LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown)

[Easy]

I'm looking forward to the new LACMA building as well and I'll be taking the very convenient D line to get there.

I can appreciate that it's design is controversial. I'd be disappointed if it weren't. Critics of contemporary design are often at odds with history and often prefer buildings that look similar to what's popular at that point in time. Either way the choice has been made and all we can do is wait and see.

I'm also fine with the space being smaller. I may be in the minority, but I thought that the quality wasn't quite there for the space that existed and that their collection would be more impactful and of better overall quality with less space.

[ocman]

Originally Posted by Easy

I'm looking forward to the new LACMA building as well and I'll be taking the very convenient D line to get there.

I can appreciate that it's design is controversial. I'd be disappointed if it weren't. Critics of contemporary design are often at odds with history and often prefer buildings that look similar to what's popular at that point in time. Either way the choice has been made and all we can do is wait and see.

I'm also fine with the space being smaller. I may be in the minority, but I thought that the quality wasn't quite there for the space that existed and that their collection would be more impactful and of better overall quality with less space.

LACMA keeps acquiring things like crazy. Now that LA’s philanthropic community has come of age, LA’s art institutions are arguably getting more donations than NYC, so space will be an issue in the coming years. After Govan is gone, I really doubt the next director is going to follow through with his plan of dispersing LACMA’s collection throughout the city. I think few actually like that idea.

We can complain over the planning stage, but I think most will just have to accept what’s there once it’s built, and just be among a certain minority that knows it’s a compromised and lesser version of earlier renderings that could have been. The original structures had way too many issue anyway. I thought the second or 3rd iteration when it went from black to the current color with the chapel ceilings was best. It’s just the crossing of Wilshire and the downsizing of space that’s two very big issues for me. And the fact that Govan keeps giving away so much of LACMA’s real estate.

I’m glad about LA finally getting a film museum, but imagine how much bigger LACMA could be with that property.

[LAisthePlace]

Originally Posted by ocman

After Govan is gone, I really doubt the next director is going to follow through with his plan of dispersing LACMA’s collection throughout the city. I think few actually like that idea.

Count me as one who as at least open to the idea.

I feel like LACMA has always seen the Met as their aspirational peer (big aspirations) and is this not what the Met did with Met Breuer?

Los Angeles is such a massive metropolis that I could see branches of LACMA being successful in a Hollywood, Koreatown, or other areas of the city that are easy to get to by transit for those that can't make it, easily or regularly to miracle mile.

If the collection is as massive as it sounds, I get the benefit of only showing "the best" or having pieces available for temporary exhibitions, but why let the rest of the collection sit in storage when it could be enjoyed by the people of Los Angeles at another museum site?

[craigs]

$300-million apartment tower ready for move-ins in Koreatown

The 23-story building sits across the street from Lafayette Park

Steven Sharp
Urbanize LA
October 21, 2021















Just over two-and-a-half years after breaking ground across the street from Lafayette Park, developers Hankey Capital and Jamison Services, Inc. have started welcoming the first residents at Kurve on Wilshire, a new residential tower on the eastern perimeter of Koreatown.

Located at 2900 Wilshire Boulevard, the 23-story building features 644 rental units, in addition to a 1,100-car garage and 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.

Per a news release, the apartments range from studio units to three-bedroom, two-story penthouses that each include a private roof deck and a spa. Rents start at $2,400 per month for a studio and range as high as $31,000 per month for penthouse.

The project team - which included LARGE Architecture, Dianna Wong Architecture + Interior Design, AECOM, Wilshire Construction - built a tower with a tiered roofline and an undulating footprint, deliberately engineered to avoid casting shadows on the neighboring park. Another unique feature is the use of wood-frame construction along the perimeter of the garage, masking above-grade parking from view.

The large podium is capped by a one-acre amenity deck, which features a pool, a spa, an outdoor theater, grills, and a dog run.

Kurve is the second partnership between Hankey and Jamison Services, following the two-tower Circa development which opened near Staples Center in 2018. The two companies recently broke ground on a 490-unit apartment complex across the street from Metro's Vermont/Beverly Station.

[plutonicpanda]

^^^ That project really turned out beautiful in person.

[LAisthePlace]

L.A. City Council signs off on 40-story Koreatown tower
Terrace Block would rise at the intersection of 6th and Shatto

This would be the tallest building outside Downtown Los Angeles and Century City at 483 feet, besting the Equitable Building (also in Koreatown) by 30 feet.

For me - So much to love about this project. The elegant, pedestrian oriented ground floor, the fully underground parking, the interesting facade, and the non flat crown. Can't wait to see it right and Koreatown's skyline continue to grow.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

Great project. The ground level interaction is well executed. Nice to see LA coming out with something else other than another podium tower. Looks way better than that monstrosity behind it.

[colemonkee]

What I love about this one is that it pulls the one-dimensional, rather linear Wilshire skyline further north, giving it some depth. We need a few more towers like this one (they don't all have to be this tall) moving perpendicular to Wilshire in close proximity to Purple Line stops. More of this, please!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Fantastic and I echo the comments above! More more more

[craigs]

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

L.A. City Council signs off on 40-story Koreatown tower
Terrace Block would rise at the intersection of 6th and Shatto

This would be the tallest building outside Downtown Los Angeles and Century City at 483 feet, besting the Equitable Building (also in Koreatown) by 30 feet.

Universal City Plaza in the Valley is 506 ft. tall.

Anyway, I like this Koreatown project and I'm glad the city gave it the green light. I'm always psyched to see a new skyscraper going up, and this in particular is a great location for a new tower.

[LA21st]

So many small buildings they can knock down around it too for more towers.
What an exciting area this could end up being soon.

[LAisthePlace]

I stand corrected! I've had many meetings in Universal City Plaza, should have known.

What a different time where you could be a 500+ footer in the Valley.

Originally Posted by craigs

Universal City Plaza in the Valley is 506 ft. tall.

Anyway, I like this Koreatown project and I'm glad the city gave it the green light. I'm always psyched to see a new skyscraper going up, and this in particular is a great location for a new tower.

[bossabreezes]

That “Kurve” on Wilshire, while better than a parking lot, has little to no connection to the street. Pretty much a walled fortress. I don’t really blame the developer though, this corner is dicey af. The sidewalk will likely be covered in homeless tents and/or drug paraphernalia in no time.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

That “Kurve” on Wilshire, while better than a parking lot, has little to no connection to the street. Pretty much a walled fortress. I don’t really blame the developer though, this corner is dicey af. The sidewalk will likely be covered in homeless tents and/or drug paraphernalia in no time.

The tower portion definitely looks nice but unfortunately the poorly done podium detracts from it significantly. It gives off the appearance of being unfinished (like unlabeled house wrap) and it shares not even one connecting design element to the main tower. It's just a haphazard arrangement of rectangles and many areas have blank walls. Fortunately most LA podiums aren't this glaringly bad. Hopefully the ground floor retail helps with the street connection, but it looks like it'll only be on the Wilshire side. The Sunset and Hoover sides get nothing at all.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

That “Kurve” on Wilshire, while better than a parking lot, has little to no connection to the street. Pretty much a walled fortress. I don’t really blame the developer though, this corner is dicey af. The sidewalk will likely be covered in homeless tents and/or drug paraphernalia in no time.

According to the article, Kurve has 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space. I would say it's best to wait to be all negative and judgy until you see it after everything's open, but then, you don't even live here.

[HeySparky]

Looks like Bardas Investment Groups have a lot of small projects in the works for Hollywood. Today I saw construction crews at 6344 Fountain (between Vine and Cahuenga) for a new office and retail complex. This one has somehow flown completely off the radar.

https://bardasinvestmentgroup.com/pr...6344-fountain/

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by HeySparky

Looks like Bardas Investment Groups have a lot of small projects in the works for Hollywood. Today I saw construction crews at 6344 Fountain (between Vine and Cahuenga) for a new office and retail complex. This one has somehow flown completely off the radar.

https://bardasinvestmentgroup.com/pr...6344-fountain/

Awful street-facing parking garage. Our city needs to stop allowing developers to build like that. Was the Hollywood District plan ever adopted? I thought that would prohibit that type of design.

[Busy Bee]

Do I understand that people think that white base of 2900 Wilshire Boulevard looks good?

[LAisthePlace]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Do I understand that people think that white base of 2900 Wilshire Boulevard looks good?

I think the consensus take seem to be:
The tower looks great
It is great that the podium is wrapped with residences and not screened parking
The residence wrapped podium doesn't look great
But it could be slightly better once the ground floor retail opens

[HeySparky]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Awful street-facing parking garage. Our city needs to stop allowing developers to build like that. Was the Hollywood District plan ever adopted? I thought that would prohibit that type of design.

The Hollywood plan has not been approved yet, but that stretch of Fountain probably wouldn't make for the best retail spot. There are so many abandoned/empty retail spots around Hollywood right now that I don't think adding more to every new building will inherently make people walk around more. As long as the sidewalk is well landscaped, which it appears to be.