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W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M
March 22, 2010
Volume 39, Number 12
INSIDE
Downtown Living
Blinded by Science Dynamic ‘Ecosystems’ Exhibit Highlights The California Science Center’s $165 Million Expansion by RichARd Guzmán city editoR
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Downtown got green on St. Patrick’s Day.
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Urban Scrawl on bike messengers.
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Big crowds at Angels Flight.
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photo by Gary Leonard
Elementary school students watch divers in a 188,000-gallon tank, part of the California Science Center’s $165 million Ecosystems exhibition. It opens to the public March 25.
Another Downtown Fashion Week arrives.
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Downtown’s 10 Worst Eyesores Abandoned Buildings and Derelict Plots That Coulda Woulda Shoulda Been Something Else by AnnA Scott
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A big week for public speaking.
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26 CALENDAR LISTINGS 29 MAP 30 CLASSIFIEDS
slow roar starts to build on the rocky desert floor. At first, the water appears as a trickle, then slowly increases until it suddenly rushes forward; a wall of white, churning wetness heads straight for a group of third-grade students on a field trip in Downtown. The kids scream as the 3,500-gallon wave approaches, then, just as loudly, they laugh in delight when the water hits the transparent splash wall and sinks safely back into the desert floor. This scene is part of Ecosystems, the new exhibition wing at the California Science Center that is part of a $165 million expansion of the Exposition Park facility. The 170,000-square-foot development expanded the World of Life exhibition hall and added administrative offices and animal care facilities to the Science Center. The most notable addition is the 45,000 square feet of Ecosystems, which officially opens on Thursday, March 25. “It’s all about looking at how the world works,” said Chuck Kopczak, curator of ecology for the California Science Center. “The processes of ecology that shape the planet we live on and how we as a species, along with all the other species found on earth, are all part of this big network that is all working together and influencing each other.” This is no gallery filled with dioramas and taxidermy objects. Instead, the exhibit blends more than 250 species of live animals and plants with interactive tools to help visitors learn about ecosystems they may see Science Center, page 24
t is easy to wander through Downtown Los Angeles and point to some of the gems that have arrived in the past decade. All across the community, formerly dead plots of land and abandoned buildings have been transformed into high-end housing, neighborhood-serving restaurants, office structures or even green space. Yet in some notable cases, nothing has changed in the past 10 years, and former derelict properties continue to sit empty and/or uncared for. In certain instances the blame falls on absentee landlords, figures based far from Downtown who
ElDorado_BottomPageAd__ 3/18/10 11:31 PM Page 1
don’t care what happens as long as they one day make a profit on a sale. Other times, the problem is more troubling, as occurs when a governmental entity owns a building or plot and lets it tumble into eyesore status. Los Angeles Downtown News has rounded up 10 of Downtown’s most notable, and most disturbing, languishing properties. There is a lot of variety — the list includes vacant buildings, unfinished construction sites and even a fenced-off parking lot. What they all have in common is their squandered potential. Each one, due to its size, historic status or see Eyesores, page 10
47 Luxury Lofts
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photo by Gary Leonard
The onetime parking lot that was slated to house the mixed-use mega-project L.A. Central is now fenced off and unused. Lender Wells Fargo has initiated foreclosure proceedings on developer the Moinian Group.
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