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mdiederi
Mar 24, 2010, 7:31 PM
Vincent Price Art Museum

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/27276_1099911394854_1738745282_1915.jpg

http://www.facebook.com/vincentprice.artmuseum#!/photo.php?pid=191572&id=1738745282&fbid=1099911394854

Steve2726
Mar 24, 2010, 7:49 PM
Wow, nice find there! Here's a render, looks good-

http://vincentpriceartmuseum.org/

http://vincentpriceartmuseum.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/121009.jpg

LosAngelesBeauty
Mar 24, 2010, 8:12 PM
WOW that's part of ELAC right?! That's right in my neck of the woods (Monterey Park)! It looks really good (esp. compared to the way the campus used to look).

dktshb
Mar 26, 2010, 2:50 AM
ktown infill:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2722/4460158002_ca3ccaf5f6_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2625/4460158940_8a366848bf_b.jpg

Great new infill. I wouldn't mind more of this development in Hollywood and it is better than some of the stuff going up downtown. Actually I think this would be a good scale to build at thoughout Los Angeles. There is actaully a lot of infill going on in the San Fernando at about this same scale and it's all pretty visually appealing for the most part.

QuarterMileSidewalk
Mar 26, 2010, 4:25 AM
Most of the crap blows into the inland empire.

Yep. Thanks! :tup:

dktshb
Apr 4, 2010, 2:05 AM
The Gatsby Hollywood on Wilcox just south of fountain. I think I would like it more if this were Portland or Seattle but at least it is high density and looks like good solid contstruction:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_0063.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_0068.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_0060.jpg

Quixote
Apr 4, 2010, 2:09 AM
^ It's supposed to be Craftsman, a style common in Hollywood.

dktshb
Apr 4, 2010, 2:41 AM
Yes, there are a lot of Craftsman homes scattered throughout Hollywood but something about this development screams Pacific NW to me. Perhaps it is the color choice. Most Craftsman homes in Hollywood are very bold colors.

WonderlandPark
Apr 4, 2010, 4:19 AM
I agree with dktshb, it looks very Pacific Northwest. Helluva lot better than the usual crap stucco boxes in the area.

Quixote
Apr 4, 2010, 4:30 AM
I'm not saying it doesn't look Pacific Northwestern. I'm saying Craftsman is a common style in Hollywood and those colors are actually pretty common among Craftsman buildings.

QuarterMileSidewalk
Apr 4, 2010, 4:34 AM
They actually look very much like some of the newer developments out in Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario.

Quixote
Apr 4, 2010, 4:53 AM
Here's Mission Meridian Village in South Pasadena, right next to the Gold Line Mission Station. This is the real way to do Craftsman...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/3046026931_1947548456_b.jpg
From Flickr, by La Citta Vita

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/3046025947_edf0e7535f_b.jpg
From Flickr, by La Citta Vita

mdiederi
Apr 4, 2010, 3:12 PM
The Gatsby Hollywood on Wilcox just south of fountain.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_0063.jpg


Why do they call them "detached" when it looks like they are all stuck together?

pesto
Apr 5, 2010, 4:30 PM
They're talking about after the earthquake. Then they're detached.

sopas ej
Apr 5, 2010, 4:40 PM
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/IMG_0068.jpg

There are elements of Craftsman here, but, uh... eeew.

They didn't even use the right kind of stonework; it should be river rock, not the kind of bricks they use for a 1950s retro-remodel. Hehe but maybe they used the examples provided by some of those neighborhoods where you do see Craftsman houses remodeled in a bad way.

dachacon
Apr 6, 2010, 11:52 PM
Construction, and general development is so slow now that curbed LA has a post on the new mausoleum going up at Hollywood Forever

HOLLYWOOD: Taking a break from the condo construction talk, here's a look at the new under-construction mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. According to Yogu Kain, Chief Financial Officer at Forever Cemeteries, the continual demand for crypts has prompted the construction of this building, which is located next to the main chapel. It'll be finished in August 2010 and has permanent parking for 5,500 people. Buy now or be priced out forever.


http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/04/hollywood_forever_cemeterys_latest_mar_vista_garden_tour.php

dachacon
Apr 6, 2010, 11:56 PM
i saw this when i went to Dia De Los Muertos recently and i got me thinking of what happens to a cemetery when it fills up? what is the largest cemetery in the world in terms of internments, area, etc. and the worlds largest mausoleum? thank god for google. :)

LosAngelesBeauty
Apr 7, 2010, 6:46 PM
This is really exciting if it is true! Can anyone confirm this?

ConstructionPhotoDocs.com will be documenting a large transit oriented development near downtown Los Angeles called MacArthur Park Apartments; a development by the nationally recognized affordable housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar. The 1st phase covers 22 months consisting of 90 family apartment units and 233 subterranean parking spaces that will be shared with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The project includes 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail sitting on 1.62 acres of total land.

The project site consists of 10 separate buildings built over 3 levels of underground parking. Also being photo documented is the Westlake/MacArthur Park red line Metro Rail Line subway tunnel which the parking and apartment buildings sit atop of.

New public infrastructure such as sidewalks, curbs and gutters, street trees and underground utilities will all be documented. MacArthur Park Apartments is meant to serve as a catalyst to spur development within the local Community Redevelopment Agency adopted Project Area. MacArthur Park Apartments will have a positive economic impact on the neighborhood in the short and long term. The ground breaking for the development is Monday April 12, 2010, 10:00am -11:30 am at 7th & Alvarado Streets.

ConstructionPhotoDocs.com currently has several other projects under contract including non-profit housing agencies such as WORKS and Los Angeles Housing Partnership.

pesto
Apr 7, 2010, 8:31 PM
Sounds exciting; this is a neighborhood that is really prime for redevelopment and could use new housing stock.

Why does the MTA need parking there? for the Metro? I would think that parking spaces make sense in the outer suburbs but not so much in town. Or maybe for the proposed theater(s) in the area?

202_Cyclist
Apr 7, 2010, 8:50 PM
ConstructionPhotoDocs.com will be documenting a large transit oriented development near downtown Los Angeles called MacArthur Park Apartments; a development by the nationally recognized affordable housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar. The 1st phase covers 22 months consisting of 90 family apartment units and 233 subterranean parking spaces that will be shared with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The project includes 15,000 square feet of ground floor retail sitting on 1.62 acres of total land.


It's good to hear about new development but seriously, nearly 2.5 parking spaces per unit in what is being labeled as a transit-oriented development? I understand the rail transit network isn't as extensive in LA as it is in DC but this is grossly excessive. I think developments here in DC near metro stations often have less than one space per unit.

dachacon
Apr 7, 2010, 11:12 PM
^^

while i agree that the 2.5 space per unit is excessive, in this case it is warranted to help increase the use of the subway. even though the macarthur park station is used pretty extensively, this is room for more people.

Sodha
Apr 10, 2010, 7:02 AM
^ Actually...it's more like 1 space per unit. 100 spaces will be for Metro patrons and you have to think about 43 spaces will be used for retail parking.

I still agree..pretty darn high for "TOD". Plus, I get pretty annoyed that LA still builds trains for cars and not people. We can't keep using precious space for parking garages. We need to build more apartments/homes/businesses for people to use the Metro system..not automobile drivers.

colemonkee
Apr 12, 2010, 2:20 AM
Expo Line - Phase 1

From the western edge in Culver City about 2 weeks ago. Crossing the intersection of Jefferson and National right over Ballona Creek.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9960/expoline201003283.jpg

Coming back down from the crossing.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3871/expoline201003282.jpg

Then going back up to cross over National again near the intersection with Washington. This shot is looking east towards Ballona Creek from National.

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8891/expoline201003284.jpg

Looks like it will stay elevated all the way over Washington and Venice. This is looking west from the same spot on National, just southeast of the intersection of Washington and National.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1893/expoline201003281.jpg

colemonkee
Apr 12, 2010, 2:25 AM
Gateway Art Tower

And right across the street from the Expo Line construction is Eric Owen Moss's crazy Gateway Art Tower (http://www.ericowenmoss.com/index.php?/projects/project/gateway_art_tower/). This is all down the street from my office, so I've been watching it go up for over 2 years now.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1296/gat201003283.jpg

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/4169/gat201003282.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3071/gat201003284.jpg

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4584/gat201003285.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1434/gat201003281.jpg

WonderlandPark
Apr 12, 2010, 2:38 AM
I have pictures just like yours from 2-3 months ago, they still haven't opened or finished it yet?

colemonkee
Apr 12, 2010, 6:41 AM
Nope. It's been more or less dormant for a few months. Still has the fencing around it and looks, well, unfinished. But they've had a few periods during the construction where they seemed to pause for a few months, so it's nothing too out of the ordinary, really. Unless you count the entire structure as out of the ordinary. For which you wouldn't be wrong...

LosAngelesBeauty
Apr 12, 2010, 7:46 AM
I am really curious what kind of TODs and other pedestrian oriented linkages Culver City plans on doing to really take advantage of their future light rail station. (BTW, what color are they going to designate the Expo Line since it'll be combined with the future Eastside Gold Line to Boyle Heights?)

JDRCRASH
Apr 12, 2010, 1:23 PM
^ I think Aqua is the automatic choice.

colemonkee
Apr 12, 2010, 2:35 PM
I do believe JDR is right. All indications I've seen are still an aqua color. Station canopies even have an aqua theme to them.

pesto
Apr 12, 2010, 5:43 PM
Wasn't Expo going to be the called the "aqua line" before all the yada, yada?

btw, I am beginning to think that Eric is done with the tower. That's it. There will be occasional changes of fencing or moving a truck around but that's part of the art object/process/experience.

Gives CC a European kind of vibe. They may turn into a fun and funky neighborhood with some international appeal.

dl3000
Apr 12, 2010, 6:10 PM
If they call the expo line the "Expo Line" as its official name, then they might as well name all the other lines based on where they go like in London. Probably not the most efficient naming system for metros (I like numerical and color codes) but might as well be consistent if that is what ends up happening. Otherwise they should start calling it the "Aqua Line" so that they aren't sending mixed messages and confuse people.

LosAngelesBeauty
Apr 12, 2010, 7:47 PM
If they call the expo line the "Expo Line" as its official name, then they might as well name all the other lines based on where they go like in London. Probably not the most efficient naming system for metros (I like numerical and color codes) but might as well be consistent if that is what ends up happening. Otherwise they should start calling it the "Aqua Line" so that they aren't sending mixed messages and confuse people.

Yeah, I know Aqua Line was initially the first color designated for the Expo Line, but Metro board members couldn't agree on a color to go with. I remember Bernard Parks wanted to call it the Rose Line for going past the Rose Garden (even though Pasadena is known more for being the "City of Roses").

Anyway, as we inch closer to the opening of the "Expo Line," I would hope that they (Metro) figure it out BEFORE the opening of the line and start pushing a new ad campaign to promote the decided color.

I personally think Aqua is a perfect color since it'll eventually end up in Santa Monica and the beach. That also means that the Gold Line Eastside Extension through East LA will be renamed as the Aqua Line when the Downtown Connector is completed.

This also leads to the question of what color will be REMOVED from the system since the Pasadena to Long Beach line will be either Gold or Blue.

We'll have essentially 6 lines in operation within the next decade possibly:

1) Aqua Line - From Santa Monica to East LA

2) Blue or Gold Line - From Long Beach to Azusa

3) Red Line - Union Station to North Hollywood

4) Purple Line - Union Station to Brentwood (possibly Santa Monica as well)

5) Green Line - Norwalk to LAX?

6) Crenshaw Line - Maybe this line can be renamed the Gold or Blue Line?

Am I missing anything?

dachacon
Apr 12, 2010, 9:18 PM
Yeah, I know Aqua Line was initially the first color designated for the Expo Line, but Metro board members couldn't agree on a color to go with. I remember Bernard Parks wanted to call it the Rose Line for going past the Rose Garden (even though Pasadena is known more for being the "City of Roses").

Anyway, as we inch closer to the opening of the "Expo Line," I would hope that they (Metro) figure it out BEFORE the opening of the line and start pushing a new ad campaign to promote the decided color.

I personally think Aqua is a perfect color since it'll eventually end up in Santa Monica and the beach. That also means that the Gold Line Eastside Extension through East LA will be renamed as the Aqua Line when the Downtown Connector is completed.

This also leads to the question of what color will be REMOVED from the system since the Pasadena to Long Beach line will be either Gold or Blue.

We'll have essentially 6 lines in operation within the next decade possibly:

1) Aqua Line - From Santa Monica to East LA

2) Blue or Gold Line - From Long Beach to Azusa

3) Red Line - Union Station to North Hollywood

4) Purple Line - Union Station to Brentwood (possibly Santa Monica as well)

5) Green Line - Norwalk to LAX?

6) Crenshaw Line - Maybe this line can be renamed the Gold or Blue Line?

Am I missing anything?

wasn't the original blue line supposed to be from long beach to pasadena? so naming the pasadena leg blue would stay with the original plans of the mta.

JDRCRASH
Apr 13, 2010, 12:54 AM
Azusa is further East of Pasadena. They'll use the same ROW.

DJM19
Apr 13, 2010, 2:06 AM
I'm hoping in time they just switch to letters and or numbers. There's only so many colors that don't sound ridiculous. What will we call the reseda line? crenshaw line? sepulveda line? van nuys line? santa ana line?

Easy
Apr 14, 2010, 2:45 AM
Metro has stated several times that they will likely go to either letters or numbers when the time is right, but when that time is no one knows. To me if you know that you will most likely do that anyway, then the sooner the better. Maybe they will decide to keep the same colors on the maps and just phase in the numbers or letters.

edluva
Apr 14, 2010, 2:48 AM
i prefer names instead of letters or numbers. more placemaking

JDRCRASH
Apr 14, 2010, 3:02 AM
^ The Gold Line already has a long name

Sodha
Apr 14, 2010, 3:30 AM
It's already been decided by Metro back in 2007 that the official name is "Expo Line". The Aqua Line was killed by Bernard Parks, and the Rose Line never saw the light of day.

Expect the next reorganization of lines to be in 2019 when the Connector opens. Just recently, on the Metro Source it was commented from Metro officials that the line references will change. Expo Line will be the name until 2019..after that I can see Expo going away and we only having the Blue and Gold light rail lines going through downtown (outside of Red and Purple subway lines)

colemonkee
Apr 14, 2010, 6:27 AM
London's system works just fine with names, New York's works just fine with a number and letter system. For me the naming convention is not nearly as important as getting a working, comprehensive, and usable rail mass transit system in place. Once we have that, we can worry about how/what to name the lines.

Easy
Apr 15, 2010, 3:34 AM
It's already been decided by Metro back in 2007 that the official name is "Expo Line". The Aqua Line was killed by Bernard Parks, and the Rose Line never saw the light of day.

Expect the next reorganization of lines to be in 2019 when the Connector opens. Just recently, on the Metro Source it was commented from Metro officials that the line references will change. Expo Line will be the name until 2019..after that I can see Expo going away and we only having the Blue and Gold light rail lines going through downtown (outside of Red and Purple subway lines)

My memory is hazy, but I don't think that's exactly right. IIRC they had a meeting to decide on a color. They couldn't agree, but agreed to call it the Expo Line Transit Corridor (or something like that) until they picked a color at some point in the future. They never abandoned picking a color AFAIK.

Easy
Apr 15, 2010, 3:43 AM
London's system works just fine with names, New York's works just fine with a number and letter system. For me the naming convention is not nearly as important as getting a working, comprehensive, and usable rail mass transit system in place. Once we have that, we can worry about how/what to name the lines.

IMO colors work better than numbers which work better than letters which are better than names. But colors are limited because once you get more than 6 or 7 lines people are going to have trouble distinguishing between the colors. Sometimes "aqua" looks more green and sometimes more blue. Tourists already get confused between the gold and green lines on the map (the Metro/Metrolink confusion is much worse). And then you have "off limit" colors for PC reasons. Don't expect a black, white, or brown line in LA. The yellow line in Atlanta was declared offensive by the Asian community and they had to change the name. I say that we go to numbers and keep the same colors on the maps for a more visual distinction.

StethJeff
Apr 15, 2010, 9:30 PM
I still think that colors work best because of the way they jump out to you visually. So far we have Red, Blue, Gold, Green, Orange, Purple. That still leaves room for Silver, Pink, Pearl (white), Grey (black), Aqua. I'd like to think that there are enough "brown" people distributed in the entire metro area that no one would be offended by a Brown Line connecting any two points.

JDRCRASH
Apr 15, 2010, 10:31 PM
^ Just name it Copper or Bronze.

DistrictDirt
Apr 16, 2010, 12:18 AM
^ Just name it Copper or Bronze.

But then we might offend sunbathers. :D

BrandonJXN
Apr 19, 2010, 11:31 PM
But then we might offend sunbathers. :D

Not to mention the penny and The Bronze Age.

colemonkee
Apr 24, 2010, 7:03 PM
Oops! Sorry guys, my post about the 101 Cap park should have gone into the Downtown LA thread. That's what I get for posting after a 13-hour work day. That post and all replies have been moved to the Downtown thread.

Carry on.

Quixote
Apr 27, 2010, 1:55 AM
http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2010.04.vermontandfifth.jpg

Vermont and 5th Construction, Meet Bisnow (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/04/vermont_and_5th_construction_meet_bisnow.php)

By Dakota
April 22, 2010

KOREATOWN: "Any info on the construction at the old Chevy dealership?" writes a reader. If we're reading the info on the Building Department's web site correctly, it looks like a three-story retail building is on its way. There's the old Google street view shot of the dealership. [Curbed InBox]

...

LosAngelesBeauty
Apr 28, 2010, 12:29 AM
It's already been decided by Metro back in 2007 that the official name is "Expo Line". The Aqua Line was killed by Bernard Parks, and the Rose Line never saw the light of day.

Expect the next reorganization of lines to be in 2019 when the Connector opens. Just recently, on the Metro Source it was commented from Metro officials that the line references will change. Expo Line will be the name until 2019..after that I can see Expo going away and we only having the Blue and Gold light rail lines going through downtown (outside of Red and Purple subway lines)


Wrong.

Looks like Metro will be renaming Expo Line with a color line soon. :tup:

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/04/expo_update_farmdale_station_color_issue.php

DIESELPOLO
Apr 28, 2010, 5:12 AM
how is this ultra luxury limestone phallus looking these days?

BrandonJXN
Apr 28, 2010, 5:20 AM
It's still there looking nice last I checked.

DowntownCharlieBrown
May 9, 2010, 8:12 AM
I recently stayed at the W on a Saturday when I was invited to the Magic Castle (that place is a trip, but that’s another story). The W was packed and there was line of people that just wanted to get into the lobby. At night the lobby looks the same as it does in the day, but they crank the music and everybody’s just hanging out. I would say the place is an instant hit.

While the lobby is huge and seems to cover the entire ground floor, the hotel rooms only takes up a small portion of the structure. I was surprised to learn that out of the entire block that was under construction; only the tower highlighted below is hotel. The rest is residential.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4586227154_bc3a8292ef_o.jpg

pesto
May 10, 2010, 5:31 PM
Yeah, it sounds like the place to be these days. A couple of weeks ago I tried to make reservations for a graduation dinner at the W's Mediterranean restaurant for this coming Friday and it was full (we are going to Geisha House instead).

And, of course, Drai's is hot.

LosAngelesBeauty
May 11, 2010, 12:00 AM
Thanks DTCB for posting that! I had no idea the hotel portion was that small compared to the rest of the project. In any case, I am hoping that the market improves in the near future so that BLVD6200 will start construction. It is a damn shame that the W Hotel sits next to a butt-ass ugly parking lot like that.

JDRCRASH
May 13, 2010, 5:06 AM
LA supervisors approve rules for hearings on Universal Studios

By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer

Posted: 05/11/2010 09:30:53 PM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2010 09:35:49 PM PDT

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with the city of Los Angeles that clarifies details about upcoming public hearings regarding the $3 billion makeover of Universal Studios.

The move will help determine how the hearings will be held, such as whether the county and city will hold separate or joint hearings, and who will conduct them, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said.

The action comes as city and county officials are preparing the environmental impact report for the project.

"I continue to have serious concerns about the scope of the project, both the one on the campus of Universal Studios, as well as the project related to the studio on the MTA site across the street," Yaroslavsky said.

Over the next two decades, the studio plans to redevelop its 391-acre property into an environmentally sustainable theme park, business and entertainment industry hub with more than 2,900 new apartments and condos, 35 acres of open space, a 500-room hotel and a refurbished amphitheater, said Sorin Alexanrian, a deputy director with the county Department of Regional Planning.

The new Universal complex will include expanded studio production facilities, new office space, shops and a renovated Universal CityWalk and Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

The project application includes a request that the city annex about 76 acres of the property in order to build the new residential development. In unincorporated parts of the county, the project includes a request for a new hotel and a plan to govern the operations of the existing studio, theme park and Universal City Walk.

Executives at the San Fernando Valley's largest employer expect the project to create 12,000 new jobs, $2 billion in local spending and $26 million in new tax revenues each year for the city and county.

The project calls for roads to ferry traffic off congested Barham Boulevard and other traffic improvements, but some residents fear the project will increase congestion in the area.

Universal Studios spokeswoman Cindy Gardner said the studio is investing $100 million to improve traffic flow and "serve as a catalyst to accelerate local, regional and freeway improvements in the Valley."

"It also includes new shuttle services targeted to 50 percent of the trips by studio and business employees and residents within a five-mile radius of our property," Gardner said.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/ci_15065702?source=email

pesto
May 13, 2010, 4:36 PM
We are likely to hear a lot more rhetoric about traffic than it warrants. They're adding 2900 units over 20 years. This is immaterial as compared to general growth in the valley and basin over that period.

I wonder if some transit between Universal Red Line, Burbank, Disney campus, Brand and continuing to DT LA makes any sense? Only about 10 miles and there are real employment and entertainment destinations at each end.

DJM19
May 13, 2010, 6:55 PM
I think the fact that a subway stop is across the street, as well as bus service and multiple freeway off rammps should automatically qualify the project to not spend a dime on traffic mitigation. They will invest 100 million in roads that will always be crammed. That could go to improving the development. Or maybe a railway of sorts to bring people from the subway to the park instead of their lame bus/tram thing

pesto
May 13, 2010, 8:35 PM
I hadn’t noticed, but there is a ring of development around Griffith Park: Silver Lake, Brand in Glendale, Disney Campus in Glendale, Burbank studios, Universal, Hollywood, and back to Vermont north of Sunset. Must be the hills.

djm: you're probably right, but cutting back on parking or traffic mitigation in the Valley is not going to help get any of this approved. I foresee plenty of sound and fury over this one.

JDRCRASH
May 13, 2010, 10:11 PM
I wonder if some transit between Universal Red Line, Burbank, Disney campus, Brand and continuing to DT LA makes any sense? Only about 10 miles and there are real employment and entertainment destinations at each end.

How about something like this:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&hl=en&msa=0&msid=115659391565603628794.0004864786e2534511dfa&ll=34.199309,-118.422661&spn=0.164411,0.362206&z=12

pesto
May 14, 2010, 12:26 AM
Well, I don't really want to fight over this, but that's a good bit longer, goes through a lot of suburb, leaves out Glendale and DT altogether. Plus you have the usual SFV antipathy to mass transit.

My version is shorter and mostly goes through DT, Glendale, Burbank and only a bit of the densest part of the Valley. Of course, Glendale and Burbank may have NIMBY issues as well.

JDRCRASH
May 17, 2010, 10:39 PM
Well, I don't really want to fight over this, but that's a good bit longer, goes through a lot of suburb, leaves out Glendale and DT altogether.

That's because i'm hoping the Yellow Line (or basically, an Orange Line extension to DTLA) does that.

JDRCRASH
May 17, 2010, 10:48 PM
Rockin' Out

New Hollywood headquarters resembles its audio prodcuts

http://archpaper.com/uploads/image/Ametron-Hollywood1.jpg
Courtesy Shimoda Design
The new Ametron headquarters in Hollywood is designed to resemble a collection of mics and radios.


05.13.2010

Sam Lubell

It doesn’t get much more Hollywood than this: LA architect Joey Shimoda is designing the new headquarters for Ametron Electronics, a major supplier of production equipment for the film industry. In a real feat of stagecraft, Shimoda said the 20-story, 218,000 square-foot building takes the inspiration for its form is Ametron owner Fred Rosenthal’s collection of sleek vintage microphones and radios.

The tower, located in the heart of Hollywood, will be made up of several varied components to provide a variety of uses and to break down the mass. “We didn’t want a boring rectangle,” Shimoda said. “We wanted to create a building that has personality and will be remembered for its shape. We were also interested in creating a something that is not a billboard backdrop,” an all too common problem in Hollywood.


http://archpaper.com/uploads/Ametron-Hollywood2.jpg
Courtesy Shimoda Design
A complex of structural systems holds up the various buildings.


The building will consist of office space and a small Radio and Microphone Museum on the ground floor, parking on the next seven floors, and offices above. The office portion will be clad with a diagonally-braced steel or concrete exterior structure above and a more conventional glass and aluminum curtain wall below. The parking structure will be clad with flat slab concrete with intricate skin treatments.

Shimoda stressed building a humane connection between the building and the street; a rarity in jumbled Hollywood. The project will include a small water moat at the property line with bridges into the storefronts, canopies on both street frontages, and lush street trees and planter buffers. The lobby will include a reflecting pool.

Completion is planned for 2016. The project manager will be Anne Gray, publisher of Balcony Press and Form Magazine, who once worked as facilities director at Paramount Studios.

Source: http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=4526

colemonkee
May 18, 2010, 4:27 AM
Certainly very interesting. It manages to somehow look like 3 buildings in 1. But with the proximity to the Red Line stop just a block and a half away, I'd like to see less parking.

But I'll take it!

SD_Phil
May 18, 2010, 6:08 AM
very nice! loving the x-bracing.

JDRCRASH
May 18, 2010, 2:28 PM
I'll take anything at this point. That's how bad things have been.

JRinSoCal
May 18, 2010, 2:31 PM
Exactly where is this to be built?

mdiederi
May 18, 2010, 3:04 PM
Exactly where is this to be built?
The first rendering shows a large address sign on the building -- "1546 N. Argyle", which I think is catawampus southeast of the W.

BrandonJXN
May 18, 2010, 3:25 PM
Catawampus?

colemonkee
May 18, 2010, 4:39 PM
^ I think "Catawampus", in this case, means the SE corner of Argyle & Selma. Which is kitty corner from the W complex.

StethJeff
May 18, 2010, 5:11 PM
Clever design. The radio and microphone themes are subtle enough that I woulda never discovered them on my own. And I agree with SD Phil, the x-bracing looks terrific.

BrandonJXN
May 18, 2010, 5:31 PM
In some ways, it reminds me a bit of the Heron Tower going up in London.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/wjfox2005/London_general/city_of_london/heron.jpg
wjfox2004

JDRCRASH
May 18, 2010, 10:48 PM
Exactly where is this to be built?

Based on the renderings and the buildings it shows in the backround, i'd say it'd be right here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&t=h&msid=115659391565603628794.000486e6204133e914a84&ll=34.100087,-118.323988&spn=0.005144,0.011319&z=17

This appears to be the location of an existing Ametron Audio store.

colemonkee
May 19, 2010, 7:02 AM
^ That is correct. Like I said before, the SE corner of Argyle and Selma.

edluva
May 19, 2010, 8:47 AM
it looks like heron tower for the fact that it's flanked by much shorter buildings and it has an antenna. that's where similarities end. this hollywood proposal is much less graceful, and like many self-conscious buildings in la and other big 3rd world cities it aspires to significance by mimicry (eg see hearst building), the way mitsubishi mirage aspires to the c class.

an going on an even further tangent, i'll say that la is the wal-mart of big cities. a cheap but failed rendition of something prettier, more refined, or more sophisticated. la is not a city of great or even good architecture. in fact, la still struggles to find a singularity of place or purpose from which architectural identity can grow and be reinterpreted over time.

rather than being modern, la builds to look modern. rather than being urban, la builds to look like what "urban" represents in any prevailing concept of what "urban" signifies in pop culture at that moment. la always builds to resemble, yet it never actually is. many of its residents act the same way. in the sense that, culturally speaking, it rarely upsets the commonplace or challenges the status quo, la is one of the most predictable and stereotypical cities in the world. in the sense that it sells to the world a culture so stereotypical as to be offensive, la is unique.

BrandonJXN
May 19, 2010, 3:35 PM
Are you a virgin?

LosAngelesSportsFan
May 19, 2010, 7:14 PM
hahaha

Seriously man, you got some hate in your heart.

pesto
May 19, 2010, 8:22 PM
I have to admit I like it. A wonderful denial of the myth of the monolith which has dominated large scale architecture for centuries. An acknowledgement that 3 or 4 smaller buildings is more organic and humane than the attempt to overwhelm with mass and height.

And the reference back to relevant technology gives it wit and a sense of time and place. Could be on a par with Capitol Records if executed properly.

Just about 3 blocks away from the proposed Mayne college building. Some hope for this being an area of serious architecture yet without loss of scale.

Avanine-Commuter
May 19, 2010, 11:56 PM
it looks like heron tower for the fact that it's flanked by much shorter buildings and it has an antenna. that's where similarities end. this hollywood proposal is much less graceful, and like many self-conscious buildings in la and other big 3rd world cities it aspires to significance by mimicry (eg see hearst building), the way mitsubishi mirage aspires to the c class.

an going on an even further tangent, i'll say that la is the wal-mart of big cities. a cheap but failed rendition of something prettier, more refined, or more sophisticated. la is not a city of great or even good architecture. in fact, la still struggles to find a singularity of place or purpose from which architectural identity can grow and be reinterpreted over time.

rather than being modern, la builds to look modern. rather than being urban, la builds to look like what "urban" represents in any prevailing concept of what "urban" signifies in pop culture at that moment. la always builds to resemble, yet it never actually is. many of its residents act the same way. in the sense that, culturally speaking, it rarely upsets the commonplace or challenges the status quo, la is one of the most predictable and stereotypical cities in the world. in the sense that it sells to the world a culture so stereotypical as to be offensive, la is unique.

You do realize that it's people who are building these things, and not the city of LA right? LA doesn't do shit. It's a city. How can you say that LA produces anything when many architects and planners aren't even LA firms or LA residents?

and WHY are you living in LA? Get the f*ck out of here.

LosAngelesBeauty
May 20, 2010, 12:34 AM
LA will find "true urbanism" when it actually becomes a true urban area, which is contingent upon developing a well-used (by middle-class people) mass transit network that implies a lifestyle where a substantial central location of LA (West Central) is walkable and people go about their daily lives hopping on the tube and walking to their jobs, shopping, entertainment, etc. It means tourists coming to LA and asking for directions from an Angeleno and getting responses back in "subway miles" instead of "driving miles." This scenario also implies that we have reached a tipping point enough to lose the strict (archaic and backward) parking requirements that take away from the many buildings their potentially more elegant designs. Building parking and fulfilling the city's ridiculous ratios is extremely expensive and eats away at the developer's budget, which usually means a more inferior design (although I don't think this new Hollywood Amertron building is necessarily that bad compared to most other projects in the city). Also, more concrete and steel are needed in a building in LA for stringent seismic standards than NY or Chicago. Add the total cost up and you get a generally more inferior design. Then add on top of that, a lack of urban context to invoke, and you get most of the uninspired stuff you see in LA.

Once you have a fully functional rail system, where Wilshire Blvd. is connected as well as the Pink Line, etc., then true urban design will follow accordingly. Instead of focusing on parking structures, attention will be funneled toward the front facing the sidewalks. Of course our buildings are usually "lip service" because buildings are designed by a "driver's perspective" and NOT a pedestrian's perspective."

The most important thing LA can do is to make the city more liveable. Most people hardly look above their heads when they walk on the streets. People will automatically like LA when it feels naturally good to walk on the streets.

Kingofthehill
May 21, 2010, 4:59 PM
More quality infill, like this piece (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hollywood&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.8712,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hollywood,+Los+Angeles,+California&ll=34.082362,-118.317872&spn=0.005891,0.013078&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=34.082279,-118.317876&panoid=agfYIhltBU3zm3RM5e4cIQ&cbp=12,242.16,,0,-16.34) I found in Hollywood, is what the city needs more of! Quality materials, appealing aesthetics, parking out of sight, etc. More of this, please!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4623732180_6c6f274bbb_b.jpg

http://devanwells.blogspot.com/2010/05/past-few-weeks-or-so.html

pesto
May 21, 2010, 5:12 PM
LAB,, KOTH: agreed; make the first 5 floors attractive and you have won the battle. Given the size of LA's core (DT to the sea) just going from older sfh's and dated 2-story apartments to 3-8 story developments will be all the development that is ever needed to make the city dense, urban and yet livable.

A few skyscrapers and 20-40 stories where appropriate is OK, but that's not where the future of livability will come from.

BrandonJXN
May 21, 2010, 6:13 PM
More quality infill, like this piece (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hollywood&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.8712,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hollywood,+Los+Angeles,+California&ll=34.082362,-118.317872&spn=0.005891,0.013078&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=34.082279,-118.317876&panoid=agfYIhltBU3zm3RM5e4cIQ&cbp=12,242.16,,0,-16.34) I found in Hollywood, is what the city needs more of! Quality materials, appealing aesthetics, parking out of sight, etc. More of this, please!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4623732180_6c6f274bbb_b.jpg

http://devanwells.blogspot.com/2010/05/past-few-weeks-or-so.html

I've been saying this for a while and I will continue to do so: Los Angeles, especially downtown needs this sort of infill. Design wise, it's pleasing to the eye. Not urban, not suburban. Just right.

LosAngelesBeauty
May 21, 2010, 6:27 PM
I agree, I like the design of that condo building in Hollywood (thanks KOTH for sharing). It's appealing, and I like how the front units have doors that lead directly to the street. Who is the architect?

Perhaps we should introduce the architect to other developers in the region!

pesto
May 21, 2010, 9:40 PM
agreed; not urban not suburban. I first saw this sort of 'high-density light" in quantity in the center of Frankfurt about 30 years ago, but it's all over various parts of the world. Urban and dense but without oppressive crowding or cement sterility.

Translatable into the Lincoln or La Brea neighborhoods as well. If about half of Westlake and adjacent looked like this, we would have a hell of an urban locale.

DistrictDirt
May 21, 2010, 11:34 PM
More quality infill, like this piece (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hollywood&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.8712,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hollywood,+Los+Angeles,+California&ll=34.082362,-118.317872&spn=0.005891,0.013078&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=34.082279,-118.317876&panoid=agfYIhltBU3zm3RM5e4cIQ&cbp=12,242.16,,0,-16.34) I found in Hollywood, is what the city needs more of! Quality materials, appealing aesthetics, parking out of sight, etc. More of this, please!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4623732180_6c6f274bbb_b.jpg

http://devanwells.blogspot.com/2010/05/past-few-weeks-or-so.html

Have you seen the one they're finishing up in EP at the corner of Sunset and Alvarado? Quality materials (including a lot of oxidized copper), Medium density (5 stories I believe), and retail frontage. Its a winner all around, IMO.

I'll try to snap some photos this weekend, but for now:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/4008249647_2e93c64d96.jpg

pesto
May 22, 2010, 12:29 AM
DD: exactly what I thought of when I saw the new one. Great little building also with a European look.

EP on the rise. Let's extend the Bway trolley and make it part of DT.

Kingofthehill
May 22, 2010, 12:59 AM
Have you seen the one they're finishing up in EP at the corner of Sunset and Alvarado? Quality materials (including a lot of oxidized copper), Medium density (5 stories I believe), and retail frontage. Its a winner all around, IMO.


I passed by it today...would've have taken a pic were it not for the fact I was kind of on a date :jester:

Also, I saw this one (http://adnergroup.blogspot.com/2009/09/upscale-metropol-6001-carlton-way.html) today:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/4627618313_d7627733b0_b.jpg.

Another job well done. These random infill projects in and around Sunset are giving me hope.

milquetoast
May 25, 2010, 8:55 AM
Being on a date is no excuse for not whipping out your cam! If that's horizontal wood cladding, then I would say it looks like it belongs on the beach. Looks good!

milquetoast
May 25, 2010, 9:05 AM
I'm not recognizing my old neighborhoods here! Where are the wood sided single fams, the adobe jobs and the bungalows? Some of the stuff :previous: looks very clean lined but more suited to Europe in style- modern London or Berlin. I'm gonna be shocked if there is a lot of this when I get back.

pesto
May 25, 2010, 5:38 PM
milq: exactly right; but LA has always been a place where the past gets superceded. Fortunately, there are more than enough examples of bungalow, cheap plaster and ranch sfh's and nondescript modern apartments and commercial to go around. Some of my former homes are now apartments that are not great but an improvement over where I lived.

If there are any real gems in the area or consistent neighborhoods in good condition, that is a different matter. Otherwise I'm OK with some neighborhoods looking trendy in a Europen way. In fact, I prefer that approach to the anonymous high-rise towers of many cities.

dktshb
May 26, 2010, 4:52 AM
LOL, you have 4 ssp tabs open there:

I passed by it today...would've have taken a pic were it not for the fact I was kind of on a date :jester:

Also, I saw this one (http://adnergroup.blogspot.com/2009/09/upscale-metropol-6001-carlton-way.html) today:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/4627618313_d7627733b0_b.jpg.

Another job well done. These random infill projects in and around Sunset are giving me hope.

This development on Branson is coming along nicely since I last saw it. There are a few good modern structures going up In Hollywood east of Vine.

milquetoast
May 26, 2010, 7:57 AM
BOOM!! stupid birds ... http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture5262010125140AM.jpg

Kingofthehill
May 26, 2010, 1:50 PM
LOL, you have 4 ssp tabs open there

LOL, I had just got home; the first thing I do when going on the internet is to check gmail - facebook - ssp.

And yes, I saw some really nice infill in and around the area bounded by Vine to the west, the 101 to the east, Hollywood to the north, and Sunset to the south. I'll be back there this Friday...with my camera in hand.

BTW, speaking of infill, I took a few pictures in Venice this weekend:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/4631959905_3138243252_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4632558734_37b1a9d230_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3348/4631953899_8c168037d2_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4631956733_0a91fb53b5_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/4632608942_d499f374d2_b.jpg

and one from the Silverlake/EHO/Rampart junction.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/4623740026_9ca1dc33f0_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4624682074_b45a892998_b.jpg

Busy Bee
May 26, 2010, 4:07 PM
^What is that building? Almost looks like it would be a garage. It would be a pretty good looking garage if it was.

Kingofthehill
May 26, 2010, 5:11 PM
It's a high school

pesto
May 26, 2010, 5:40 PM
looks like deconstructed geometric is the rage in Venice. Anjelica Huston's place at 64 Windward is in the same mode (but it's hard to call a house listed at 16M "infill").

It's good to see the Vine-101-Hollywood Sunset area and areas further east on Hollywood and Sunset modernizing. It's a good area for some taller and more modern stuff without raising too many NIMBY issues since the existing housing is already very mixed and largely deteriorated.

Hopefully a few strip malls will go as well. How about a change of zoning to require landscaping of the strip mall parking lots on the main street, and the establishment of hidden (back alley?) parking areas or structures?

DistrictDirt
May 27, 2010, 5:36 PM
Hopefully a few strip malls will go as well. How about a change of zoning to require landscaping of the strip mall parking lots on the main street, and the establishment of hidden (back alley?) parking areas or structures?

I was shocked by all the strip mall/street facing parking when I first got here. Its 2010, I can't believe it hasn't been zoned out yet in LA. I can think of 2 strip malls in my previous city. Just 2- in the whole of Washington DC.

No one is saying get rid of the autocentric, sedentary lifestyle here. That would be too much to ask. ;) But lets at least stick the parking in the rear. Cars are ugly. Parking is ugly. Lets at least try to hide it.

pesto
May 27, 2010, 9:05 PM
DD: This is classic LA noir: you try to hide the dirt but it keeps coming after you. There's usually a dame involved too.

Actually I agree; the strip malls are a boon in the sense of providing some open space, but the key is to move parking to the back, as a transition to the multi-story residential. Then the former parking area becomes a mini-plaza.

This is too much to ask for in the suburbs, but in core LA, it has to be the rule.

DistrictDirt
May 27, 2010, 10:05 PM
the key is to move parking to the back, as a transition to the multi-story residential. Then the former parking area becomes a mini-plaza.

Your idea reminds me of the Urban Sprawl Repair Kit (http://www.re-burbia.com/2009/08/04/sprawl-building-types-repair-toolkit/) that was published a couple years back. We need to be doing this in LA:

http://www.re-burbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2932/SprawRepairToolkitBuildingTypes_Page_2-670x867.jpg

http://www.re-burbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2932/SprawRepairToolkitBuildingTypes_Page_3-670x867.jpg

http://www.re-burbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/UrbanSprawlRepairKIT.jpg

StethJeff
May 27, 2010, 10:23 PM
I was shocked by all the strip mall/street facing parking when I first got here. Its 2010, I can't believe it hasn't been zoned out yet in LA. I can think of 2 strip malls in my previous city. Just 2- in the whole of Washington DC.

No one is saying get rid of the autocentric, sedentary lifestyle here. That would be too much to ask. ;) But lets at least stick the parking in the rear. Cars are ugly. Parking is ugly. Lets at least try to hide it.

A special exception has to be made for In-N-Out. The place just wouldn't look right without bitchin' cars parked in front. :yes: