Dealing With the Slope of Downtown

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, September 21, 2005, at 03:11PM

Eric Richardson [Flickr]

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I went to the first few minutes of the Grand Avenue EIR Scoping Meeting yesterday. I listened to the first project presentation, and then left to go to my Arts Committee meeting.

Something interested me, though, in pictures of the project plans. In particular, this picture or one quite like it. I’m fascinated to see how they approach the upper and lower Grand Avenues. If you look at the model pictured, just to the right of Disney Hall you have the two white buildings that (I think) comprise phase three of the project. In between them you can see a landscaped area aligned with the level of upper Grand. Gen. Thaddeus Kosciuszko Way appears to emerge from beneath a several story high wall.

I know it’s early and these are really simple models, but I’d really hope that in the end they’d come out with something that could better scale that hill, much as the Bunker Hill Steps did when Library Tower was constructed.

Comments

David Kennedy writes:

I’d like to think the mapping process for the proposed trolley system is being included in Grand Avenue planning. I’d hate to think Grand Avenue would be developed without anticipating the trolley. I’d assume Disney Hall, Music Center and the Cathedral would be a major destination on the initial trolley route. The hike up Bunker Hill is for most people very daunting, even from the Red Line Station at Civic Center to Grand. One of the great things about Angels Flight was how it connected the Pershing Square station to California Plaza and Grand Avenue.

Myself, I always thought extending the Blue Line from 7th & Metro under Bunker Hill (with a stop) through to Union Station. But, that’s another thread.

# on Sep.30.2005 AT 03:31 PM