Growth & Development

Tranquility Base Opens with an Emotional Ribbon Cutting

By Eric Richardson — April 10, 2008
8 Comments

tbase3

|Photo Gallery| New South Park restaurant Tranquility Base held its ribbon cutting Thursday morning, and the emotion shown by owner Dave Tardif made clear what a journey its been to get the stylish eatery open. Councilwoman Jan Perry and DCBID Director of Economic Development Hal Bastian were on hand to welcome Tranquility Base to Downtown and participate in the ribbon cutting...


AON Readies an Updated Street Presence

By Eric Richardson — April 08, 2008
3 Comments

AON Center Renovations

The AON Center at 707 Wilshire recently started work on a ground floor renovation that looks to make the building more friendly to pedestrian life. Since the construction scaffolding went up several weeks ago crews have been hard at work removing old hardscape elements that separated the building from the sidewalks. Renderings placed on the construction wall...


More Theatre Reuse: Units for Palace, Los Angeles?

By Eric Richardson — April 04, 2008
6 Comments

Los Angeles Theatre --

Applications have been filed to convert space in two more Broadway theater buildings to residential use. The Broadway office tower above the entrance to the Palace Theatre is proposed to be converted to 20 condo units. That space includes an amazing 5th floor with skylight and enormous windows, site of numerous recent movie shoots. Another application lists...


Flowers in Spring, on Spring

By Ed Fuentes — April 03, 2008
5 Comments

Unit 107

April 1 was opening day for new flower shop Floral Touches, bringing retail to the Spring street side of SB Lofts. Floral Designer Kelli Martinez, seen here with her father, Mike, had a quiet grand opening for her small new store at 548 S. Spring St.


Park Fifth Quietly Moves Forward

By Eric Richardson — April 02, 2008
8 Comments

Park 5th Model

While quiet lately, the massive Park Fifth development slated to rise north of Pershing Square continues to make forward progress. The project submitted its Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to the Community Redevelopment Agency on March 31st. A certified EIR would be a major milestone in the process of accumulating the approvals needed to...


Delijani Looks to Add 155 Bite-Sized Condos in the United Building

By Eric Richardson — April 01, 2008
19 Comments

State Theatre -- 703 S. Broadway

The United Building, better known as the State Theatre Building, could soon become home to 155 live-work condo units. An application for the Vesting Tentative Tract was submitted to the city in November, and a hearing has been set for mid-April. The 12-story building, built in 1921, is currently home to office and jewelry manufacturing uses. Delijani had previously...


Manpower Enters L.A. with a 6th Street Storefront

By Eric Richardson — March 31, 2008
2 Comments

Manpower on 6th

Global recruiting company Manpower today put out a press release saying that it had acquired CRI Inc., thereby entering the L.A. market. An interested Downtowner could have known that some sort of move was afoot several days ago, when Manpower’s flashy new storefront was unveiled on 6th street late last week. The new space in the Pacific Center has a mod...


Broadway Discussion Missing a Key Ingredient

By Eric Richardson with Ed Fuentes — March 30, 2008
13 Comments

Broadway and California Plaza

The discussion at Thursday’s Zocalo event on Broadway was more notable for who was missing from the conversation than for the words said on the Orpheum stage. The great potential of Broadway was certainly touted, and the question of how development would affect the homeless seemed to be a favorite. It was the middle ground that seemed less represented...


Twin Historic Core Construction Sites Move Forward

By Eric Richardson — March 27, 2008
7 Comments

LAPD Motorpool Construction& Medallian Project

After last month’s Higgins Takedown, construction on the LAPD Motorpool site has moved quickly. Materials from the demolished gallery building and surrounding parking lots have been cleared, and site excavation continues. In the next block work on the Medallion project is now moving up instead of down. Foundations have been laid and are rising toward ground...


Nokia Continues Awards Sweep, Grabs the ESPYs

By Eric Richardson — March 26, 2008
1 Comment

Video Games Live at the Nokia Theatre

A couple weeks ago it was the Emmys’ making a move, then American Idol, and now ESPN’s ESPY Awards will be leaving Hollywood and the Kodak to head for Downtown’s Nokia Theatre. It’s not exactly a surprise of a move, given that the L.A. Live complex will include an ESPN broadcast facility and ESPNZone restaurant. The 2008 show, the first...