The End of Painted Ads on Hotel Figueroa?
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
A vinyl Target piece was installed over Hotel Figueroa's painted Kung Fu Pandas on December 2nd.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The massive murals on the side of the Hotel Figueroa are famous far beyond Downtown, appearing on TV coverage, films and even as a protest site in the lead-up to the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
In the last month, though, the works on the side of the 82-year-old hotel have taken a subtle but important turn. The last two ads plastered on the giant walls have been stickers, not paint.
Though ads are displayed on both sides of the 15-story hotel, the south side with its three faces is certainly the most prominent. On December 2, that side of the hotel was changed from an ad for the DVD release of Kung Fu Panda to one for Target.
That the change-over could happen in a day was remarkable -- typical ad changes are a multi-week affair, requiring whitewashing and priming before skilled painters go to work on duplicating the promotional materials.
The difference? The Target ad was printed off-site and pasted onto the side of the hotel in strips. The same was the case for a Gatorade ad now showing.
Under the right panel, a sign for ArtFX Murals, the company that had previously painted the signs, has been replaced with a tag for Big Sticker, the firm now doing the printed installations for CBS Outdoor.
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JM on January 05, 2009, at 08:54PM – #1
Anyone else think it's odd that Target has advertising on the building in the first place? And a terrace/ balcony in the LA Live complex? Where's the Target store Downtown?
And, on subject, I'll miss the murals if they go, but I've been wondering how long they'd last. The minute the Ritz opens across the street, all the businesses alongside the Figueroa Hotel on Olympic are bound to disappear in favor of higher end retail stores anyhow.
Greensmark on January 06, 2009, at 11:06AM – #2
I agree with JM. Target seems to "own" all the advertising around the LA Live area. And, interestingly enough, there is no Target downtown. Funny thing, the girls that work in the management office in my building thought that all the signage meant there was GOING to be a Target down here. So much for clear advertising.
Meanwhile, when the Ritz does open, let us hope that the economy will get going again and that high end retails will start to come back to Downtown. I am so in love with being Downtown, I would like to do all my shopping here.
Food for thought: Does anyone doubt that when the Ritz opens that the Corner of Fig and Olympic will stay the way it is now. If the intended secondary hotel breaks ground two blocks from and across the street from the Ritz, in the coming year, it will also signal the change on that corner as well. Build up, people, build up!!
Grnsmrk~
Sandie Richards on January 07, 2009, at 11:18AM – #3
I was wondering how the Target ad went up so fast, and without the white paint going on first-- thanks for solving the mystery. By the way, fellow downtowners, Target is featured in Times Square as well, with no Manhattan Target store. It's advertising for visitors... & I believe Target is a sponsor of the Grammy Museum. Meanwhile, I lament the passing of the painters' art.