area newsletter JANUARY 2019 • LOS ANGELES
20 19
Community News The Grand finally breaks ground in downtown L.A.
Voters will decide fate of Arts Club
DTLA’s demolition-ready parking garage will finally meet its end to make way for The Grand, a mixed-use complex a decade in the making. Related Co. began demolition on the project space after closing financing for the $1 billion project. The proposed plans were stalled due to the economic recession and redrafted in 2016 when Chinese investor CORE infused $290 million into the project. Led by LA-based infrastructure and construction giant Aecom, the Frank Gehry designed development will be comprised of two towers, a 39-story structure featuring 436 mixed income apartments and condos, and a 20 story, 314-room Equinox Hotel. The project also has intended plans for a 209,000 square foot retail space of shops, restaurants, and a movie theatre. Currently, The Grand is scheduled for a 2022 completion date and will serve as the third component of the Grand Avenue Project, following after the Emerson apartment tower and Broad Museum.
This past November West Hollywood’s City Council voted to allow residents to make the final decision on allowing a new private club to be built in the area. The Arts Club is a project backed by Gwyneth Paltrow and business partner Gary Landesberg. If allowed to pass after resident voting, the proposed development would be a ninestory structure. Five-stories of the building would serve as membersonly space, with the lower levels being used for office and retail units. The city council greenlit the proposed project in August, but plans were stalled when hotel workers with Unite Here Local 11 challenged the decision. Members of the union feel the development will dramatically change the character of the area, which they feel is in desperate need of affordable housing. Currently the roughly 8,150 square feet of land is in use as a parking lot.
Community News Affordable housing under construction in East Hollywood
The Coronel is a four-story, 54-unit affordable apartment building being constructed in East Hollywood by KFA Architecture. The structure will be comprised of two- and three-bedroom apartments priced to accommodate household incomes making between 30 and 60 percent of the area median. By choice of Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, the property will retain it is 1920s single-family residence, which will be integrated into the project’s frontage. The remaining portion of the pueblo-style building will be remodeled as a contemporary midrise with balconies and outdoor common areas. The development will be located at the intersections of N. Hobart and N. Serrano Avenue and rent is set to be between $488 and $1,354 per month. The Coronel is scheduled to be complete by January 2019 and is within walking distance of the Red Line’s Hollywood/ Western station. The developers, HCHC and KFA are also pursuing LEED Gold Certification for the project.
K-Town project faces resistance
Plans to develop a 228-unit project from Hankook Property Management have been shot down by the Los Angeles Planning Commission. The Property Management company led by Kee Whan Ha, were requesting an approval to build a 53,000 square foot residential project at 1000 South Vermont Avenue. While the project itself has been a proposed plan since 2016, issues recently came to light at the project hearing. The Planning Commission questioned whether the developer had properly informed current tenants of the project’s possible repercussions as none of them were present at the meeting. According to a representative of the project, residents were informed by mail and while conversations were minimal, they felt all current tenants had received the required notifications. If the project were to proceed, the developer would demolish 32 apartments in two separate buildings that include 21 rent-stabilized units. Hankook Property disputes this is an issue by stating current plans that would set aside five percent of the 228 units as affordable with an additional five units in another building.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Conservatory
Here’s Looking At You
Baco Mercat
8289 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood
3901 W. 6th Street Koreatown
408 S. Main Street Downtown Los Angeles
WeHo welcomes Conservatory to its sprawling landscape of trendy eateries. The restaurant stands at the landmark spot of former Irv’s Burgers stand on historic Route 66 and dishes out a bounty of flavor. Choose to start off with the Grilled Lamb Kafka and sumac Tzatziki or a light pairing of the Seared Ahi Crudo drenched in sesame ginger vinaigrette. Move onto entrees like their simmering Roasted Cauliflower steak in Golden Raisin Chutney. After dinner head over to the Society Room for cocktails like the “Miso Wari” whipped up by Josh Goldman of Soigne Group.
No not the Hollywood Classic film noire but the K-Town popular joint that serves up deliciously unpredictable cuisine. Here’s Looking at You serves up a diverse and vibrant blend of seasonally choice food touched by Pan-Asian influence. If the cocktails are swoon-worthy. Enjoy their Foie gras & unagi bowl with daikon, scallion, yolk, wasabi, and tobiko. Or the White corn ribs sautéed in poblano, cotija, and lime ending with a Cognac semi-freddo drizzled in blueberry and caramelized white chocolate.
Described by the late Jonathan Gold as a menu that reads like “a graduate exam on culinary poststructuralism”, Baco Mercat is just that. An education in Euro-Asian and South American fusion, the DTLA eatery brims with flavor.They are best known for their creation, the Baco-a signature flatbread sandwich served with various meats and sauces of your choice. With a full menu inspired by flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, north Africa, southern Europe, and Asia, sit down and enjoy!
SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES
MOCA Grand Avenue
Petersen Automotive Museum
LACMA
221South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012
6060 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
One Day at a Time: Manny Farber and Termite Art October 14, 2018 - March 11, 2019
Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School September 29, 2018 - June 2019
3D: Double Vision July 15, 2018 - March 31, 2019
Juxtapoz Magazine, known for featuring “lowbrow” and pop surrealist artists that would otherwise be considered as outside of the mainstream art world, has teamed with the Petersen Auto Museum to create a group show of artists whose work is often inspired by hot rod culture. The exhibit features many car-centric paintings and sculptures, as well as a number of vehicles that converted into moving works of work. The exhibit includes work by Robert Crumb, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Robert Williams.
This exhibition explores the art of stereoscopy, the technique that allows a two-dimensional image to create the illusion that it occupies three dimensions of space. Following the history of the technology from the experimental photographs of the 1830’s to the sophisticated digital films of modern day, the exhibit creates a hands-on experience, allowing viewers to use various devices to view 3-D art from artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Ed Ruscha, and features over 60 photographs, videos, and holographic sculptures.
Manny Farber was an artist and writer who penned a famous essay “White Elephant Art vs. Termite Art,” which celebrated artists who were influenced by their day-to-day lives rather than an ambition to create a singular masterpiece. This exhibition features 23 paintings by Farber as well as pieces by other artists who had similar approaches to their work. Featured artists include blown-glass artist Josiah McElheny, sculptor/florist Maurice Harris, and painter Patricia Patterson, who is Farber’s widow.
RodeoRE.com