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Pieces of the Puzzle
Ralphs, a School and a Theater Complex Will Help Expand Downtown
by Kathleen Nye Flynn
Many expect 2007 to be the year that Downtown's amenities catch up to its residential boom. The key, of course, is the Ralphs supermarket, which would be the first name-brand full-service supermarket to open in the community in more than 50 years (many already shop at Grand Central Market or Little Tokyo's Mitsuwa Marketplace). But it's not the only anticipated project: Also on the list of expected ribbon-cuttings are cultural hubs, a revamped office building and a hip hotel.
Ralphs: The long-awaited grocery store, which many believe will mark a practical and psychological turning point for Downtown, could open as early as the middle of the year. The supermarket will be on the ground floor of the Market Lofts developed by CIM Group and Lee Homes in the block bordered by Eighth, Ninth, Flower and Hope streets. The 50,000-square-foot establishment will hold a coffee kiosk, a drycleaners, a deli and a pharmacy, and will suddenly end the complaints of all those who claim they have to drive out of Downtown for groceries.
Colburn School: As Downtown Los Angeles waits to see if the Grand Avenue project will break ground in October, a reliable new fixture on Bunker Hill will be the expansion of the Colburn School. Expected to open in the fall at 200 S. Grand Ave., the school's new $120 million, college-level Conservatory of Music will bring 326,000 square feet of classrooms and performance space. The 12-story building designed by Pfeiffer Partners will include a 200-seat performance venue, a 7,000-square-foot rehearsal hall, 50 practice rooms, a cafeteria and offices.
Los Angeles Theatre Center: If all goes as planned, a $4 million renovation of the LATC will be complete in the spring. The revamped building at 514 S. Spring St., now run by the Latino Theater Company, will be a three-theater complex with new lighting and seats, gallery space for the Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture, and a cafe. It will be home to resident companies including Culture Clash, the American Indian Dance Theater Company, Cedar Grove Productions and the Robey Theatre Company. Historic Core stakeholders hope it will be an active site that anchors the district with a consistent slate of evening and weekend programming.
AT&T Center Renovation: The iconic AT&T Center, formerly the Transamerica building, will have a new "skin" in the first half of 2007. The 1965 edifice designed by William Pereira is getting re-clad in an off-white metal sheath and topped with a glass crown that will reshape the structure. The office tower at 1150 S. Olive St. is also receiving an updated lobby. Building owner LBA Realty said it wants to bring the center up to speed with the new developments happening in South Park. LBA purchased the South Park building in 2005 for $130 million.
Gansevoort West: Sure, Downtown has the Standard, but is one hip and modern hotel ever enough? The owners of Manhattan's Gansevoort think it's not, which is why they plan to open the doors of a new facility, and raise Downtown's cool factor at least a couple notches, this fall. Developed by WSA Management and the Chetrit Group, the 175-room boutique hotel is going into the former Embassy Hotel and Theater near Eighth Street and Grand Avenue that was originally built in 1914 by architect Thornton Fitzhugh. Crews are also restoring the building's 1,800-seat theater.
Contact Kathleen Nye Flynn at kathleen@downtownnews.com.
page 7, 1/1/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Ralphs: The long-awaited grocery store, which many believe will mark a practical and psychological turning point for Downtown, could open as early as the middle of the year. The supermarket will be on the ground floor of the Market Lofts developed by CIM Group and Lee Homes in the block bordered by Eighth, Ninth, Flower and Hope streets. The 50,000-square-foot establishment will hold a coffee kiosk, a drycleaners, a deli and a pharmacy, and will suddenly end the complaints of all those who claim they have to drive out of Downtown for groceries.
Colburn School: As Downtown Los Angeles waits to see if the Grand Avenue project will break ground in October, a reliable new fixture on Bunker Hill will be the expansion of the Colburn School. Expected to open in the fall at 200 S. Grand Ave., the school's new $120 million, college-level Conservatory of Music will bring 326,000 square feet of classrooms and performance space. The 12-story building designed by Pfeiffer Partners will include a 200-seat performance venue, a 7,000-square-foot rehearsal hall, 50 practice rooms, a cafeteria and offices.
Los Angeles Theatre Center: If all goes as planned, a $4 million renovation of the LATC will be complete in the spring. The revamped building at 514 S. Spring St., now run by the Latino Theater Company, will be a three-theater complex with new lighting and seats, gallery space for the Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture, and a cafe. It will be home to resident companies including Culture Clash, the American Indian Dance Theater Company, Cedar Grove Productions and the Robey Theatre Company. Historic Core stakeholders hope it will be an active site that anchors the district with a consistent slate of evening and weekend programming.
AT&T Center Renovation: The iconic AT&T Center, formerly the Transamerica building, will have a new "skin" in the first half of 2007. The 1965 edifice designed by William Pereira is getting re-clad in an off-white metal sheath and topped with a glass crown that will reshape the structure. The office tower at 1150 S. Olive St. is also receiving an updated lobby. Building owner LBA Realty said it wants to bring the center up to speed with the new developments happening in South Park. LBA purchased the South Park building in 2005 for $130 million.
Gansevoort West: Sure, Downtown has the Standard, but is one hip and modern hotel ever enough? The owners of Manhattan's Gansevoort think it's not, which is why they plan to open the doors of a new facility, and raise Downtown's cool factor at least a couple notches, this fall. Developed by WSA Management and the Chetrit Group, the 175-room boutique hotel is going into the former Embassy Hotel and Theater near Eighth Street and Grand Avenue that was originally built in 1914 by architect Thornton Fitzhugh. Crews are also restoring the building's 1,800-seat theater.
Contact Kathleen Nye Flynn at kathleen@downtownnews.com.
page 7, 1/1/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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