Motorpool Construction Moving on Up

By Eric Richardson
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2008, at 03:02PM

Eric Richardson [Flickr]

Framing is erected for a concrete pour on the LAPD Motorpool.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — It was only back in February that the LAPD Motorpool site on Main street was cleared with the demolition of M.J. Higgins Gallery, but framing work for the new garage is now visible above the surrounding fence. The 28,000 square foot facility replaces the existing Motor Transport Division site on 1st street.

The site will hold the Main Street Parking facility, a six-level parking garage, and the Motor Transport Division, the LAPD group charged with keeping the department's vehicle fleet in good condition.

The use of the site for this purpose has been a highly controversial topic, perhaps even more so than the siting for the LAPD headquarters itself.

Previously: Fancy Parking Garage Still Parking Garage (Aug. 2005); A Different Image of LAPD Motorpool (Aug. 2005); Higgins Takedown (Feb. 2008)

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Comments

David Kennedy writes:

Is this the handiwork of downtown's champion, Jan Perry?

# on Jun.19.2008 AT 03:46 PM

LAofAnaheim writes:

Have we confirmed that there is ground floor retail fronting main street?

What a difference between the progress on this site and that of Medallion just one block over. I wish the latter was moving as fast as the former...

# on Jun.20.2008 AT 11:35 AM

jmart writes:

There is a ground floor retail space along the street frontage.

# on Jun.21.2008 AT 08:45 AM

Bert Green writes:

There is a long and painful history to this project, which has its roots in deals made before the majority of people moved into the Historic Core.

Yes, Jan Perry was involved, but the silver lining is that it galvanized the nascent residential community in ways that were profound. This could not happen now.

My understanding is that there will be 3,000 sq feet of Main Street retail, which will be reserved for non-profit community arts/educational programming. An RFP will be issued in the near future.

# on Jun.21.2008 AT 06:15 PM

VisorinCA writes:

This could not happen now.

So instead it still would be a block of primarily surface parking space and one old, architecturally/historically non-descript brick-framed building facing Main Street?

However, it is a shame that the art gallery once located there has long since gone out of business and disappeared.

Oh, but it hasn't?

Okay, then it's a shame the gallery's new location is so inconvenient or unpleasant compared with where it once was situated.

I guess downtown needs more surface parking for automobiles.

# on Jun.22.2008 AT 01:01 PM