Historic Core WELCOME HOME

Standard Development, a real estate firm helmed by Allen Gross, has quietly started work on the adaptive reuse of Downtown’s historic HW Hellman Building, otherwise known as the Banco Popular Building. The 102-year-old office building, located at 4th and Spring Streets, will eventually house 188 live-work apartments above ground-level commercial space and a basement bar. According to a permit filing from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, plans call for a series of alterations to the building that will add two floors to the currently 10-story structure.

At long last, light appears at the end of the tunnel for Downtown’s Park Fifth development. According to a notice distributed last Thursday to residents of the Metro 417 apartment complex, San Francisco-based developer MacFarlane Partners is scheduled to break ground on the first phase of the development later this year. In April, crews are expected to begin demolishing the parking structure on the western side of the nearly 2.25-acre Park Fifth site, which is bounded by 5th, Olive and Hill Streets.

Construction has progressed to the sixth floor above ground-level on Topaz, an upcoming residential-retail complex in Downtown’s Historic Core. The project, located on an approximately .92-acre site at 550 S. Main Street, is being developed by Los Angeles-based Jade Enterprises. Plans call for a seven-story building feature 159 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments above approximately 23,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space. Other features will include a fitness center, a media room, a swimming pool and multiple outdoor courtyards.

Pershing Square Renew, the nonprofit organization tasked with managing the overhaul of Downtown’s oldest park, has released renderings of four potential redesigns. The four finalists, which emerged from an initial field of ten teams, are as follows: Renderings of their work can be seen below. Agence Ter James Corner Field Operations with Frederick Fisher and Partners SWA with Morphosis wHY + Civitas

A promotional brochure forwarded by a tipster has revealed artistic renderings for changes now underway at the Historic Core’s HW Hellman Building. Real estate firm Standard Development, the owner of the 102-year-old former office building, is currently converting its upper floors into 188 luxury apartments. The 10-story structure, located at the northeast corner of 4th and Spring Streets, is alternatively known as the Banco Popular Building. According to the brochure, the future residential complex’s ground and basement levels will be activated with a combined 17,500 square feet of commercial space.