CRA To Put $10.5 Million Into Parking Garage for Broad Art Museum
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
Currently a surface parking lot, Parcel L could become home to the Broad Art Museum. The site is next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and across the street from MOCA and the Colburn School.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Eli Broad's art museum could take a major step closer to securing its home on Grand Avenue this Thursday, when the Community Redevelopment Agency votes on an agreement designed to build the parking garage on which the facility would sit.
In January, blogdowntown was first to report that the billionaire philanthropist was considering Grand Avenue for a museum to house his foundation and art collection. The museum would be located on the block immediately south of Disney Concert Hall, on a parcel that is part of the Grand Avenue Project.
Since then, Broad has conducted a design competition with six architecture firms, reportedly favoring Diller Scofidio + Renfro to design the structure.
The agreement headed to the CRA board on Thursday would have the agency pay $8 million toward the parking garage that would act as a podium for the museum, bringing it up to the level of Grand Avenue. It would contain 284 spaces on three levels, with access off of 2nd street.
The agency will also pay $1.8 million to shore up foundations for the 2nd street tunnel and $1.7 million for other site work and public improvements.
The total cost of the garage project is estimated at $23 million, with the museum above projected to cost $80 to $100 million.
As part of the deal, the agency gets an option to buy the garage from The Broad Collection for either the cost of construction or $30 million (inclusive of the initial $8 million), whichever is less.
The agreement must also be approved by the City Council before it becomes final.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 10, 2010, at 12:35PM – #1
When the Regional Connector subway is built, there will be a station at 2nd and Hope which has to integrate into this project. Has there been any thought given as to how to do that?
Guest on July 10, 2010, at 05:28PM – #2
I hope this can be done quickly and work started very soon.
The reason is all the talk (or predictions) of a major natural event in the possible near future, as noted in the LA Times yesterday and what I've read or heard from too many psychics to want to be overly skeptical about. If Earth is gearing us up for something big, then such an event means that community priorities and the cost of new construction will be greatly distorted in this part of the country.
I'd hate for such an outcome to cause city officials and residents to scoff: "We can't afford cultural things or non-essential luxuries in today's climate!" (Think New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina)
LAofAnaheim on July 11, 2010, at 12:58AM – #3
This is ridiculous. Can't the Broad Museum lease space from the thousands of existing spaces at California Plaza, Wells Fargo, or the Walt Disney Concert Hall? For daytime use, the Walt Disney Concert Hall with its 2,000 + car garage could be utilized for the museum. The Concert Hall needs it primarily for evening shows.
Also, what's the point of promoting or using mass transit when you build a freakin' 284 parking garage underneath the destination. You're just begging people to drive. I can understand some parking needed....maybe like 50 spaces and for trucks. But, c'mon, there's thousands of existing spots already in the neighborhood. How much more parking do we need in downtown LA?
Also, the Civic Center station is only 2 blocks away from this Museum.
Guest on July 11, 2010, at 02:33AM – #4
I think this is great. I cannot wait to see a proper building on top of this sad parking lot.
If only the city would get around to doing something to better-integrate the multi-level streets of Bunker Hill. Instead of hiding the lower levels, or treating them like expressways (4th), multiple levels are a great chance for additional ground-floor retail frontage. I care far more about what the Broad Museum is going to do with regards to addressing Kosciuszko and 4th Sts.
Guest on July 11, 2010, at 02:35AM – #5
Pardon me, that should say Kosciuszko and 2nd.
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 09:49AM – #6
So the city is essentially giving the land to billionaire Broad for a monument to his exquisite taste in art, then spending $10.5 in CRA funds to build him a parking garage. On land that was once a functional, albeit poor neighborhood that could have been rehabilitated and become a genuine tourist attraction and destination for film noir and architecture buffs and important piece of LA history. Of course, that wouldn't have generated the tax increment of the sterile high-rise office buildings, which is then used to promote more of the same, turning downtown more and more into an enclave and destination for the wealthy elite. (just waiting to get rid of the hoi polloi on Broadway and less than privileged on skid row)
Chris Loos on July 12, 2010, at 10:40AM – #7
I agree 100% with LAofAnaheim. There is plenty of parking already. This could be solved by working out a deal with the neighboring garages like Disney and adding some signage. Downtown LA has more off street parking than I've seen in any other city...and developers still want to build more. By encouraging this crap its almost as if the city doesn't want people to use the mass transit system its investing so much money in.
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 07:40PM – #8
@chris loos
they dont want ppl to use mass transit! thats the point. cant you see most of us are tied and bound to are cars. keep the auto manufacturers going/oil/gas/repair/tires/tickets/fines/registration fees/licensce plate renewal fees/other misc bs fees for owning/maintianing a car. the powers that be make too much money off of cars to do anything real with mass transit in the area. we are locked down to our cars here in southern california. oil is our most addicting drug here. effecient mass transit will never happen here in la in our lifetimes. its not that complicated to build a capable rail system other cities/countries have done it. we are being held hostage wake up ppl.
Jonfonya (@Jonfonya) on July 13, 2010, at 02:20PM – #9
CRA- PLEASE Give the 10.5 Million to the Streetcar instead, which will connect to the new Museum, and save costs for everyone involved.