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Posted Oct 24, 2017, 7:27 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,461
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackcat23
First Look at the Skyline-Altering Options for Angels Landing
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I'm not a big fan of the UCLA design or the jenga one.....does the architect realize LA is earthquake country?.....while the macfarland proposal seems the best at ground level. only problem is I don't think their plan or the onni one may be workable unless dtla's economy starts better competing with silicon bch & silicon valley..... among other places locally & nationally where demand for commercial space is quite strong.
that's why maybe only the ucla concept has some potential to be built before the year 2070.....assuming the university really is interested in opening a satellite campus in dt.
however, if the energy across the street continues into the future, & the synergy of that & things like the apt tower proposed for 4th & Hill St goes to the next level, then maybe another ambitious tower on the other side of 4th & hill is viable....
Quote:
Grand Central Market: A Look Back at 100 Years
Danny Jensen
October 23, 2017
kcet.org, Danny Jensen
Los Angeles is a place of perpetual self-reinvention; so it should come as no surprise that the city’s largest and oldest public market, the iconic Grand Central Market, has continually evolved since opening in 1917. Over the decades, the open air market has reflected the ever-changing population and landscape of downtown L.A. with a rotating roster of vendors selling prepared foods and groceries.
Most recently, the market has seen a large new wave of eateries and some grocers, along with a dramatic influx of new customers — so much so that the whole market was named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S. by Bon Appétit in 2014. Like any notable reinvention, the changes have brought both critics and fans alike. So as the market celebrates its centennial this year, we look back at how it has evolved and how those changes reflect the landscape of downtown Los Angeles.
But following World War II, as many affluent downtown residents headed towards new suburbs on expanding freeways, downtown shine began to wane. The Victorian mansions of Bunker Hill became home to low-income renters — to be later demolished for skyscrapers — and Angel’s Flight was shuttered in 1969.
Today, one of the market’s oldest legacy vendors is Tomas Martinez, who owns the perpetually busy stalls Tacos Tumbras and Ana Maria's. “When I first came to the market was 1972, and it was very different, we've seen many changes,” says Martinez. “Before we had a lot of produce and places where people would buy their groceries. And now people come for all of the different vendors who have food from all over.” Martinez adds that there’s also been a shift in demographics in recent years at the market since he opened. “Before we had maybe 80 percent Hispanic people, and now, it's maybe 20 to 25 percent. We see a lot more people from all over. I think it's the most important place in Los Angeles.”
Yellin’s wife Adele — who is now leading the charge for recent developments in the market -- recalls her late husband’s enthusiasm for buying and restoring the market. “It was kind of a radical thing to do — everybody was fleeing downtown, and it was kind of desolate and really difficult,” she explains. “Ira loved the market, and he also had done a lot of work studying urban planning, and knew that old cities needed to reinvent themselves. And here [at the market] in the Historic Core, he just felt that this was the place to start. It was already a gathering place, and he just felt that there aren't many of those in Los Angeles and he loved it and wanted to work on that.”
Initially, Adele Yellin left the responsibilities of running the market to those already in charge of it, but when some of them retired, Adele felt compelled to get involved, beginning in 2011. Yellin notes that while more people were beginning to move back to downtown L.A. and restaurants and bars were springing up, many of the newer and often younger populations, weren’t shopping or eating at Grand Central Market. The vacancy rate at the time was at a low of 45 percent, even some of the legacy vendors were struggling to stay open.
The first tenant selected by the trio was David Tewasart, who opened Sticky Rice, which offers Thai street food specialties using organic and seasonal ingredients. Tewasart, who also operated Soi 7 (recently changed to So Long, Hi) in downtown L.A., says it was a no-brainer when he was asked to open in the market. “I used to drive by Grand Central Market and wonder what was going on in there, and said, 'This is not right. Eventually, that's going to become something super special,' and it never occurred to me that I would be a part of it.”
Tewasart adds that it wasn’t a boon in the market right away. “It was a ghost town during the weekends, there was hardly anyone there,” he says. “You'd have busy lunches, and we were busy at the beginning just because we were a different option.” He also says that many of the older, existing vendors doubted that Sticky Rice would endure, having seen others come and go over the lean years. Many prospective tenants were also wary of signing on to the market, Tewasart says, not convinced of the vision or that enough people would come.
Following Sticky Rice, a string of new vendors opened in relatively quick succession, including G&B Coffee, Valerie Confections, DTLA Cheese, Horse Thief BBQ, Oyster Gourmet, Belcampo Meat Co. and Olio Pizzeria. Tewasart explains there was a sense of camaraderie amongst the aspiring new vendors, many of whom would congregate at his stall. “We used to all hang out at the counter,” he says. “I think that was really important in the beginning because there was a synergy and everybody fed off of it. We just kept on trying to push and push to see how far we could take it.”
Tewasart notes that the major shift in momentum for Grand Central Market that began bringing huge crowds of new customers was the opening of chef Alvin Cailan’s breakfast concept, Eggslut. “Eggslut was the tipping point because they had the massive lines,” he explains. “And everyone would come for them, but they'd come back for everything else, so the exposure was big.” Yellin adds that the busy stall changed the whole dynamic of the market. Suddenly, the century-old marketplace became a buzzy new hotspot, bringing crowds from the neighborhood and much farther afield. The stall that the bustling Eggslut occupies had previously been vacant for ten years.
As newer vendors with often higher-concept food have been added to the market, many have observed that the demographics have shifted from a predominantly working-class Latino customer base to now include a more diverse, and in some cases well-heeled crowd. But while some critics suggest the market is being gentrified, Wexler disagrees, ‘I feel pretty strongly that it's not gentrification.” He explains, “This market had fallen on pretty rough times and was in disrepair. It was largely a Latino market with things at very low prices, which is a very important service to provide for people who are low-income to afford their food and groceries. What it now is, is a subsection of all of Los Angeles, and it had been that for a very long time. And I think there's been a great effort in bringing that back and restoring this place to be ground zero and the center of the conversation that's going on all over the city now, which is, 'What do we want this city to be? What do we want it to look like? What are our communal spaces? How do we relate to each other and what kind of society do we have?' And that's going on here every single day — there are all walks of life here, the place is vibrant, and it's come back.”
kcet.org, Danny Jensen
Cheung says the stools at China Cafe’s long red counter still fill with regulars and families that have been coming for generations. He admits he's added a few dishes. “I think because the culture of the building people keep coming,” he says. “They've changed it, but it's still good and lots of people are coming. I'm busier now than I was before the remodel, almost 35 percent more. So we know that the changes are good for everybody.” He also adds that now that Grand Central Market stays open later — 10 p.m. nightly instead of the historic 6 p.m. — they see much more business, though not all the vendors stay open that late. The addition of stalls that serve alcohol likely also helps encourage more customers to linger at the market.
kcet.org, Danny Jensen
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