area newsletter FEBRUARY 2019 • LOS ANGELES
20 19
Community News New eye-catching hotel to replace Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard
Developers have announced plans to build a 15-story hotel and condo complex at 8850-8878 Sunset Blvd., which includes the lot where the infamous Viper Room nightclub currently stands. The property was purchased last summer for $80 million by Silver Creek Development Co., who has contracted with the Morphosis architecture firm for the project’s design, through a competition that drew 12 submissions. Morphosis’ entry calls for a highly modern design with two tower components, which creates an empty space in the structure when viewed in a north-south direction. The project will include 115 hotel rooms, 31 condominium units, and 10 affordable housing units, and parking for 300 vehicles. Morphosis, which is based in Culver City, is also responsible for Emerson College campus in Hollywood and the Caltrans building in downtown Los Angeles. The Viper Room opened in 1993 by then co-owner Johnny Depp and became a popular hangout for young celebrities at the time, despite, or perhaps because of it being the location of actor River Phoenix’s death. No timeline has been announced for construction of the hotel or the closure of the nightclub.
New details of LAX plan revealed
With LAX ranking low among polls focused towards accessibility and timeliness, the timing couldn’t be better for the airports multi-billion-dollar transit revamp. The Landside Access Modernization Program took a decade to come to fruition having passed the LA City Council vote in early 2018. The program will focus on improving transit in and out of the airport as part of a larger $14 billion capital improvement project for LAX. Aptly titled the Automated People Mover, a train that can ferry up to 200 passengers with their luggage will depart every couple minute to and from the airport. LINXS along with the city are developing the transit system that will travel approximately 47 miles per hour on a 2.25-mile guideway carrying upwards of 10,000 passengers per hour. The new transportation system will also connect to Crenshaw/LAX Line, the Green Line and regional buses in a new Airport Metro Station that is underway. The People Mover is slated for construction to begin in the second quarter of 2019, with completion scheduled for 2023.
Community News Mixed-use project planned for Koreatown
purchase of Runyon Canyon Park. In 2015, they built a similar pocket park on Carlton Way, near Hollywood Blvd. and Bronson Ave.
A proposed mixed-income apartments and retail space is being proposed by Cho Bo Sung, Inc. on Olympic Blvd., in the southernmost area of Koreatown. If approved, the project will be comprised of a sevenstory edifice featuring 252 apartments, 32,100 square feet of ground and floor space, and parking for up to 311 vehicles. The apartment structure would include studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans with 46 units restricted to affordable and very low-income households. Current renderings, designed by Archeon Group, provide a glimpse into the proposed plan as a contemporary mid-rise structure. The plans also include a courtyard swimming pool, an amenity center, and a rooftop deck.
L.A. ranks #3 for fastest rising rent
Park under construction in East Hollywood Construction has begun on a pocket park on Madison Ave. between Santa Monica Blvd. and Fountain Ave. The .25 acre plot will feature a playground, a basketball court, a community garden and a garden house. The project is being spearheaded by the Trust for Public Land, a national foundation that partners with local groups and agencies to promote green space for public use. Among their previous projects has been a 2010 campaign to protect Cahuenga Peak and the 2017
According to a national apartment search website, Los Angeles is #3 among large cities for the fastest growing rent for apartments. The report from RENTCafe. com indicates that the average rent in L.A. increased by 6.6% last year, rising from $2308 to $2461. The top two cities, Las Vegas and Phoenix, rose by 8% and 7.7% respectively, but at significantly lower dollar amounts, $1044 and $1011. Nationwide, the average apartment rent rose 3.1% year-over-year, from $1377 to $1419. In general, experts attribute the increase in rent to delays in home-buying caused by rising interest rates; which leads to fewer apartment vacancies and therefore greater demand.
Restaurant
Spotlight
A.O.C.
Republique
Pizzeria Mozza
8700 W. 3rd Street Beverly Grove
624 South La Brea Avenue Hancock Park
641 N. Highland Avenue Hollywood
The second of three L.A. restaurants opened by James Beard award winners Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne (Lucques and Tavern being the other two), A.O.C. is perhaps their trendiest, with its cozy patio seating and its shareable tapas menu. A.O.C. aims for a rustic feel and a farm-to-table ethic, with favorite dishes such as baconwrapped dates, swordfish and spinach, and Spanish fried chicken. The restaurant offers a full bar and a happy hour menu that includes a handful of tasty appetizer options.
Located at the former location of the renowned Campanile restaurant, in a building that once housed the courtyard offices of Charlie Chaplin, Republique is a modern restaurant that combines California cuisine with French influences into a menu that is uniquely approachable. Highlights include duck breast with roasted yams, black truffle risotto, and wild Atlantic striped bass. Republique also offers breakfast and lunch menus, as well as artisanal ice cream from a special cremerie shop window.
Pizzeria Mozza is the pizza-centric sibling of Ostria Mozza, the renowned Italian restaurant opened by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Nancy Silverton. In addition to their excellent pizzas, with chewy but crispy crusts and fresh, traditional toppings, Pizzeria Mozza also offers a wide selection of antipasti dishes and salads, as well as daily specials ranging from chicken Milanese to lasagna al forno. They also feature a late night bar menu and a private dining room for special occasions.
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