Staff WELCOME HOME

Since the 1880s, Little Tokyo has been a cultural and civic center for Japanese Americans in Southern California. It’s a community anchored by multi-generational family businesses, churches, and temples. One of the neighborhood’s oldest traditions is the annual Nisei Week festival, first celebrated in 1934. Originally planned to draw in first-generation, American-born Japanese to the Great Depression-stricken district, the nine-day long event now celebrates Japanese American culture and history. The yearly bash brings in thousands from Los Angeles and beyond, to enjoy ondo dancing, Japanese floral arrangements, tea ceremonies, martial arts, fashion shows, calligraphy, art exhibitions, talent shows, and more—all free and open to the public!

Today’s Throwback Thursday brings us to Garment Lofts in the Fashion District. Taken 20 months apart, the photos highlight the efforts that MDM Builders and Capital Foresight put into the renovation of the stunning but neglected 1926 building. It also highlights what a difference a renovated building of this size can make in a neighborhood, and how the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance continues to be an effective tool in bringing back the former splendor of Downtown LA.

Since we last dropped by, the Wilshire Grand has become a dominant presence in Los Angeles skyline, visible for miles around. Take in four months of progress via this photo tour, with a huge assist from architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart.

City Century, the Los Angeles-based subsidiary of Shanghai real estate developer ShengLong Group, has quietly unveiled plans for multiple high-rise complexes in Central Los Angeles. The developer’s website was recently updated with new renderings of two condominium towers they plan to build at the intersection of 12th Street and Grand Avenue in the South Park neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. Renderings portray two glass, balcony-laden structures perched atop podiums, with a design aesthetic not dissimilar from the neighboring Evo tower.

The following post is an editorial and contains the personal opinions of its authors. One of the characteristics which makes Downtown Los Angeles unique in the context of Greater L.A. is how receptive the community is to new development. The self-selected Downtown population has long been sold on the benefits of an urban lifestyle, and is generally welcoming to the revitalization and amenities brought by new construction. While other neighborhoods have played host to anti-density battles over high-rise development or even calls to limit growth altogether, most Downtown projects have proceeded swiftly and controversy-free.

Lendlease, an international property and infrastructure company, has announced the completion of the initial mat foundation pour for the Oceanwide Plaza development in Downtown Los Angeles. This milestone will allow for vertical construction of the project to begin. The initial pour, which occurred during March 25th-26th, is described as one of the largest construction mat pours in the Los Angeles history. Crews from Lendlease worked with 700 concrete trucks to pour 7,000 cubic yards of concrete over 700 tons of rebar.

ULI Los Angeles will offer a Case Study and Site Tour of Playa Vista, Thursday, June 9, 4:30-8 p.m. The event highlights Playa Vista’s evolution as the masterplan impacting creative office, new residential, retail, and parks and open space in Los Angeles. Community developer Brookfield Residential recently unveiled four new neighborhoods, including 85 luxury detached homes and 81 flats in modern styles. These residences are among some of the last new homes ever coming to this beach-close community.