Palmer's Italian-Sounding Empire Expanding South
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Back in December it was announced that some of the Orthopedic Hospital's land just south of Downtown was for sale. At the time reports were that the Hospital was in talks to sell the site to a developer who often built for Wal-Mart.
Instead, though, the parcel has been bought by developer Geoff Palmer, builder of the Medici and Orsini.
Geoff Palmer, the urban trailblazer who helped inspire an upscale housing boom in downtown Los Angeles' long-neglected core, has acquired a 9.5-acre parcel downtown from Orthopaedic Hospital for $70.5 million, hospital officials said Tuesday.
Palmer is expected to build more than 800 luxury apartments on the former hospital property on Flower Street between Staples Center and USC.
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Palmer's Medici apartment development west of the Harbor Freeway is credited with demonstrating to the investment and development community the fresh demand for downtown living when it opened in 2002.
While Palmer's buildings have certainly done well financially, they don't say anything about Downtown living. They're fortresses that just happen to be on the outskirts. I don't think you could pick any other spots so close as are the Medici and Orsini and still have them be so isolated from access to Downtown.
I'm sure this new property will be much the same, and thanks to its proximity to the campus will be even more popular with USC students.
Rico A on July 20, 2006, at 12:50AM – #1
I was doing a walk through City West today and took photos. I had to skip over the Palmer projects because they look ridiculous because they are the same buildings all over. It's amazing that the city will let him build so many buildings like that. It's really bad. Orsini, Orsini II, Orsini III, Piero, Visconti, Medici, Lorenzo, Da Vinci... what the hell, you know?
oliver on July 20, 2006, at 10:59AM – #2
Hear, hear! Those faux-villa fortress compounds are just awful.
David Kennedy on July 20, 2006, at 11:04AM – #3
Guess this kills the idea for development by a retailer like Target. Of course, with Robinson-May and Macy's merging, it seems likely one of these store locations downtown will be closing. As others have suggested, a Target in one of these locations would be great.
Rico A on July 20, 2006, at 11:31AM – #4
^ I believe that the company plans to keep both locations open, perhaps changing one location into a specialty store (like a "Macy's Home"). At least, that's what I read somewhere.
celia on July 20, 2006, at 02:12PM – #5
I couldn't help myself. I was having dinner with a friend at Pete's one night. An older couple nearby struck up a conversation with us, asking if we lived downtown. My friend said no, but she loved it down here. The couple smiled this self-congratulatory smirk and said they've lived downtown for two years, then waited for us to gush over this tidbit. We were visibly unimpressed, so they then asked me if I lived downtown and for how long. I replied, "Fourteen years." They were taken aback. I asked them if they lived in the San Fernando and they said, "No, we live at the Medici." Like I said, I couldn't help myself. I laughed loudly and derisively, then said, "The Medici? That's not downtown." They didn't bother trying to refute me.
Meredith BB on July 20, 2006, at 05:47PM – #6
^ Celia, if your patter with that couple sounded as sarcastic and defensive as you make it out to be, they probably didn't want to refute your comments because they were too busy thinking, "yikes, this woman must have be suffering from PMS!"
celia on July 20, 2006, at 07:49PM – #7
No, not defensive at all. Sarcastic? You betcha. Once they said, "Medici", like I said, I couldn't help but be.
MeredithBB on July 21, 2006, at 11:49AM – #8
^ A variation of that would be all the people (especially those living west of Fairfax, or in Santa Monica, or Laguna Beach) who upon hearing someone lives in downtown, but particularly around the Old Bank District or the Alexandria Hotel, or certainly even nearer Skid Row, grimace and with sarcastic disdain think, "loser" or "sad sack," or, the word even you used in a blog entry of yours, "misfit."
celia on July 22, 2006, at 11:45AM – #9
Yeah, that analogy makes no sense.
jim on July 22, 2006, at 12:17PM – #10
here's some good variations on someone talking up how much they love living downtown, and then admitting they live in one of the palmer fortresses:
i'm sure there are many nice people living in the medici. but they're as close to the downtown living experience as someone living in santa monica. if someone is going to claim otherwise, they better expect to be on the end of some laughter and maybe even a little derision.
MeredithBB on July 22, 2006, at 01:59PM – #11
Does a "downtown living experience" therefore mean people have have to be living in and spending most of their time around the grimier, drearier parts of the area?
How about a Manhattan living experience? Will that be somehow less authentic if people aren't living close to Harlem or the traditionally non-residential parts of downtown NYC, near Wall Street or several blocks north of Battery Park?
And if people and their lifestyle are going to be pigeonholed based on the apartment building they're living in (for example, Celia did make the wry comment on her blog that residents of the Alexandria are "misfits"), then don't be surprised when many Angelenos and others continue to believe that anyone living in downtown LA in general has to be either desperate, crazy, poor, drug-addicted or sad, or all five.
jim on July 22, 2006, at 05:30PM – #12
i'm finding it hard to believe that you are really this thick. you've missed the point that eric was making in the original post: the medici and other palmer properties are little fortresses. there is no connection to the immediately surrounding neighborhood, nor to what most people would consider downtown proper, which is on the other side of the freeway from these properties.
you seem fixated on celia's use of the term "misfits". it's not an insult, it's a term of endearment. i'm sure she would have no problem with wearing that label.
i'm sorry you find the rest of downtown to be so grimy and dreary. you're missing the boat. (not to mention the bumper cars!)
but don't worry, filming is going to kill the downtown renaissance, anyway.
anna on July 22, 2006, at 11:41PM – #13
Why so sore, Meredith?
You live in the shitty Medici or something?
Eddie on July 23, 2006, at 11:31AM – #14
How about the Alexandria Hotel? Talk about shitty. If the landlord does not want to clean it up, then the predicted big earthquake talked about in the news a few weeks ago may well bring buildings like that down.
Joel C on July 24, 2006, at 03:22PM – #15
I dislike the Palmer developments as much as most people here do. They destroy the urban fabric, and as far as I'm concerned, regulations should be drawn up to prevent that kind of development in the city.
But I don't think there's any need to be denigrating people for their housing choices. What is gained by taking a superior attitude about where people live?
Celia, I don't know you, so I'm not going to judge you as a person. (I do however read your blog frequently and find it very insightful.) But as far as I can see, the older couple was just trying to strike up a conversation and be pleasant.
Would you recommend an older couple who wants to be near Downtown's amenities to live on Main Street? When you're younger and better able to defend yourself, it's much easier to live in a transitional area. But things are different when you're older.
I can't wait until I can afford a unit near the Historic Core. (Hopefully the El Dorado or Rowan buildings will be in my price range.) But I certainly wouldn't put my parents (both in their 70's) into an apartment or condo on Spring Street. Not until some safety issues are addressed in that area.
David Kennedy on July 24, 2006, at 04:14PM – #16
I'd second Joel C's comments. I just don't see the point in being rude to people who are just being friendly and striking up a conversation. The Medici ain't my cup of tea and I'd have no problem discussing my different point of view with them. I'd actually be curious to learn what they like about it. Clearly, there are plenty of contented residents at these places. It just sounds like a missed opportunity to share more of the good things about downtown.
I'd also share a story about my retired parents. They visit me every year. A small sandwich shop opened near where I live. My parents checked it out and the owners made it clear to them they didn't fit the desired hipster demographic. My parents didn't go back and I noticed said shop went out of business.
celia on July 25, 2006, at 12:08PM – #17
To be clear, that couple seemed to be making pleasant conversation at first, so we responded in kind. But then they were really rude to my friend dining with me when she said she didn't live downtown. If they hadn't behaved so poorly, I would have just ignored them, just like anybody else conceited enough to act as if they're downtown pioneers after having lived here a short time.
And Joel, you're right, I wouldn't want my parents to live at the Alexandria, where I live, or anywhere on Spring Street. For entirely different reasons, I wouldn't want them living at the Medici, either. But thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt and a chance to better explain my actions and the reasoning behind it. The people who read and participate in the comments section of this blog help to make blogdowntown.com a really nice place to visit.