Sign of Development
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — In my opinion, signs like this are the most exciting you're going to find Downtown.
Adaptive reuse is a very cool thing, but in a building conversion you have an existing structure that just looks gutted for months (or a year_s_) on end, finally emerging new.
With ground-up construction, though, you get to see something entirely new rise from nothing. The result can be good or bad, but it's fascinating to watch the structure grow.
This sign is on the parking lot on 8th Street between 8th and Olive. The 7th Street side of the block holds the Brockman and Coulter-Mandel buildings, but the entire expanse of blacktop is owned by Astani Enterprises and is slated for residential development. Astani just in the past weeks broke ground on the Concerto project at 9th/Flower. Could they be preparing to move equipment over to 8th & Grand next?
Scott Mercer on June 05, 2006, at 09:37PM – #1
Gutted for a year?
Try the Pacific Electric Lofts on for size. They've been working on it for THREE YEARS. I put down my deposit in November 2004. I moved in last August, and they were still doing construction then. They're still doing construction now, but at least it's the last phase: rebuilding the facade on the first floor and constructing the retail on the first floor. Can't wait for our grocery store!
As you can tell, I'm very impatient.
Charlotte NN on June 06, 2006, at 10:59PM – #2
I hope you keep track of what's going on at the northwest corner of Eighth and Olive Streets over the next several weeks. I don't have the slightest idea of what might be in the works there. A new parking structure, perhaps? Or maybe they're building an In-N-Out Burger restaurant, which I'd love.
There wasn't any mention of the property in the downtown weekly's lengthy round-up of new development a few weeks ago, so maybe the parking lot actually is "due for" nothing more than a simple re-paving.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on June 06, 2006, at 11:30PM – #3
Charlotte: If you go to the Astani site linked above and click on '8th & Grand' under current projects you'll get the information about what that lot will eventually hold. This would be well ahead of when I thought they would be breaking ground, though, so it's quite possible they won't be building anything for a year or so. Still, cutting off your parking revenue tends to mean something's up.
Charlotte NN on June 07, 2006, at 09:09AM – #4
Oops, sorry, e. I didn't click on that "Astani" link because I thought it would go to one of those generic, non-specific corporate web sites. But something isn't adding up right. If what I saw on the "8th & Grand" link is to believed, how come there was no mention of it in the downtown newspaper in late May? That question is even more appropriate if such an ambitious set of buildings is to start going up in 2006 instead of 1 to 3, or more, years from today.
And I mentioned In-N-Out because many of my co-workers often say they wish there was a branch of that food chain somewhere in downtown.
Joel C on June 08, 2006, at 11:17AM – #5
Charlotte, I hear you about In-N-Out. I think one of those would do great in DTLA, wherever it was located.
As for the 8th/Grand lot, there has been speculation on another forum that the lot may be used as a staging location for the Concerto project going up on Ninth between Fig and Flower. That project is also an Astani project.
I guess we'll know, one way or another, sometime soon.