Two Short Bits for a Thursday
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I'm headed off to the Valley to register for wedding gifts since Macy's Downtown doesn't have a bridal consultant, but two quick things of note for the afternoon:
Condo Conversions: I wrote a brief piece for the Life & Times Blog to go with a story on condo conversions. My bit is oriented to new development, whereas it looks like their story is more about existing rental units going condo, but it may be interesting to you none the less.
Divorces and Loft Shopping: I don't exactly know what to make of this column from the Daily Breeze, which rambles between friends getting divorced and 800 sq. ft. hotel rooms, but it talks about Downtown.
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David Kennedy on May 19, 2006, at 02:46PM – #1
The article in the Daily Breeze manages to use the bogus gentrification narrative.
"Such places are selling all over once moribund downtown like a plan organized to drive out the poor."
Completely unsubstantiated by any facts, but presumed to be true by the author.
Tim Quinn on May 20, 2006, at 07:07AM – #2
Regarding the dumb article from The Breeze, as any long time reader of newdowntown knows, the upstairs spaces in commercial buildings have always been called 'lofts.' It has nothing to do with artists and cheap space.
And the Santee buildings weren't built as sweatshops (duh) That is only their last and least use before condo conversion started. Los Angeles and Downtown (which in the 20s were the same thing) have a long and storied manufacturing history which includes the fact that the area from downtown to Wilmington was the largest manufacturing area in the WORLD outside of the Ruhr Valley in Germany (making it second largest, I guess)
The big industry Downtown when Santee was built was oil drilling and related. Huge swaths of what we now consider nice neighborhoods were crowded with oil derricks and pumps. The part of the Molino Lofts I live in was built to supply wiping rags to the steel mills across the street. The scale of things was different, manufacturing was small and local.
I can go on . . .
Curt Gibbs on May 20, 2006, at 07:25PM – #3
I thought you would be setting up all of your wedding gift registeries online.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on May 21, 2006, at 10:30PM – #4
Just not the same registering in front of a computer. Purchases can be made online, though.
Dana Gabbard on May 22, 2006, at 09:45AM – #5
If things are serious about downtown's transformation shouldn't something be done about Macy's Downtown having a bridal consultant? It is one of the signs that would show downtown is revitalizing for real.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on May 22, 2006, at 11:17AM – #6
It'll be interesting to see what Macy's does Downtown when they redo the Robinsons May space at 7th/Fig. They'll be left with two stores a block apart, and they've given no indications they plan to close one of them. Whatever they do, there would have to be some redecoration involved (and possibly they'd make one into a Macy's Home Furnishings or some sub-brand like that).
So I'd expect to see something happen with these stores by the Fall, and it would seem this would be a logical place to have a registry section.
Joel C on May 22, 2006, at 03:53PM – #7
I know I've been somewhat disappointed by the lack of selection in both Downtown stores.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Bloomies in one of the spots. Don't know if DTLA is ready to support one, though. A Target would be nice at the Seventh/Fig location. The Macy's location is ready for an extreme makeover.