area newsletter JUNE 2018 • LOS ANGELES
20 18 TM
Community News Curving tower planned for Chinatown
Developers have announced plans to build a 26-story mixed-use tower in Chinatown, near the intersection of Spring St. and Cesar Chavez Ave. The project is the first in Los Angeles being built by Studio Gang, a Chicagobased firm that has earned respect in the industry through projects in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Paris. The Chinatown project will be located at 643 N. Spring St., one block from the 101 freeway, and will contain 294 apartments, 149 hotel rooms, and 15,878 square feet of commercial space. The design calls for a glass and steel faรงade and will measure 270 feet tall, but just 55 feet wide. The project is the second large development to be built north of the Civic Center in recent months, with the La Plaza Cultura Village complex being built near Olvera St.
New LAFC soccer stadium completed
The new LAFC professional soccer team had already begun their inaugural season, but it took a few more weeks to finish construction on their home stadium. The Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park was completed in mid-April with team and league officials holding a ceremonial ribbon cutting on April 18. The stadium includes seats for 22,000 sports fans and was built in the style of contemporary European soccer stadiums. In addition to hosting soccer matches, the stadium will also be the home for several track and field events during the 2028 Olympics.
Video game company opens offices in DTLA
In a move that has intrigued experts, South Korean gaming company Netmarble Corp. has leased space at 600 Wilshire Blvd., in downtown Los Angeles. Netmarble is responsible for popular games such as Lineage 2: Revolution and Tera M and is one of the fastest growing mobile game companies worldwide. Their choice of Downtown LA was a seen by analysts as an indication that the region is increasingly attractive to forwardthinking tech companies that would otherwise be focused on Silicon Beach, or the entertainmentrich city of Burbank. Netmarble is expect to relocate from their current home in Buena Park in mid-2018.
Community News Lower housing inventory raises prices
Housing inventory in the Los Angeles market is down compared to the fourth quarter of 2017. Experts indicate that inventory is down 25% in the central and southern parts of LA, and down 19% in downtown. Inventory in westside communities such as Santa Monica, Bel Air, and Pacific Palisades are down 13%. As a result, prices for houses on the market are up, with nearly 50% of properties being sold above their original asking price, an increase from 38% in 2017. Likewise, 42% of sales in March 2018 were above $1 million, compared to 37% from the same period a year ago.
Apartments planned for Crescent Heights
A proposal has been submitted to the City of West Hollywood to construct a three-story apartment building on two parcels on Crescent Heights Blvd.
Located just south of Santa Monica Blvd., the building would contain 12 apartments in one- and two-
bedroom configurations, with off-street parking for 20 vehicles. The submitted design calls for a U-shaped structure with an internal courtyard and top floor units that include outdoor decks.
Earthquake warning app coming to smartphones If you feel anxiety waiting for the next big earthquake to strike the Southland, perhaps you will take some solace when an earthquake warning app is released for smartphones. Early Warning Labs, a tech company based in Santa Monica, has developed such an app and is currently beta testing it with select users in Los Angeles. Those users received a warning on their cell phones about 30 seconds before a recent 5.3 earthquake occurred in the Channel Islands. Similar technology has been implemented successfully in Japan and Mexico, with residents of Mexico City receiving a 60 second warning before a devastating 8.1 earthquake happened in September 2017. The QuakeAlert app was developed in partnership with the United States Geological Survey, and is scheduled to be released publicly by the end of the year.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Tao
Ocean Prime
The Venue
6421 Selma Avenue Hollywood
9595 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills
3470 Wilshire Boulevard Koreatown
Even if you’ve seen photos of the glitzy clubstaurant, nothing prepares you for the second you step in to the first LA branch of the tentpole of the Tao Group complex. Drawing strong inspiration from TAO Downtown in New York, TAO Los Angeles represents the definition of luxury. The grand staircase connecting TAO’s two levels of seating making it perfect to see and be seen. There are also four private dining rooms for those who want the celebrity privacy treatment. Alike the New York location, a 20-foot tall Quan Yin statue stands atop a koi pond where 3D projection mapping technology creates animations to bring the statue to life. Aside from TAO’s breathtaking décor, the menu does not fall short including signature dishes like miso glazed Chilean sea bass and typhoon lobster.
Beverly Hills is definitely LA’s premier dining destination to people watch and to be seen. Ocean Prime is the prime restaurant for this. Each Ocean Prime location is uniquely placed to bring the city energy to the environment. Surrounded by glass windows, and a huge outdoor seating area, you still feel like you’re in the hustle and bustle of the city. Inside, the décor is sleek with gold tones, urban lighting and modern wall décor. It’s a true representation of LA glam. While there, ordering the seafood tower is a must. The tower is so LA, built to perfection for your social media outlets with its dry ice “smoke” at the top making it the perfect Boomerang post.
The Venue is a one-stop dining and singing spot with more than a dozen karaoke rooms. The dinner menu for the main dining room here includes items such as beets and goat cheese salad, yellowtail crudo, short ribs with horseradish cream, roasted chicken and steaks. For those heading straight to the private karaoke rooms, there’s a smaller bar food menu, which includes towering platters of chipotle maple chicken wings, beef sliders and fried mac and cheese. The underground restaurant is open daily from 6 p.m. – 2 a.m.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES
Annenberg Space for Photography 2000 Avenue of the Stars #10 Los Angeles, CA 90067 CURRENT EXHIBITION: Not An Ostrich: and Other Images From America’s Library April 21 - September 9, 2018 Noted curator Anne Wilkes Tucker has displays nearly 500 images selected from the archives of the U.S. Library of Congress including photos that are rarely seen by the public as well as iconic portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Cesar Chavez, and Elizabeth Taylor. The exhibit shows a vivid cross-section of the history the United States in photographic form.
LACMA
MOCA Grand Avenue
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
152 North Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
A Universal History of Infamy: Those of This America January 27 - October 6, 2018
Jackson Pollock’s Number 1, 1949: A Conservation Treatment March 4 - September 7, 2018
As part of LACMA’s community art education program, this exhibition is presented at their satellite gallery at Charles White Elementary School, featuring the work of contemporary Latino artists, writers, and activists, alongside pieces from LACMA’s permanent collection. Public hours are on Saturdays, 1-4 pm.
In collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute, MOCA is undertaking an extensive restoration of a Jackson Pollock painting in a gallery that will be open to the public. Three other Pollocks from the MOCA collection will also be displayed.
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