area newsletter MAY 2018 • WESTSIDE
20 18 TM
Community News Westside Pavilion to be converted into creative office space
of office space on the property, Amazon will now have over 350,000 square feet of space in Culver City, where it will house its film and video production division, as well as offices for its advertising department and its IMDb website. Located at the intersection of Washington Blvd. and Culver Blvd., Culver Steps is a four-story office and retail space that will feature a large external staircase leading to 10,000 square foot elevated plaza. Construction began on the project in mid-2017 and is expected to be completed by late 2019.
Medical center to be built in Santa Monica The new owners of the Westside Pavilion recently announced that they will be converting a majority of the iconic mall into creative office space. Approximately 500,000 square feet of the shopping center will be repurposed, while 100,000 square feet will continue to be used for retail and entertainment, namely a movie theater, a restaurant, and stores. The move follows two significant trends, the decline of shopping center occupancy rates, and the increase in demand for creative office space on the Westside. The Westside Pavilion originally opened in 1985 and has been a common setting for film and TV projects based in LA. No further details for the conversion project has been announced.
Amazon expanding in Culver City Amazon Studios has yet to move into its new home at Culver Studios, but it has already signed a lease for 75,000 square feet of additional space at the Culver Steps development across the street. By taking over the entire allotment
LA-based CIM Group has initiated plans to build a new medical center in Santa Monica, at 1242 20th St., between Arizona Ave. and Wilshire Blvd. The building would stand 3 stories tall and include 5 levels of subterranean parking space. The structure will be built adjacent to a pre-existing mortuary, which will be incorporated into the design. The mortuary, which previously housed Gates Kingsley Funeral Directors, and was the location of a memorial for former First Lady Nancy Reagan, is listed on the city’s Historic Resources Inventory as an “excellent example of Tudor Revival style architecture.” The new medical facility is at the earliest stage of development, having received only a preliminary review before the Architectural Review Board. No formal timeline has been announced.
Community News Residential developments proposed in Venice
Greenlight for condos in Century City
Plans have been filed with the City of Los Angeles to build a mixed-use development at 2452-2454 S. Lincoln Blvd. in Venice. The project calls for a low-rise building containing 77 residential units and would require the demolition of a car wash and an existing commercial building. A unrelated residential project is also being proposed nearby at 1015 E. Venice Blvd. That project would build a 56-unit structure, taking advantage of the recently adopted Transit Oriented Communities Guidelines, which allow developers to build denser projects provided that they are close to public transportation and serve low-income households.
Developers have received approval to build two high rise condo towers at the northeast corner of Constellation Blvd. and Avenue of the Stars. The project, which has been pending since 2004, would contain of 483 residential units, plus a two-story amenity center, a landscaped deck, and a pocket park. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Belcampo Meat Co.
Pizzana
Felix Trattoria
1026 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica
11712 San Vicente Boulevard Brentwood
1023 Abbot Kinney Bouelvard Venice
This Santa Monica spot is partbutcher-shop and part-restaurant. Belcampo Meat Co. sources all of its grass-fed organic beef from its own sustainable farm. The restaurant is known for serving innovative dishes like mutton chops, goat tartare, and the infamous cheeseburger, which comes on a toasted brioche bun with a slice of Cheddar, caramelized onions, and house sauce. Guests can also order custom cuts from the professional meat cutters and choose from an extensive selection of specialty groceries to complete their meal preparations. Belcampo is open Tuesday – Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday – Sunday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday & Saturday from 5 – 11 p.m., and Tuesday – Thursday from 5 – 10 p.m.
Would you believe us if we told you that one of the best pizza spots in the city was in Brentwood? So what’s unique about Pizzana? The center of the pizza is less floppy and the dough here is made by hand in the Neapolitan tradition and then fermented and proofed for 48 hours. Chef Daniele Uditi insists his pizza taste like home— Naples. The pizza menu includes a classic “Margherita,” “Funghi” (Italian creama, fontina, shiitake and oyster mushroom, caramelized onion), as well as “Pepperoni,” and a “Messicana” (chorizo, cilantro lime sauce, pickled sweet chile, jalapeno, and queso fresco). The restaurant also serves appetizers, salads, and dessert—but don’t expect cupcakes. Pizzana is open Sunday – Thursday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Wondering where you should be eating in Venice? For outstanding pasta on the Westside, look no further than Felix. This upscale Italian place on Abbot Kinney in Venice is booked almost every night of the week for one reason: their incredible pasta. The handmade pastas here are brought to you by a chef who’s done time at Spago, Rustic Canyon, and Bucato. Their menu includes pastas, pizzas, entrees and desserts—all rooted in Italian tradition with a California edge. Between 10 – 20 pastas are offered daily and are listed according to their region in Italy. Their oxtail ragu pairs nicely with a Haitian Divorce (mescal and aged rum, cherry and Pedro Ximenez). If you plan on having dinner here, sit by the pasta-making window; you’ll catch the staff kneading and rolling dough. Felix is open Sunday – Thursday from 5:30 – 10 p.m., and Friday – Saturday from 5:30 – 11 p.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.
RodeoRE.com