Posts WELCOME HOME

Later today, the Central Hollywood Coalition will unveil Hollywood Pop!, a new pop-up park at the southwest corner of Selma and Ivar Avenues. The temporary park, which will be open through the end of 2016, includes cartoon-like furniture pieces, as well as seating, tables, landscaping, shade and wayfindins signage. The project is unique in that it is located on private property, and is seen as a potential model for expanding public space throughout Hollywood.

Last Friday, following nearly five years of work, the full Expo Line route to Santa Monica opened to throngs of eager passengers. As if on cue, a mixed-use development inspired by the $2.5-billion light rail line is poised to go before the Los Angeles City Planning Commission later this week. The proposed Martin Expo Town Center would rise at the northwest corner of Olympic Boulevard and Bundy Drive, replacing the longtime Martin Cadillac dealership.

This past Saturday, elected officials joined with the nonprofit organization From Lot to Spot to celebrate the grand opening of Rudolph Park in the City of Lawndale. The 1.5-acre green space, located one block east of Hawthorne Boulevard, is highlighted by a perimeter walking path which flanks a grass field, a children’s play area, an outdoor gym, and a large space with seating and shade for public gatherings. Other features include native and drought-tolerant plants, local art and night-sky friendly lighting.

Update 5/25/16: According to Joe Shuster, the President and owner of Honda of Downtown Los Angeles, the project is an expansion of the business than a relocation. Although the current operations will be relocating to a new facility near Exposition Park, its current location will remain an automobile dealership focused on used cars and high-speed services for Honda vehicles. The rising tide of Downtown Los Angeles real estate has finally begun to chip away at the Figueroa Corridor’s well-established swath of automobile dealerships.

Although some Arts District land owners have begun preaching patience, others are still looking to capitalize on Downtown’s ongoing building boom. Earlier this week, an environmental review was requested for a proposed development at 520 S. Mateo Street. The project, slated for a two-acre site which also fronts Santa Fe Avenue and 4th Place, would consist of 600 live-work condominiums and approximately 60,000 square feet of commercial floor area. An existing industrial building, built in 1988, would be demolished for the development.

This past Saturday, national real estate firm Brookfield Residential debuted Mason and Cleo, two new collections of 81 luxury flats in the Playa Vista community. Mason, located near the corner of Bluff Creek and Village Drives, consists of brownstone flats with single-level residences and brick exteriors. Individual units range from 1,816 to 2,658 square feet in size, each featuring 3 to 4 bedrooms, 2 to 3.5 baths, and a 2-car garage.

One block south of the half-finished husk of the Hollywood Target, a new development is planned which would create a multifamily residential complex and a small park. The 1375 St. Andrews Apartments - which is being developed by 1375 St. Andrews, LLC - would consist of a seven-story building featuring 185 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments above a 1.5-level, 251-car parking garage. The podium-style structure would include public and private open space, including a fitness center, community rooms, two court yards, and a swimming pool.

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.

Co-working firm IgnitedSpaces is expanding its amenitized office space concept to Downtown Los Angeles. According to a press release, the Hollywood-based company has signed a lease with landlord Jamison Services to occupy approximately 42,000 square feet in the California Market Center (CMC) in the Fashion District. Under the terms of the long-term lease, IgnitedSpaces will occupy the entire 12th floor of Building B, which is one of three 13-story structures that comprise the 1.8-million-square-foot complex at Olympic Boulevard and Main Street.

In 1923, the Catalina Swimwear Company opened its new headquarters at San Pedro and Winston Streets, on the southern perimeter of what is now Little Tokyo. The six-story Neoclassical building was the first major commission for the independent practice of architect William Douglas Lee, who would go on to design the Chateau Marmont hotel and the El Royale apartments. However, without the landmark status enjoyed by those later commissions, the Catalina Swimwear Building gradually fell into disrepair.