315

Always commited to fullfilling all of my clients goals and exceeding their expectations.

Direct: 213.254.7626 • Office: 213.284.2988

My clients are always # 1.

BUY / SELL / LEASE

TheRandelleGreenGroup.com

May 23, 2016

Continued from previous page clining leather seats designed with the latest technologies, an ultramodern fitness center with a yoga studio and outdoor stretching area, and pet-friendly features. A 24-hour staffed lobby provides passage to the spacious apartment homes with floor-to-ceiling windows capturing beautiful mountain and city views.

Aside from the aesthetics, 255 Grand has expanded on the more practical details by adding a centralized laundry lounge with a built-in laundry alert system, top-notch concierge service, on-site restaurants and dry cleaning. Renovations outside of the building include lush landscaping, accent lighting, and a new look for the pool and Jacuzzi deck with an expansive barbeque area. In a nod to the sunny Los Angeles climate, several new fire pits with plush outdoor seating for entertaining are available year-round. From events in the newly appointed party room to movie nights in the theater, 255 Grand’s renovation tastefully complements the classy Bunker Hill neighborhood.

For more information, call the on-site leasing office at (213) 2299777 or visit 255grand.com.

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL

Downtown News 21

Facing Forward While Respecting the Past Pilgrim School Students Thrive With a Growing Campus and Diverse Curriculum

I

t is hard to believe that the school year is almost over.

Pilgrim School seniors are making their final decisions about where they will attend college — every student received multiple acceptances. One hallmark of a Pilgrim

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS education is the individual attention that helps each student find the perfect college for their unique academic profile and interests.

Likewise, returning students have a lot to look forward to, notably a beautiful “Field of Dreams” that is well on its way to completion in time for the next school year. Parents too are anticipating acres of new underground parking.

Pilgrim’s Downtown location and its rich diversity are truly reflective of the complex face of Los Angeles, and the diversity incorporated into a Pilgrim education prepares students for life in a complex world. The Pilgrim School curriculum embraces both art and technology, as well as traditional academics. Technology is integrated into and across the curriculum beginning in Early Education, and Pilgrim students learn to balance computer screens and hands-on experimental techniques.

The beautiful Brown Family Fine Arts Center offers students the opportunity for an extensive experiential education in the fine arts. Pilgrim provides a unique opportunity for all students to interact with creative individuals through the Visiting Artists and Writers Program, through which artists share their experience and creative process with students beginning

in Early Education. Pilgrim is committed to the education of the whole student: traditional academics, state-of-the-art technology, a strong foundation in the arts, and a place in athletics for every student.

A Pilgrim education gives students the skills to succeed and thrive in a changing world — facing forward while respecting the past. Dedicated and innovative faculty, special programs across the STEM disciplines with hands-on experience, access to a professional quality Art Center, and creative professionals brought to the school through the Visiting Writers and Artists program teach Pilgrim students the 21st century skills of problem-solving, innovation, and collaboration from the toddler class through 12th grade. One hundred percent of Pilgrim graduates go on to the best colleges and universities equipped with the skills they will need to create a unique, meaningful life.

To learn more about Pilgrim School or to tour the historic campus, please call (213) 355-5204.

22 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL

Investing in the Future Little Tokyo Community Leader Becomes KW’s Top Producer

I

n 1992, Sylvia Ena was looking for an investment opportunity. She didn’t know much about real estate, but she was curious about the business and studied to become an agent.

At the time, her three children were young, and real estate allowed her to set her own schedule. Ena could have a job and also be at home with her kids.

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS Almost immediately, Ena began to develop her own style of customer service, always doing a little extra for her clients even after the sale was completed. “Often, what happens afterward is more important than the sale itself,” she says.

Today, she is the top-producing agent at Keller Williams Downtown Los Angeles.

“Sylvia has earned the reputation as one of the most respected and successful real estate agents in the region by treating each customer with the utmost respect while keeping them actively involved and informed throughout each transaction,” notes Andrea Leslie, CEO and team leader at KW. KW principal Kathy Neal adds, “Her dedication and professionalism are second to none in this competitive business. She inspires others on a daily basis to elevate their business.”

Guided by her motto, “My Clients are Always #1,” and bolstered by the ability to speak four languages — English, Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese — Ena has been able to expand her business globally as well as continue to serve clients throughout the L.A. area, including the

San Gabriel Valley, West Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Boyle Heights.

Among her specialties and certifications are lofts, condos, probate, residential homes, income units, relocation, short sale and commercial properties.

In addition to her 24 years’ experience as a realtor, Ena is actively involved in her community. She serves as senior vice president of the Little Tokyo Business Association, is a charter member of the Little Tokyo Rotary Club and is actively involved at the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple.

“I meet the most wonderful people in my work. Often, my clients become my friends. I have an enjoyable life,” she says.

“I’m glad I am in the real estate business.”

Ena works from the Keller Williams Downtown L.A. at The Bloc as well as her satellite office in the heart of Little Tokyo.

For more information, call (626) 712-9134.

Call Us Today!

Buy, Sell or Lease

the loft expert!

TM

group

Downtown since 2002

Bill Cooper Lic #01309009

Bill@TheLoftExpertGroup.com

213.598.7555 TheLoftExpertGroup.com

VOTED BEST DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT!

The Face of Experience In Downtown Residential Real Estate The RandelleGreen Group Celebrates A Decade of Local Commitment

R

andelle Green, broker and chief executive of The RandelleGreen Group (Downtown Lofts & Condos), came to Downtown L.A. in 2005 and has never looked back.

Green has been credited with playing an integral part in the “renaissance” of DTLA. He came before L.A. Live, Ralphs, Whole

FROM OUR ADVERTISERS Foods and Bottega Louie helped transform the area. The then fresh-faced upstart realtor wanted to expand a market that had been long neglected, and he had a vision for what the area could be even before the explosive growth of South Park, the Arts District and the other burgeoning neighborhoods helped make Downtown a sought-after destination.

Eleven years later, Green heads his own brokerage firm, receiving rave reviews from his clients. “Randelle simply does what he says he’ll do,” notes one of his recent customers.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Green stands by what he calls a Midwestern work ethic. The hands-on broker heads up the daily operations of his booming brokerage by personally working with his clients. He mixes hard work with integrity, going so far as to brand his company with the tagline, “I put my name on it!” It is a philosophy he takes seriously.

“I do put my name on it,” Green says. “I was raised to take responsibility for my actions. I always tell my clients that we are in this together, from our first tour to the close of escrow or the signing of the lease agreement.”

Nothing takes the place of experience in a realtor’s chosen Continued on page 23

May 23, 2016 Continued from previous page market, and when talking about Downtown L.A., Green has lots of it. He got his start in 2005 by leading the sales team on one of Downtown’s first adaptive reuse projects, the historic Pan-American Lofts in the Old Bank District on Third Street and Broadway.

He quickly found his way into South Park where he again anchored the sales effort for the mega-complex Evo/Luma/Elleven. The financial district came next. Green was director of sales/leasing and property manager for The Roosevelt Lofts on Seventh and Flower streets.

“I am so proud of what Downtown has become, and to see the restaurants, bars and lounges so packed on an average weeknight is amazing,” he notes. “The construction, services and companies that continue to flood the area, helping to make Downtown a true urban destination on an international level, is beyond exciting.”

In 2006, Green said he would pitch Downtown living to various Westside brokerages, as well as potential buyers and renters. Many failed to catch the vision. But oh, how times have changed.

“Now my phone rings off the hook with new potential Downtowners simply needing to pick their neighborhood,” he says.

“Are they Arts District people, South Parkers, Historic Core types?

Do they see themselves living on Bunker Hill, the Financial District, Little Tokyo or the Fashion District?”

Today, there’s no need to pitch Downtown anymore, Green observes.

“We built it, and they came and it’s only just begun.”

For more information or to contact Broker/CEO Randelle Green, call (213) 254-7626 or visit TheRandelleGreenGroup.com.

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency Call Now Fo is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one r bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room Move-In Spec with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and ial slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses s ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.

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255 South Grand Avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Re New no ly va ted

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dishwasher (most units) ~ Central Air Conditioning & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

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123 South Figueroa Street Leasing Information 213 617 3777 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Spa / BBQ Grills ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

WELLS FARGO, 19 resulting in a greater profit if you sell. This equity also gives the actual business more worth, meaning that you may be able to borrow against the equity to fund future growth. It is important to note that the downside of counting on equity is no one can see into the future to determine the value of your building in the years ahead.

Ultimately, there are many factors every small business owner needs to consider when deciding whether to buy or rent a business facility.

Before committing to purchasing your business property, seek the support of a financial advisor to discuss all your financing options and help you determine what makes the most sense for the success of your business.

For more information, contact Patrick Nygren, Wells Fargo L.A. Bank president, at (310) 285-5949 or email Patrick.A.Nygren@wellsfargo.com.

Downtown News 23

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove & Dishwasher ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Solariums and/or Balconies

On-Site: ~ Convenience Store / Beauty Salon

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225 South Olive Street Leasing Information 213 626 1500 Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dish washer (most units) ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

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TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

May 23, 2016

Police Arrest Man Suspected of Setting Cars on Fire

David Charles Barton (below) was arrested last month and has been charged with setting a car on fire at an Audi dealership.

He is also believed to have set fire to five cars in the Historic Core including the vehicle seen here in March.

At Least Six Vehicles Were Burned in Downtown in Two-Month Period

By Nicholas Slayton olice have arrested a man who they believe set at least six cars on fire in Downtown Los Angeles over the last two months. Most of the burned vehicles were in the Historic Core.

Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested David Charles Barton at 8:30 a.m. on April 29 in relation to an April 11 fire at an Audi dealership at Flower Street and Washington Boulevard.

A man matching Barton’s description had been seen lighting combustible material on fire underneath a car at the dealership at 10:55 p.m.

Barton, 34, had actually been arrested the night of the dealership fire, after the business’ security and police tracked the fleeing suspect. However, he was released on April 18 following a court appearance, according to Rob McLoud, the Los Angeles Fire Department senior arson investigator handling the car fires case. McLoud said he did not know why Barton had been released.

McLoud said an arrest warrant was secured on April 20. Barton was arrested by officers in Pasadena, and was later transferred to the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles.

The District Attorney’s office has charged Barton with one count of arson for the dealership fire. At an arraignment on May 2, he pleaded not guilty.

P

Barton, who McLoud described as being homeless, is being represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. According to a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office, Barton is being evaluated to determine if he is competent to stand trial. If he is found to be not competent, he will be sent to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino.

An attorney representing Barton would not comment on the case beyond confirming the charges.

Barton had previously been arrested for arson in December 2014, also for setting fire to automobiles. He was convicted the following April and sentenced to 16 months in state prison. He was released on parole on August 18, 2015.

According to the Fire Department, Barton is suspected of having been involved in a total of six fires in Downtown between March 4 and April 27. In each instance, an individual placed a box of flammable material such as clothing, newspapers and trash underneath a car, then set the box on fire. The flames ignited, burning the vehicle. Since Barton’s arrest on April 29, there have not been any similar car fires in the area, McLoud said.

Almost all of the fires took place in the Historic Core, around the intersections of Fifth Street and Broadway and Fourth Street and Broadway. The fires were started during the

photo by Marc Cohen

night, with the suspect leaving the scene before he or she could be identified. Investigators have not been able to officially link Barton to the other fires, due to a lack of witnesses and evidence, said McLoud.

Currently, Barton has only been charged in connection with the fire at the Audi dealership, and it remains unclear if he will be charged with others. If convicted, he faces a potential sentence of 16 years in state prison.

Although the vehicle at the Audi dealership was completely destroyed, that was not always the case. In one Historic Core incident in April, a car was moved away from the flammable material placed underneath it before being consumed by the blaze.

The fires have unnerved people in the Historic Core due to the seeming random nature of

the incidents, said Blair Besten, executive director of the Historic Core Business Improvement District. The BID had urged people to alert authorities if they saw anything suspicious.

“It’s been happening in other parts of the city, but we got hit harder than others,” she said.

McLoud said that these kind of arson incidents are uncommon, though occasionally there is a spate of attacks in a short period. nicholas@downtownnews.com

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24 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

Downtown News 25

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Business Groups Protest Plan to Hike City Park Creation Fees Apartment Developers Could Pay $5,000 Per Unit in ‘Quimby’ Fees

By Eddie Kim usiness groups protested last week when a City Council committee voted to approve plans to increase the amount of money housing developers must pay for park creation.

On Tuesday, May 17, the council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted in favor of a proposal to raise fees for condos and single-family houses from a maximum of $8,000 to $10,000. For the first time, all apartment builders would also be consistently charged for park fees.

It’s an effort that could mean more in Downtown Los Angeles than anywhere else in the city, as the population is expected to swell by 10,000 in the coming years, and thousands of additional housing units are in the planning pipeline.

The Quimby fee program was instituted in 1971, but the fees have stayed stagnant since.

In the past, most new apartment buildings were exempt from park-related fees, though in some zoning-change cases a developer could be charged about $2,000 per unit, said Senior City Planner Nicholas Maricich. Under the proposed policy, all new apartment developers would have to pay up to $5,000 per unit, which in a 200-apartment project — a number of Downtown developments are this size or larger — would amount to $1 million. Apartment complexes represent a majority of current housing construction in the city, Maricich said.

City officials hope to implement the fee increase within 60 days of the measure’s approval by the full council.

Business groups, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Historic Core Business Improvement District and the Central City Association, expressed concerns about the proposed hike. They asked the committee to reconsider pricing, grandfather in more currently exempt applicants, and stretch the phase-in period for payments beyond the proposed two years.

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Several speakers, including Marie Rumsey of the Central City Association, said other potential city fee increases, such as a proposal to tax developers to pay for affordable housing creation, should be considered before hiking park fees.

“If adopted as proposed, the park fee ordinance will negatively impact housing production. That is the last thing the city should do in the middle of a housing crisis,” Rumsey said.

City Planning staffers and supporters of the hike pointed to a pair of new studies. One found that a fee of $18,364 per unit would be needed to maintain the current ratio of 4.2 acres of green space per 1,000 people. A second study found that developers and the real estate market could bear up to $12,500 per house or condo and $7,500 per apartment.

After discussion with the Central Planning Commission, City Planning lowered the proposed fees to the current level, Maricich said.

A hurdle for any potential parks comes in the form of the restrictions the Quimby act puts on where money can be used.

Currently, park fees must be spent within a radius of a half-mile for any “neighborhood” parks or within two miles for a larger “community” park.

The new policy would push the figures to one mile and five miles, respectively, while also defining a new 10-mile radius for building or improving “regional” park projects.

Supporters said a fee hike could help boost affordable housing construction in the city. Currently, developers who include a 20% affordable housing component in a complex are exempt from the fee, which Maricich said motivates them to build exactly 20%. Under the new proposal, each individual affordable unit is exempted, meaning developers could save additional money if they build more.

Affordable housing developers including Skid Row Housing

photo by Gary Leonard

Quimby fees have been used by the city to acquire and build projects such as the $8 million Spring Street Park, which opened in 2013. City officials are looking to significantly increase the amount of money that housing developers pay.

Trust and the Little Tokyo Service Center showed up to support the change, while also alerting the committee to a wrinkle: Projects in the Downtown area must pay a Quimby-like fee that is not required elsewhere in the city. Dana Trujillo, chief real estate officer for Skid Row Housing Trust, asked the panel to make payments consistent.

“We paid $500,000 in those fees for the New Genesis, which could have gone toward valuable housing,” she said, referring to a Main Street housing project that opened in 2012.

In Downtown, Quimby fees have been used for projects such as the creation of the Spring Street Park and acquiring land for the proposed park at First Street and Broadway. The availability of additional fees could be used for the construction of the latter park, where the construction budget is estimated at $10 million, and at Pershing Square, where a splashy design by the Paris-based architecture firm Agence Ter is estimated to cost at least $50 million. eddie@downtownnews.com

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26 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

Holy Spokes!

Scenes From Good Samaritan Hospital’s Annual Blessing of the Bikes

Photos By Gary Leonard

AROUND TOWN, 2 hours each weekend in June. Traffic will be reconfigured on First Street between Central Avenue and Vignes Street, on Alameda Street between Temple and Third streets and on Central Avenue between First and Second streets. The closures will start each Friday at 9 p.m. and run through 4 a.m. on Monday. The dates are June 3-6, 10-13, 17-20 and 24-27, according to Rick Jager, Metro’s communications director. The construction will involve building deck panels and doing preparatory work ahead of creating the tunnel for the project. The Regional Connector will include three new stations. More information on the project and detours are at (213) 922-7277 or metro.net. The project is expected to open in 2020.

Indie-Rock Dance Party at The Regent

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oes the phrase “indie-rock dance party” pique your interest? If so, good news: The Historic Core is getting a fun U.K. import with the arrival of the monthly themed party Propaganda at The Regent ( 448 S. Main St.). The series kicks off on Thursday, May 26, with the decks overseen by Propaganda founder DJ Dan and Alt Nashville DJ Gabby Sanderson. As for the music, expect a wide variety of cuts from the likes of The Strokes, Haim, Blink-182, The Killers and The 1975, to name a few. The party runs from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. with a $5 cover before 10 p.m. and $10 after. Keep an eye out for special guests: Musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding and more have

shown up to help host the events. Propaganda hosts weekly events in more than 20 cities across the U.K., plus in Australia, Brazil and the United States. The L.A. launch follows Propaganda nights in Chicago and Nashville earlier this year.

JANM Head to Leave

A

fter leading the Japanese American National Museum for more than four years, President and CEO Greg Kimura is abruptly stepping down. The museum announced his departure on Friday, May 20.

“After four years at the helm, I feel that a change in leadership at this point will be healthy for the organization and for me,” Kimura said in a prepared statement. The museum gave no specific reason for his de-

parture, and a representative would not provide details on when Kimura decided to resign. Some “key museum personnel,” however, were notified as late as Thursday, the representative said. Kimura will end his tenure with the museum on June 30, the close of JANM’s fiscal year. After that, JANM’s Board of Trustees will provide executive leadership and will partner with the Center for Nonprofit Management to pick an interim CEO before a permanent president and CEO is hired.

According to JANM, there will be a national search for a new leader. During his tenure, Kimura mounted a number of shows that sought to expand JANM’s audience, with exhibits devoted to, among other things, Asians tattoos, international players on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the art and influence of Hello Kitty.

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Downtown News 27

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Valley Name Was an Early Downtown Player How Isaac Newton Van Nuys Arrived in L.A. and Built the City’s Finest Hotel, Which Still Stands

By Greg Fischer an Nuys. You hear that a lot in Los Angeles, and instantly think of a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley or Van Nuys Boulevard. However, the name was also once prominent in Downtown Los Angeles.

Isaac Newton Van Nuys, from an old Dutch family in New York, arrived in Los Angeles a few years after the Civil War. In 1880, he married the former Susanna Hill Lankershim, thus uniting the Van Nuys and Lankershim families. Susanna’s father, Isaac Lankershim (changed from Lankesheim), was a partner with Van Nuys in a farming syndicate that owned almost the entire southern half of the San Fernando Valley, some 60,000 acres south of Roscoe Boulevard.

The property had been acquired from Don Pío Pico, the last Mexican governor of the portion of California that today is in the United States. Don Pío’s brother, General Andrés Pico, held the balance of the Valley lands, about 60,000 acres north of Roscoe Boulevard. No doubt the sale of the southern half of the Valley helped Don Pío finance the building of the Pico House hotel at today’s El Pueblo Plaza. It opened in 1869, about a year after Pico sold the Valley acreage.

In 1896, Isaac and Susanna Lankershim Van Nuys built the Van Nuys Hotel on the northwest corner of Fourth and Main streets.

It was constructed on the site of the former home of Colonel James Howard and his wife. Howard was a prominent attorney and the Howards lived next to former Gov. John G. Downey.

These were the days when South Main Street was very “in” as a residential neighborhood.

Fast forward 120 years and history has repeated itself.

The hotel opened in January 1897 and was the finest in Los Angeles at the time. The firm of Morgan and Walls designed the structure that featured 160 rooms. The name “Van Nuys” was

V

photo by Gary Leonard

The Barclay building at Fourth and Main streets in the Old Bank District originally opened in 1897 as the Van Nuys Hotel. It was built by Isaac Newton Van Nuys, who also owned 60,000 acres in what would become the San Fernando Valley.

etched into the brickwork on each of the frontages near the roofline. The L-shaped lobby, which was typical for corner buildings at the time, accessed Fourth Street on one side and Main Street on the other.

This hotel is where Henry Huntington stayed while on trips to scope out Los Angeles as a place in which to invest, long before he built his estate at San Marino. President William McKinley stayed at the Van Nuys when visiting Los Angeles in 1901, several months before his assassination. A photo from the time shows the president in a carriage arriving amidst a

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Confused? Have an amaretto sour or a tequila mule with a craft beer and things will make more sense.

What You’re Drinking: A mere $12 will get you a coconut, champagne and gin cocktail called the Poolside that, in volume, can help you make more sense of the fish tank.

At 448 S. Hill St., (213) 873-4444 or mrsfish.com.

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MrS. FiSh the adage “as above, so below, ” though philosophically sound, scarcely applies to Mrs. fish, a basement bar many stories below and a world removed from its rooftop sister establishment, Perch. enter through an anonymous doorway just north of Pershing Square and descend down a winding flight of steps to find yourself in a land of confusing but not unwelcome design flourishes. there’s an inexplicably large fish tank, a cowhide up-

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Faith and Flower

It’s a big deal when esquire magazine deems a cocktail one of the best in the nation. faith & flower is one of Downtown’s top new dining destinations, and bar director Michael Lay’s drinks menu has rightfully gotten a lot of love. that english Milk Punch lives up to the hype — assuming you get to the restaurant before it sells out. even if that’s the case, there are a slew of inventive drinks on the menu at this ornate South Park eatery that features some unforgettable spirits.

What You’re Drinking: Seriously, get the english Milk Punch.

It combines a countless number of liquors, juices and spices with a touch of milk, which is filtered out to leave a translucent but silky smooth elixir.

At 705 W. Ninth St., (213) 239-0642 or faithandflowerla.com.

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District and the Historic Core is the main attraction. the jazzy live music floating up from the restaurant on weekends provides the soundtrack.

What You’re Drinking: the Parisian ambiance and menu makes the Midnight in Paris, a mix of cognac, vodka, peach liqueur, and lemon and orange juices, an easy choice.

At 448 S. Hill St., (213) 802-1770 or perchla.com.

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Bar Jackalope @ Seven Grand Is it possible to grow weary of fine Scottish whiskey, tartan 2015 print decor and dominant taxidermy June 29,motifs? we like to think not, but variety being the spice of life, we owe it to whiskey geeks to peek behind the curtain at Seven Grand to enjoy a little taste of tokyo in the vaunted bourbon bar’s backroom. Japanese spirits are the order of the day. So whether or not you’re in the market for a casual exploratory tasting or lust after a dram of some rare Suntory, Bar Jackalope is worth a visit.

What You’re Drinking: Something Japanese. Something single malt. Something at least 18 years of age.

At 515 W. Seventh St., (213) 614-0736 or sevengrandbars.com.

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throng of well-wishers jammed into the intersection. The hotel is decked out with flags in every window and guests waving at the presidential entourage.

The hotel is today known as the Barclay. It was recently listed as being for sale.

The hotel proved to be so popular that the Van Nuys Hotel/ Annex, or Van Nuys Hotel/Broadway, opened in 1898 on Broadway, just south of Fourth Street. Overflow guests stayed here and it was just two blocks away. That building caught fire in 1905 and was rebuilt, but it was demolished long ago.

The Van Nuys family lived in a large home on the southwest corner of Seventh and Spring streets. The house had been built by a member of the Newmark family, but was sold to Van Nuys.

As this area became more urban and Seventh Street grew more business-oriented in the 1890s, the family moved to Sixth Street and Loma Drive on Crown Hill just west of Figueroa Street. Today, the I. N. Van Nuys building, which was renovated several years ago, occupies the site of the family home at Seventh and Spring.

The success of the Van Nuys Hotel encouraged the transformation of the southeast corner of Fourth and Main streets, diagonally opposite the hotel. Colonel James B. Lankershim, the brother of Van Nuys’ wife Susanna, constructed the six-story San Fernando Building on the site, adding two floors while it was under construction for a total of eight floors. Adding floors to what was originally intended was a common practice in the city at the time. These additions were considered a sign of optimism and impressed the general public and those looking to invest in Los Angeles real estate.

Toward the end of his life, Van Nuys helped plan the I. N. Van Nuys building that opened in 1913. Likewise, he was a part of the sale of the southern half of the San Fernando Valley lands to another syndicate whose purpose was to subdivide the area into villages with residences. Of the three original villages designed by the new syndicate, one was named Van Nuys.

Isaac Newton Van Nuys died in 1912 in a completely different city than the one in which he arrived approximately 40 years earlier. His widow survived him by 11 years, passing away in 1923. They are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights.

Greg Fischer is a Downtown resident and amateur historian.

1264 W. 1st St., LA, CA 90026 213-481-1448 • FAX 213-250-4617

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CALENDAR

The Kingston Trio and the Folk Revival revisits the Hawaiian band that paved the way for a number of other folk artists. It is one of four new exhibits at South Park’s Grammy Museum.

From

May 23, 2016

Folk Music TO The Boss

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shows off the resonator guitars the company started producing in 1927. The innovation came from placing a metal cone inside the guitar that served as natural amplification.

“These guitars were the answers to the vexing problem of, ‘How do I get more sound out of my guitar?’” said Bob Santelli, the executive director of the Grammy Museum.

The museum has 10 guitars and ukuleles from the National brand on display, including a Style 3 Tricone 3 Resonator Ukelele that had only been seen in catalogues until a physical version was discovered.

Nwaka Onwusa, the museum’s curator, said that even after electric guitars and rock and roll took off in the 1950s, resonators still played a major role, as folk artists such as Bob Dylan stuck with the instrument. Santelli said it is a happy accident that the National Guitar exhibit overlaps with one focused on folk music, also on the fourth floor of the museum.

Aloha, Folk Music Folk music is folk music because the songs are passed down from generation to generation, adapted for the time but keeping their roots. That kind of adaptation is what the Kingston Trio, a group out of Hawaii playing traditional songs from the American East Coast, did in the late 1950s.

Curated by the Woody Guthrie Center, The Kingston Trio and the Folk Revival charts not only the band’s success, but also the fall and resurrection of folk music in mid-20th century. Onwusa said the Kingston Trio made folk music commercial enough to welcome it back into American homes, while

The museum cont inues its series on the Motown reco with Legends of M rd label and its in otown: Celebratin fluence g the Miracles. Th Smokey Robinson e group, which in (left), was the fir cluded st act to sign with Motown.

photo courtesy of

By Nicholas Slayton owntown’s museums and galleries stand out for their big shows. The Museum of Contemporary Art is currently hosting the major retrospective Don’t Look Back: The 1990s at MOCA. The new Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery’s inaugural exhibit focuses on abstract sculpture from female artists over the course of 70 years. Next month, The Broad will debut an extensive show of the photographs of Cindy Sherman.

The Grammy Museum is going in a different direction.

While it doesn’t offer anything on the scale of the abovementioned exhibits, it has three just-opened shows, and a fourth arriving this week, that are all smaller. Together, they provide a critical mass of intriguing new draws at the South Park complex.

The topics range from technological innovations in music to a folk revival to one of the biggest names in rock: Bruce Springsteen. Here’s a rundown.

Play It Loud After World War One, American music took a turn toward a guitar-heavy sound. That happened because guitarists were trying make their instruments louder and stand out against horn sections. That is where the National String Instrument Company came in.

Shine Like a National Guitar, which runs through next spring, comes from a donation of more than 50 National guitars by New York-based realtor Todd Cooper. Specifically, it

m

Four New Grammy Museum Exhibits Dance Across Musical Styles and Eras

photo by Rebecca Sapp/Wireimages.com

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

28 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

keeping true to the genre’s roots.

“The Kingston Trio popularized it to college students and made it more popular by putting a more upbeat tempo to the melodies,” said Deana McCloud, the executive director of the Woody Guthrie Center. “Folk music wasn’t dead. It was still there.

It just needed a new generation to carry it forward.”

The exhibit, which continues through the fall, is the largest of the four new shows, with two walls displaying booklets, guitars and outfits from the trio and other bands. It contains a large room showing a documentary on the group, as well as other items from the Kingston Trio. Visitors can also listen to some of the band’s songs, including their hit take on the folk standard “Tom Dooley.”

The displays trace how the genre came back into popular culture in the early ’60s, with musicians such as David Van Ronk and the group Peter, Paul and Mary. Mc Cloud said the revival spurred on new musical trends with the folk rock of Bob Dylan.

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Motown Miracle The 1960s brought not only the folk revival, but also the rise of Motown. One of the biggest acts of the time was the Miracles, whose line-up included Smokey Robinson.

The band had numerous number one hits and was the first group to sign with the Motown label. Its history and legacy are on display in Legends of Motown: Celebrating the Miracles. It collects records, recording notes, outfits and personal items from band members in three cases along a wall on the museum’s third floor.

It is the second installment of the Grammy Museum’s series on Motown and its influence, following a showcase on the Supremes.

Onwusa said the exhibit not only recounts the Miracles’ charttopping success, but reveals the band’s life before they became big. The cases contain photographs and early writings from the group, showing line-up changes and different names before they signed with Motown. Intertwined with that is the story of how the label formed, with founder Berry Gordy, Jr.’s initial efforts in creating the label.

“The general fan who loves Motown will learn fascinating stuff they might not know about the label,” Onwusa said.

Many of the items found in the collection come from one of the Miracles herself, Claudette Robinson. Robinson was the first

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Rocker Bruce Springsteen’s sister, photographer Pamela Springsteen, took a number of the pictures in the Grammy Museum’s exhibit Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey. The show, which opens this week, features 45 photos of the musical icon.

photo by Pamela Springsteen

woman to sign a deal with the label, earning her the fitting sobriquet the “First Lady of Motown.”

The Boss on Frame On Thursday, May 26, the Grammy Museum will debut Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey. The exhibit showcases 45 photos of the New Jersey rocker on and offstage.

“We picked five photographers who documented five different points of view from different periods of Springsteen’s career,” Santelli said.

The exhibit includes the work of Ed Gallucci, who documented The Boss in the early 1970s, along with Danny Clinch and Pamela Springsteen, Bruce’s sister. Also on display are photographs from Eric Meola, who did the sessions for Springsteen’s Born to Run album cover, and Frank Stefanko, a New Jersey shooter who

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covered the singer during his Darkness on the Edge of Town period. Almost every image comes from behind-the-scenes moments, with Springsteen offstage, traveling and taking a break between gigs.

The exhibit includes four last-minute additions from Barry Schneier, who photographed Springsteen’s May 9, 1974, Harvard Square Theater show, which is considered his breakout performance. Santelli said that the opportunity to include them was too great to pass up, despite the shift in style from the rest of the pictures.

Bruce Springsteen: A Photographic Journey runs through June 19.

The Grammy Museum is at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. nicholas@downtownnews.com

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

30 Downtown News

May 23, 2016

A Drag Club Musical Without Pep East West Players Closes Season, and Tim Dang’s Tenure, With Revival of La Cage aux Folles

By Jeff Favre im Dang, as he has for two-plus decades, sprinted down the aisle of Little Tokyo’s David Henry Hwang Theatre for another opening night pre-curtain speech. This time, however, he received a standing ovation before he could begin.

The applause had nothing to do with the production, Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s Tony-winning La Cage aux Folles, which Dang is directing to close East West Players’ 50th season. Instead, the cheers and shouts of his name came in recognition that this is Dang’s last show as the company’s artistic director. EWP has grown by proverbial leaps and bounds under his stewardship, including leaving Silver Lake for its current home in Downtown Los Angeles in 1998. On the artistic side, the company has thrived with a mix of world premieres, impressive revivals of Stephen Sondheim musicals, and an array of off-beat and mainstream fare.

Dang won’t be remembered for one particular production, and this misfire of the famed 1983 comedy won’t damage his reputation.

Still, it’s surprising that La Cage lacks the pacing, performances and appropriate tone for which Dang tends to excel at providing.

Most of the jokes in the nearly three-hour show are a half-beat off, which, combined with a poor casting choice and several clunky scene changes, strips the fun and vibrancy from the usually joyous and heartfelt comedy.

T

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The lack of cohesion is all the more surprising given the pre-show party. Dance music blasts in the courtyard and interns from the Los Angeles County Youth Job Program invite patrons to dance. Inside, bikini-brief muscle men bop a beach ball through the audience, followed by an energetic 10-minute drag show featuring covers of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper numbers.

The excitement is tempered, though, when the actual musical begins.

The story follows the basic plot of the 1973 French play on which the show is based (most Americans know another incarnation best, the 1996 movie The Birdcage).

Drag club owner Georges (Jon Jon Briones) has been in a 20-year relationship with the nightclub’s drag headliner Albin (Gedde Watanabe). He learns that his son Jean-Michel (Jinwoo Jung) is getting married. The problem is that the bride-to-be’s father is homophobic and wants to shut down the club — and he’s coming over to meet the family.

The bright spots come from the dance numbers, undertaken by the drag performers at the club, in particular the opener “We Are What We Are” and the second act’s “The Best of Times.”

Reggie Lee’s choreography is highly physical and exciting.

The problem is that when the dancing stops, so does much of the movement. Watanabe, whose Albin is the musical’s comedic focal point, lacks the rhythm to get the most from

3/24/15

12:33 PM

Jon Jon Briones (left) plays drag club owner Georges and Gedde Watanabe is his longtime partner and drag headliner Albin in East West Players’ version of the 1983 musical La Cage aux Folles.

photo by Michael Lamont

the dialogue, with overly long pauses and a stilted delivery much of the time. His moment to shine was the first act finale, “I Am What I Am,” but poor blocking hurt the impact of a key moment leading up to that crucial song.

The bigger problem, however, is Jung. As the in-love Jean-Michel, his performance is almost completely flat, which slows and stiffens several scenes.

Support comes from veteran stage actor Briones, who successfully inhabits the understated but often funny Georges. The other clear standout is Allen Lucky Weaver as Albin’s maid Jacob. Weaver’s over-the-top portrayal injects some much-needed wacky fun.

Dang and company have nailed the look, thanks to flashy costumes designed by Anthony Tran, and Victoria Petrovich’s glitzy set.

Costume changes require time, though, and

the comic bits to cover up slow changes from scene to scene tended to miss the mark.

It’s true that La Cage isn’t entirely about laughs, but without the contrast of rapid-fire and outrageous humor, the touching moments lack punch. Even the fun climactic scene loses impact from an overly long reveal.

There’s no denying Herman’s flair for catchy hooks in his songs. However, at this length there needs to be more than that holding everything together. Perhaps the show will hit its stride after a few more performances.

Even if this La Cage aux Folles isn’t Dang’s strongest effort, his legacy shines bright, and he’s likely to add much more to his remarkable body of work.

La Cage aux Folles runs through June 26 at East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org.

40

SUMMER'S TOP

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Advertise in this award winning issue as we highlight the top 40 things to do and see in Downtown this summer!

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JUNE 8, 2016

JUNE 13, 2015 7 June 15, 2015

Party 4th of July Block Grand Park • July 4

rocker Juanes. Oh no, he’ll need two One night isn’t enough for Colombian the Nokia Theatre), and he’ll get shows at the Microsoft Theater (formerly Esteban, started out in the heavy them July 31-Aug. 1. Juanes, neé Juan a solo artist in 2000 with the record metal band Ekhymosis and became with 20 Latin Gram. He’s been powering forward ever since, laalbums sold. This tour is la mys on his shelf and more than 15 million Sariand the opener is Ximena Sari beled Loco de Amor (for his 2014 album) At 777 Chick Hearn Court or microsofttheater.com.

staplescenter.com.

n

IT’S MORE THAN JUST A MOVIE.

Matilda

SUMMER’S

TOP 40

June 15, 2015

h July 12

California WaterCourtPlaza June 19

Lions, tigers and BMX bandits, oh my!

That’s some July 9-14 when of what’s on the menu Ringling Bros.

Bailey Circus Barnum and Staples Center. makes its annual visit to The show more than 100 performers will include tries, and in from 13 counaddition to the big cats elephants, there will be and Bactrian camels (that’s the two-humpe d version), ers, trampoline parkour performwizards and daredevils. motorcycle If that’s -riding offer a cascade not enough, Ringling will also of clowns, ma “The Jet” dancing dogs Kirby, and Gemhuman cannonballtouted as the world’s youngest show is dubbed . Fittingly, this version of the Circus Xtreme.

12 performanc There will be es over the At 1111 S. Figueroasix days.

St. or axs.com.

Feld Entertainment

TheATre | Throug

Roald Dahl’s tale of a gifted 5-year-old, parents who and wise-beyond-her-years just don’t understand headmistre ss bounces and a cruel to life at the atre. Matilda Ahmanson the Musical, Thewhich runs 12, melds hummable through July songs, a smart crafted set and and a show that’s some fantastic performancwellperfect for es into should be at least 6 due families (though children The coterie to of kids (includinga few scary moments).

Matilda) manage the three who to be cute ilda’s parents, but not sugary, play Mr. and Mrs. and Matand Cassie Wormwood Silva, (Quinn Mattfeld behaving badly. respectively) are delightful as grown-ups bered for Bryce Still, Matilda the Musical will be rememof school who Ryness’ turn as Miss Trunchbull, is able the head with a simple to evoke both fear and laughter scowling turn At 135 N. Grand of the head.

Ave., (213) centertheat 972-4444 or regroup.org .

Ringling BROTHE RS CIRCUS sTAples CenTe r July 9-14

Gaslamp Kil ler experien ce

There are DJs, ence. Bizarro and then there’s the Gaslamp Killer hip-hop producer edly got his William Bensussen Experistage Diego’s Gaslamp name by ruining allegthe vibe Quarter with These days, his acid-trip at clubs in San he’s busy playing blowing minds major festivals compositions. with tunes like Coachella that bring and together influences from free

jazz, R&B, old-school baroque wild mixes to the California pop and psychedelia kicks off the . Gaslamp Killer takes annual Grand Plaza Watercourt on his June band to add Performanc live drumming, es series. He’ll 19 at 8 p.m., when he show is free be horns and and the strings. Warning: joined by a 10-piece At 350 S. Grand outdoor joint will Get there early. get crowded Ave., (213) The quickly.

687-2190 or grandperfo rmances.org .

Writ ten

and e Kim, Heid is raWl ins by eddi by alex desig ned

The Ringling

Brothers Circus

returns to

Staples

July 9-14.

Center on

photo courtesy

Feld Entertainmen

t

STREET FOOD CINEMA iss Can’t-M nts wn of 40 Films, Eve n tow A Rundo ibits, to Down son rts, Exh dan JoHn Conce re Coming rdie and Jon rega K aneg aWa And Mo yumi i Kuli cKe,

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For more information please call your Account Executive at 213-481-1448

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Juanes

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Who cares if the haters are gonna hate hate hate? The Swifties will just shake it off when Taylor Swift plays five nights at Staples Center on Aug. 21-26 (Aug. 23 is the off night). The country-turned-pop star will play her catchy tunes for thousands of screaming kids and adults, and they’ll move merchandise like you won’t believe. On the off chance that you don’t know enough about her, head over to the Grammy Museum, where the exhibit The Taylor Swift Experience is up through Oct. 4.

The openers for the Downtown concerts are Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy and the lauded Los Angelesbased sister trio Haim.

At 1111 S. Figueroa or

photo by Theo Jemiso

The California Science Center Dead Sea Scrolls: dabbles in religious antiquity Sept. 7, includes The Exhibition. The with show, which runs outside Israel. the largest selection of the scrolls through The ancient copies of the ever manuscript Old Testament, s are the oldest seen miles east and were known of Jerusalem for 2,000 years hidden away in caves 1947. More than 13 until their with a three-ton 600 other ancient discovery in artifacts are portion of on The exhibit describes the stone from Jerusalem’s display along scripts, as history and Western Wall. well as the discovery science and of the manuervation. Although technology the Science used in their charge for Center is free presDead Sea Scrolls. to enter, there At 700 Exposition is a Park Dr. or californiasc iencecenter .org.

it’s a block party.

At Grand Park or grandparkla.org.

StapleS Center auguSt 21-26

AEG Live

so As Downtown’s residential base expands, Park. does the 4th of July celebration at Grand event, The third annual Independence Day spread which runs from 3-9:30 p.m., will be by across eight blocks this year, bounded and Main Grand Avenue and Temple, Second pyrotechstreets. The highlight is an immense of sevnics display launched from the roofs a eral nearby buildings, but the day includes There litany of music, art, dancing and food. will be stages with bands and DJs, opportunities to help create giant murals, spokenIt’s big word artists and even jump-roping. all, after — and diverse, but it’s supposed to be

California Science Center Through September 7

The Regent

• July23 Talk about grinding it old school! of the 1980s and ’90s post-punk KMFDM, pioneers (they were industrial scene big on Wax Trax Records was at its coolest), when the are donning firing up their the black coatslabel unique brand and Though some of of the members danceable noise. the years, have changed the band, now based over Germany, out continues to be led by of Hamburg, (in a good intense way) newish album, Sascha Konietzko. KMFDModdball last fall’s Our the beauty Time Will Come,has a will “Virus.” Grab be in hearing old buzzsaw but the Cool fact: KMFDMearplugs and get ready hits like to groove. just celebrated sary, making its 30th it older than Evan Spiegel anniverAt 448 S. Main of Snapchat.

St. or theregentth eater.com.

Taylor Swift

News 17

photo courtesy Grand Park

Hertrich photo by Gary Leonard

Even Jake Gittes wouldn’t recognize Chinatown during these community parties.

The Nights events draw thousandsthree Chinatown Summer of people to enjoy food trucks, cultural displays, beer gardens, bands, martial arts performances and DJs. The action centers on Central and West plazas, but the surrounding streets, and especially the restaurants, also take in some of the crowds.

Additionally, there will be culinary demonstrations and artist and flea markets. In case you were wondering, yes, the capuchin monkey and trainer are returning, though there’s a strict look-but-don’t-touch policy (for the monkey.

And probably for the trainer too).

At 943-951 N. Broadway or chinatownsummernig hts.com.

KMFDM

June 15, 2015

SUMMER’S TOP 40

14 Downtown News

Downtown

photo by Joan

TOP 40

Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition

• June 27, July 25 and Central and West Plazas

SUMMER’S

photo courtesy

Chinatown Sum mer nightS

photo courtesy

WS.COM

august 27

OWNNE

2015

photo by Regis

wn News Downto

er’S Summ DOWNT

June 15,

photo by Omar Cruz

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2016 - FROM 11:30 AM TO 2:30 PM

DT

CALENDAR LISTINGS

don't miss list

the

EVENTS

SPONSORED LISTINGS Golf Expo City Club, 555 S. Flower St., 51st floor, (213) 6209662 or cityclubla.com.

On June 9 at 6 p.m., City Club L.A. presents the second annual Golf Expo. Featuring TaylorMade, LuluLemon Golf Apparel, Hardy Cognac and more. Call to RSVP. TUESDAY, MAY 24 Maxine Hong Kingston and Viet Thanh Nguyen at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: War and its Tolstoyian companion, peace, come to the forefront as two formidable writers opine on the Vietnam War’s legacy.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 Los Angeles Ladies Arm Wrestling Summer Slam Bootleg, 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

7 p.m.: Chicas Rockeras and their nonprofit, girls-only rock and roll camp stand to benefit from admissions to this lovely if unlikely tournament of all-female competitive arm wrestling.

Wendy E. Simmons at the Last Bookstore Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., (213) 488-0599 or lastbookstorela.com.

7 p.m.: If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to tour North Korea, engaging travel writer and quick wit Simmons has you covered.

THURSDAY, MAY 26 Curators Lecture Series With Lynne Cooke MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-1741 or moca.org.

7 p.m.: A senior curator at the National Gallery of Art, Cooke is preparing an exhibit on trained artists and autodidacts. Hear her as she works to pull it all together.

Vivian Gornick and David L. Ulin at Aloud Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7500 or lfla.org.

7:15 p.m.: Pedestrianism: the act of walking places, not the habit of having banal interests and expressing threadbare opinions. Enjoy the shenanigans as a New Yorker and an Angeleno talk about hoofin’ it.

SATURDAY, MAY 28 Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Los Angeles Annual Exhibit JACCC, 244 S. San Pedro St. or ikenoboamerica.com.

May 28-29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: The traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement gets its day (or two) in the sun with this free annual exhibition. Please, don’t be the guy or gal who loudly guffaws and exclaims, “Did you see what he did with the petunias!”

ROCK, POP & JAZZ

Au Lac/Café Fedora 710 W. First St., (213) 617-2533 or aulac.com.

May 28, 7:30 p.m.: Cathy Segal-Garcia performs at tonight’s iteration of Café Fedora.

Blue Whale 123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka St., (213) 620-0908 or bluewhalemusic.com.

May 23: Satoko Fuji, Kappa Make and Alex Cline.

May 24: Mitchell Forman Trio.

May 25: Gavin Templeton Quartet.

May 26: Jonah Levine Collective.

May 27: Danny Janklow’s Elevation Band will not actually be elevated.

May 28: Joshua White Trio.

Bootleg Bar 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org.

May 23: It’s the end of her residency. So while Gavin Turek doesn’t have to go home, she can’t stay here.

May 24: Pro tips for tonight’s act, Walking On Cars: 1) Don’t actually walk on cars, particularly if they’re moving.

Don’t state in your band bio that you’re a “young rock/pop

Downtown News 31

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM

Lots of Music and Some Women Arm Wrestlers Are in Downtown This Week

By Dan Johnson @ calendar@downtownnews.com photo by Ian Rock

May 23, 2016

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Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.

32 Downtown News

TWITTER: @ DOWNTOWNNEWS

group.” Show it, don’t say it.

May 25: Send Medicine, both the name of tonight’s headliner and the content of an odd message we found in an empty Popov bottle at Eighth and Grand.

May 26: East London cool kid MC Jay Prince injects a new flavor into the increasingly trapified hip-hop scene.

May 27: In Greece’s win column we’ve got philosophy, democracy and high-grooving vocalist Monika. In the loss column: crushing debt.

May 29: Simone White, Dorian Wood, Derde Verde and The Alexander Noice Sextet all lend their talents to a benefit for refugees that promises to send copious dollars to IRIS, the unfortunately named Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service.

Escondite 410 Boyd St., (213) 626-1800 or theescondite.com.

May 23: The Jazzaholics say they want to get clean, but they don’t mean it. They haven’t hit bottom yet.

May 24: Sycamore bring a delightfully verdant vibe to the ’Dites.

May 25: Leeann Skoda has a guitar, which in this, the pre-singularity digital age, is impressive in its own right.

May 27: King Corduroy, a hipper, more socially aware and breathable update on King Cotton.

May 29: Ben Bostick is the new RT. Exchange LA 618 S. Spring St., (213) 627-8070 or exchangela.com.

May 27: Tur. May 28: Jack Beats.

Grammy Museum 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org.

May 23, 7:30 p.m.: My grandfather who steamed with a TF 38 through the Pacific War would be disturbed to discover that pop sensation Halsey has now surpassed Bull Halsey on the Google search algorithm.

May 24, 7:30 p.m.: Time Magazine named Troye Sivan one of 2014’s most influential teenagers, so attend his intimate performance tonight at your own risk.

Mayan 1038 S. Hill St., (213) 746-4287 or clubmayan.com.

May 26, 8 p.m.: Buzzcocks are surprisingly less lewd than you would think from their name.

May 29, 8 p.m.: Salsa Concert Ecuador, or SCE as they call it in Ecuadorian salsa circles.

Microsoft Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6030 or microsofttheeatre.com.

May 25-27: There will be praise aplenty during the three days of music and inspirational speakers that represent the Bethel Music Heaven Come Conference 2016.

May 26, 8 p.m.: Banda Los Recoditos of Sinaloa fame.

Redwood Bar and Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 652-4444 or theredwoodbar.com.

Continued on next page

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2016 Jetta S 1.4T S with manual transmission 2016 Jetta S 1.4T S with manual transmission*Lease for $59 + tax per month for 24 months. Based on MSRP of $18,770. Residual Value $11,262.00 $1,416 total of payments. Security Deposit Waived. $2,999 due at signing from customer, excludes: $625 Acquisition Fee, $80 Documentation Fee, Sales Tax, Title, and License Fee. 20,000 total miles, with 20¢ per excess mile. Closed-end lease offered on approved above average credits with VCI, excludes TDI and Hybrid Models. One (1) at this GM328323**1.90% Available on 0-60 month terms. 1.90% on approved credit. Not all buyers will qualify.1.90% APR in lieu of cash discounts.

See dealer for more details. Offer Sue Expires 5/31/2016 EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Laris

$

per month for 36 mos

Lease for $299 plus tax per month for 36 months. $3,593 at signing (includes $2,499 capitalized cost reduction, $795 acquisition fee, and first month’s lease payment.) Excludes title, taxes, registration, license fees, insurance, dealer prep and additional options. No security deposit required. $0.25/mile over 30,000 miles. See dealer for details. Exp. 5/31/16.

Mercedes C250 ............................. $23,689 $9,998 2013 Certified, Spt Pkg, Nav Syst, Lo Miles! 8546C/136832 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie 2014 Mercedes GLK350 .........................

2009 VW Tiguan SE ............................

SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim $28,779 $12,199 Certified, Nav Syst, Must See! 8658C/275112 Blk, Turbo, 6 Spd Auto. V161071-1/000946 STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman S .......EDITOR: Kathryn Maese 2013 Mercedes E350 ..............................

S I N C E 19 7 2 $23,799 0.99Angeles APR Avail.Downtown 8602C/691863News $31,881 Red/Blk, Intercooled Turbo, Great MPG. V160650D-1/T06027 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, GregCertified, FischerPrem Pkg 1, Nav Syst,Los 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 CARSON NISSAN AUDI OF DOWNTOWN L.A. ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa web: DowntownNews.com 2013 VW Jetta Sedan S ........................

GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin Blk, 5 Spd Man, 4 Cyl, 1 Owner V160793-1/253348

888-583-0981 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • AUDIDTLA.COM

email: realpeople@downtownnews.com

NEW ’16 AUDI A3 1.8T facebook: L.A. Downtown News

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt

LEASE FOR ONLY twitter: DowntownNews per month

LEASE FOR ONLY

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway

149

269

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, per month Michael Lamb

S I N C E 19 7 2

twitter: DowntownNews

LEASE FOR ONLY

per monthACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt per month EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie for 36 mosCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway for 36 mos SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, 2016 Prius Two Liftback, Model #1223 1.8L 4-Cyl Hybrid with FE, CF Equipment. All New Toyotas come with no cost maintenance plan w/roadside asst.

MSRPWRITER: $18645,Nicholas $2699 down payment plus tax, license and fees. $1400 STAFF Slayton Michael Lamb On approved credit. $80 doc. fee. Security deposit waived. Plus tax and license. Individual dealer prices vary. Lessee responsible for maintenance, excess NMAC Customer Lease Kathryn Cash is included.

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Maese Automatic Trans. $0 Security DeSALES ASSISTANT: Claudia wear and tear, and pays $0.15 per mileHernandez for all mileage over 12,000 miles per year. Lessee to pay $ 229 a month for 36 months with $ 1999 drive-off. Payposit, 12k milesWRITERS: per year. Jeff $0.15 per excess miles. Offer valid only financed ment reflects $500 lease cash applied from Toyota Financial Services. Payment may vary depending on model, equipment choice, and final transaction CONTRIBUTING Favre, Greg Fischer price. LeaseDanielle cash, if advertised,Salmon is only valid in combination with lease program through TFS. Must be leased from new car dealer stock by 05-31-2016.

CIRCULATION: thru Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. Exp. 5/31/16.

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison DISTRIBUTION Ingles 2014 VW Beetle 1.8T .............................

2012MANAGER: Prius CSalvador Two .....................................

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla

NEW ’16 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

Model #1223 1.8L 4-Cyl Hybrid with FE, CF Equipment.

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard

888-845-2267 PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard 1505 E. 223RD ST., CARSON • CARSONNISSAN.COM

Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com

facebook:

$

$

for 36 mos

for 36 mos

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News

SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez 2 Available, model #13016. C160981/204612, C160894/198442 is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

Close end lease payment plus tax for 36 months on above average approved credit. Payment net of The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read news36 month lease. $269 plus tax per month. $1,500 down payment plus acquisition, CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon paper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Lease Cash Rebate $1,400. $3,750 cash or trade equity, plus tax, license and registration fees due registration and first month’s payment due atthe signing.

Noresidences security deposit required.

Monday throughout offices and of Downtown at lease signing. No security deposit. 12,000 miles DISTRIBUTION per year, 36k, total miles with 15 cents per mile MANAGER: Salvador Ingles Must qualify for Audi loyalty.

Los Lease Angeles.for 7,500 miles/year. At lease end, lessee rethereafter. Subject to availability and charges for excess wear and tear. Not all lessees may qualify, sponsible for Bonilla $0.25/mile over miles and excessive wear and tear.

Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo One22,500 copy per person. higher leas rates apply for lessees with lower creditDISTRIBUTION ratings. Offer exp. ASSISTANTS: 5/31/16.

Audi A4 .......................................... $12,888 2013 $23,495 Moon, Conv. Pkg., LoMiles. ZA11235/DN009792 EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris 2013 Nissan Xterra X ..........................

2015 Audi Q5 ......................................... $14,888 $37,895 GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin Wht/Gray, 2WD, V6 CARFAX 1-Owner. CU2098P/811013 Navi, Quattro, Certified. ZA11201SL/FA025390 2013 Chevy Volt .................................

2016 Audi A7 ..........................................

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie $59,895 Drk Gray/Blk, Remote Start, CARFAX 1-Owner. CU2187P/120358 $15,888 Only 2,500 Miles, Loaded. A170118-1/GN021916 SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim WRITER: Nicholas Slayton FELIX STAFF CHEVROLET PORSCHE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese 2007 Nissan Altima 2.54 ....................

Blk/Gray, 4 Dr, FWD, Keyless Start . C160533-1/177724

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie SENIOR WRITER: Eddie Kim STAFF WRITER: Nicholas Slayton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Kathryn Maese CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard

888-304-7039 888-685-5426 S I N C E 19 7 2 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Jeff Favre, Greg Fischer 3300 S. FIGUEROA ST. • FELIXCHEVROLET.COM 1900 S. FIGUEROA ST. • PORSCHEDOWNTOWNLA.COM

NEW ’16 CHEVY CRUZE

ART DIRECTOR: Brian Allison ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Yumi Kanegawa

LEASE FOR ONLY

99

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla ©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

One copy per person.

NEW ’16 PORSCHE CAYENNE

PHOTOGRAPHER: Garyper Leonard month

$

Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 LEASE FOR ONLY web: DowntownNews.com email: realpeople@downtownnews.com per month

for 27 mos

ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt

$

679

facebook: L.A. Downtown News

for 39 mos

1 at this lease/price (F17802) per month plus tax for 27 mos, Lease O.A.C through $4,999 CAP reduction. $679 per month. Stock#P16297. $4,999 Down Payment. 39 months, GM Financial, $2,200 down plus $4,955 inCLASSIFIED qualifying rebates, $0 security MANAGER: deposit, 10k miles per year, VIN#GLA11552, residual $40,043.45, ADVERTISING Catherine Holloway twitter: 1 at this price. Down payment $0.25/mile over 10,000 miles. Based on MSRP of $20,270. *Program subject to excludes tax, dmv fees, $995 Bank Acquisition fee, first payment and document fees. Rates ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Catherine Holloway, change. See dealer for details. based on approved Tier 1 credit through PorscheDowntownNews Financial Service.

Brenda Stevens, Michael Lamb

$8,495 Gray/Beige CPO, 20” whls, Bose, 25k Mi. ZP2048M/L015597 $55,895 2013 Cayenne Turbo .............................

2012 Nissan Versa ..................................

CIRCULATION: Danielle Salmon Blk/Umb, CPO, 63K Mi, Prem. Plus, 21” Whls. ZP2030M/A90208 $11,595 $63,898 Auto, Pwr Doors, Pwr Locks. F17859-1/885278 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Salvador Ingles 2013 911 Cab ..........................................

2009 Honda Accord ................................

DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS: Lorenzo Castillo, Gray/Blk, CPO, Prem. +, 20” Whls,14K Mi. ZP1957M/S14033 $12,995 $75,895 Exl, Pw, Pdl, Leather. F17818-1/131213 Gustavo Bonilla 2014 Chevy Spark .....................................

2013 Panamera Platinum Ed. ..............

SALES ASSISTANT: Claudia Hernandez

©2016 Civic Center News, Inc. Los Angeles Downtown News is a trademark of Civic Center News Inc. All rights reserved.

The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

Auto, Pwr Doors, Pwr Locks. F17597-1/443513

One copy per person.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Sue Laris GENERAL MANAGER: Dawn Eastin EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Jon Regardie

PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Leonard ACCOUNTING: Ashley Schmidt CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING MANAGER: Catherine Holloway

May 23, 2016 Continued from previous page May 23: Rubber.

May 24: Parade of Horribles.

May 25: Ford Madox Ford.

May 26: Red City Radio and Spanish Love Songs.

May 27: Clorox Girls, Images and Surprise Vacation.

May 28, 3 p.m.: An afternoon matinee with Social Anxiety.

Yes, that’s the band name, not your condition.

The Novo 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-7000 or thenovodtla.com.

May 25, 7:30 p.m.: Those on hand to see Katchafire, Gondwana and Mystic Roots at Reggae Republic should be aware that the fledging musical country has a strong extradition treaty with the LAPD. May 26, 8 p.m.: Jim Norton’s Mouthful of Shame Tour is definitely something a lot of people can relate to.

May 27-28, 8 p.m.: The Used will be playing their self-titled debut and “In Love and Death” in their entirety in these two nights of premature early 2000s nostalgia.

May 29, 8 p.m.: Hopefully they’ll be able to wash all of the pop post-punk funk out of the venue before GZA performs his oldschool “Liquid Swords” album. Admission is just $5.

The Regent 448 S. Main St. or theregenttheater.com.

May 25, 8 p.m.: If you’re measuring the merit of a musical act on YouTube hits, Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers apparently have over 800 million.

May 26, 9 p.m.: From across the pond, DJ Dan’s Propaganda dance party promises an opportunity to pound PBR and shimmy your way to an approximation of cardio.

May 28, 8 p.m.: Big Black Delta gets a little help from Fartbarf.

May 29, 9 p.m.: Bootie L.A. mashes up Prince hits in another event prolonging the loss of the dude from Minnesota.

Resident

CROSSWORD

Downtown News 33

DOWNTOWNNEWS.COM 428 S. Hewitt St. or (323) 316-5311 or residentdtla.com.

May 23: Moaning, No Win and Post Life.

May 24: Swerve, The Fontaines, Albert & His Dreamboats.

May 26: Summer Twins, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Sugar Candy Mountain and Two Sheds.

May 27: Dream Machine, Decorations and Jackbenny.

May 28: DJ Paul V’s Totally ’80s Dance Party.

Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., (213) 614-0737 or sevengrand.la.

May 24: You can expect a high hat cymbal to the dome if the Makers hear you utter “May the 24th be with you.”

Staples Center 1111 S. Figueroa St., (213) 742-7326 or staplescenter.com.

May 25, 7:30 p.m.: The Who are beginning to look a bit like George Washington’s axe. Nevertheless, you can at least enjoy a Daltry and a Townshend.

The Smell 247 S. Main St. in the alley between Spring and Main or thesmell.org.

May 26: Man & The Smells and Jody.

May 27: Upsilon Acrux, Ahleuchastistas, Feather Wolf and Obliques.

May 29: Greaser and RV Ovni.

Teragram Ballroom 1234 W. Seventh St. or teragramballroom.com.

May 25, 8 p.m.: The Twilight Sad is a perfect tribute band for that surly man with the puffy face who you always see alone at happy hour.

May 26, 7:30 p.m.: San Fermin is from Brooklyn. Aren’t you jealous?

May 27, 8 p.m.: Something tells us that Moving Units have heard of Damon Albarn.

May 28, 8 p.m.: It’s been 23 years of Millencolin. The band just won't go away.

May 29-30: The Brian Jonestown Massacre encourages you to bring earplugs.

FILM

Ace Hotel 929 S. Broadway, (213) 623-3233 or acehotel.com.

May 27, 8 p.m.: Florence of Florence and the Machine fame gets autobiographical with her cinematic collaboration with filmmaker Vincent Haycock, The Odyssey. One night only, kids.

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PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF POLLING PLACES AND DESIGNATION OF TALLY CENTER LOCATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office located at 12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, California 90650 has designated polling places and will be the central tally location for the PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION scheduled to be held on JUNE 7, 2016. The RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk’s facility and polling places shall be open between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on JUNE 7, 2016. Persons requiring mul-

Downtown News 35

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To place a classified ad in the Downtown News please call 213-481-1448, or go to DowntownNews.com Deadline classified display and line ads are Thursday at 12pm.

FORfor RENT All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. tilingual assistance in Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino, Thai or Vietnamese regarding information in the notice may call (800) 481-8683.

POLLING PLACES 9000029A ALPINE RECREATION CENTER 817 YALE ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9000464B EVANS COMMUNITY ADULT SCHOOL 717 N FIGUEROA ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9001660A SOLANO AVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 615 SOLANO AVE LOS ANGELES 90012 9001686A WILLIAM MEAD HOMES 1300 CARDINAL ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9002547A ANGELUS PLAZA 255 S HILL ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9003185A BUNKER HILL TOWERS 800 W 001ST ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9005543C ALPINE RECREATION CENTER 817 YALE ST LOS ANGELES 90012 9000493A THE ROSSLYN LOFTS 451 S MAIN ST LOS ANGELES 90013 9001097A NEW CITY CHURCH OF L A 453 S SPRING ST SUITE B2 LOS ANGELES 90013 9001407B ANNE DOUGLAS CTR (LA MISSION) 310 WINSTON ST LOS ANGELES 90013 9002089A WEINGART CENTER 566 S SAN PEDRO ST LOS ANGELES 90013 9003886A CORNERSTONE THEATER CO 708 TRACTION AVE LOS ANGELES 90013 9003923A CENTENARY UNITED METH CHURCH 300 S CENTRAL AVE LOS ANGELES 90013

9007015A CENTENARY UNITED METH CHURCH 300 S CENTRAL AVE LOS ANGELES 90013 9007016A LITTLE TOKYO TOWERS 455 E 003RD ST LOS ANGELES 90013 9000618A MERCHANTILE LOFTS 620 S MAIN ST LOS ANGELES 90014 9001372A MIDNIGHT MISSION 601 S SAN PEDRO ST LOS ANGELES 90014 9005022A HAYWARD MANOR APARTMENTS 206 W 006TH ST LOS ANGELES 90014 9001047B KOLPING HOUSE 1225 S UNION AVE LOS ANGELES 90015 9001288A LOS ANGELES JOB CORP 1031 S HILL ST LOS ANGELES 90015 9001348A LOS ANGELES JOB CORP 1031 S HILL ST LOS ANGELES 90015 9001742A KOLPING HOUSE 1225 S UNION AVE LOS ANGELES 90015 9002159A LOS ANGELES JOB

CORP 1031 S HILL ST LOS ANGELES 90015 9002364A TOBERMAN RECREATION CENTER 1725 TOBERMAN ST LOS ANGELES 90015 9003951B FIRE STATION #10 1335 S OLIVE ST LOS ANGELES 90015 9001499A UNION FERRARO TOWERS 455 S UNION AVE LOS ANGELES 90017 9001704C GRATTS LEARNING ACADEMY 309 S LUCAS AVE LOS ANGELES 90017 9002146A GRATTS LEARNING ACADEMY 309 S LUCAS AVE LOS ANGELES 90017 9005769B IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH 847 GREEN AVE LOS ANGELES 90017 DEAN C. LOGAN Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk County of Los Angeles 5/23/16 CNS-2882039# DOWNTOWN NEWS

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Purchase loans require the borrower to pay titletoday, and escrow fees and provide proof of funds for the required down payment. states that require attorney closings, you will be responsible for title-related costs2and banker ortovisit wellsfargo.com/ appointments to make anInappointment. make anresponsible appointment. required down payment. In statesappointments that requiretitle attorney closings, you will be for title-related costs and small business lender attorney work that exceeds $375. appointments to make an appointment.

2 Community Reinvestment Act 1government data, 2002-2014.

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Get an origination fee waiver of up to $5,000 on a commercial real estate loan

Learn more about small business credit at wellsfargoworks.com

All credit decisions are subject to credit approval.

© 2016 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. NMLSR ID 399801 SBS60-0549 (2672403_18197) DIC. NMLSR ID 399801 SBS60-0549 (2672403_18197) Apply for a loan with Business Real Estate Financing between 04/01/2016 and 06/30/2016 and Wells Fargo will waive the origination fee, a discount of up to $5,000.

Limited time offer: April 1 – June 30, 2016

1

This offer is not available on lines of credit. You will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of up to $1,000 when accepting the terms of any loan. If the bank determines that environmental or flood insurance is required, any applicable fees are your responsibility. Should there be an environmental insurance fee on the transaction, the deposit will be credited at closing towards the fee. If the deposit exceeds the environmental insurance fee or if it is not required, you will be reimbursed for any overage. If the state 1 taxing authority imposes a tax or fee on the filing of a mortgage or a deed of trust, any applicable fees are your responsibility. Purchase loans require the borrower Apply for a loan with Business Real Estate Financing between 04/01/2016 and 06/30/2016 and Wells Fargo will waive the origination fee, a discount of uportoother $5,000. pay title and escrow fees and provide proof of funds for the required down payment. In states that require attorney closings, you will be responsible for title-related costs and This offer is not available on lines of credit. You will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of up to $1,000 when accepting the terms of any loan. If the banktodetermines attorneythetitle work that exceeds $375. that environmental or flood insurance is required, any applicable fees are your responsibility. Should there be an environmental insurance fee on the transaction, 2 deposit will be credited at closing towards the fee. If the deposit exceeds the environmental insurance fee or if it is not required, you will be reimbursed for any overage.

If the stateReinvestment Act government data, 2002-2014.

Community or other taxing authority imposes a tax or fee on the filing of a mortgage or a deed of trust, any applicable fees are your responsibility. Purchase loans require the borrower © 2016 to pay title and escrow fees and provide proof of funds for the required down payment. In states that require attorney will be approval. responsible for title-related costsWells and Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. NMLSR ID 399801 SBS60-0549 (2672403_18197) All credit decisions areclosings, subjectyou to credit

All credit decisions are subject to credit approval.