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Here's a line I never thought I'd have the pleasure of writing:
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez is sparring with elderly Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary over the pending sale of the nuns' former convent in Los Feliz to international superstar singer Katy Perry.
— latimes.com
On Tuesday, the City of Los Angeles announced that the team of Populous and HMC Architects had been selected to design the $350 million expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center, beating out other proposals from teams lead by Gensler and AC Martin. — urbanize.la
LA Mayor Eric Garceitti's office recently also released a set of renderings of the recommended new design by Populous & HMC Architects.All images via Mayor Eric Garcetti's Facebook. View full entry
MAD Architects is making their U.S. residential debut with the unveiling of 8600 Wilshire, which is scheduled to break ground along Wilshire Boulevard in the one and only Beverly Hills this October. Described by the architects like an oasis-like 'hillside village', the stark-white glass villas and... View full entry
The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday that cities and counties may require developers to provide below-market-rate housing as a condition of a building permit.
The decision is expected to make it easier for Los Angeles and other cities with housing shortages to force developers to build or pay for affordable housing.
— LA Times
Loath to lose more housing, Los Angeles lawmakers are now taking steps to help legalize 'bootlegged' apartments that have long existed without municipal blessing...The goal, City Councilman Felipe Fuentes said, is to 'maintain affordability and try to get folks into stable, dignified housing.' Both tenant and landlord groups praised the budding plan as a 'win-win'...But the idea has already raised concerns among some residents who see it as a reward for flouting the law. — Los Angeles Times
More:In Los Angeles, homelessness is becoming more visibleMonterey Park City Council adopts tougher penalties for landlords of illegal boarding homesWill Los Angeles be seeing more housing development along its LA River?Another case of "poor door" for proposed Vancouver high-riseHonolulu Law... View full entry
The L.A.-Waze partnership is, at least in theory, an initial step toward allowing the city’s planners and engineers to regain a healthier role in mediating the kinds of longstanding cross-town conflicts that Waze has renewed and amplified. Whether the deal will help to resolve fundamental long-term issues related to the city’s growth and inadequate infrastructure is another matter. — newyorker.com
Turner Impact Multifamily Fund will target opportunities to acquire housing for workers making up to 80 percent of the area’s median income. The goal is to provide housing for those who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing, but too little to afford a home or luxury apartment near their workplace [...]
“Workforce housing is an overlooked segment of the real estate market with a significant mismatch in supply and demand that we believe offers a compelling investment opportunity”
— labusinessjournal.com
More homeless people in Los Angeles are leaving Skid Row for other more visible areas of the city, such as parks and near freeways. [...]
Some of the increased visibility is the result of lawsuits. Until the city can supply more affordable housing, the homeless can legally camp on sidewalks from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. [...]
Marketplace reports that advocates say they’ve seen a rise in middle-aged homeless people, some victims of recession-era job loss.
— nextcity.org
Construction in Los Angeles may have exploded during the postwar era, but as a new interactive map shows, the wide age range of its buildings might surprise you.
Using open data from local governments, built: LA visualizes the age of roughly 3 million buildings across L.A. County constructed between 1890 and 2008. Drag your mouse to explore the vast web of communities and neighborhoods, hover over individual properties to discover birth years, and double click to zoom in further.
— citylab.com
A 56-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex last year, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to the unfinished structure and a nearby city-owned building [...].
Abdulwali’s arrest followed an intense investigation that began even before firefighters fully extinguished the Dec. 8 blaze at the seven-story Da Vinci complex.
— latimes.com
Previously:Bad news for good taste - burnt Da Vinci apartments expected to be rebuilt in 10 monthsL.A. fire officials reveal new details about potential suspect in Da Vinci arson caseDowntown LA fire determined to be arson... Architecture hate crime?Huge downtown Los Angeles fire burns towering... View full entry
In the latest giveaway on Archinect, Dwell gave away two sets of 3-day passes to their Dwell on Design Los Angeles trade-show, which opens tomorrow at the Los Angeles Convention Center through Sunday, May 31.After Archinectors commented on what they're looking forward to most in the event, the... View full entry
One of the biggest homes in U.S. history is rising on a Los Angeles hilltop, and the developer hopes to sell it for a record $500 million.
Nile Niami, a film producer and speculative residential developer, is pouring concrete in L.A.’s Bel Air neighborhood for a compound with a 74,000-square-foot (6,900-square-meter) main residence and three smaller homes, according to city records. [...] including a 5,000-square-foot master bedroom, a 30-car garage and a “Monaco-style casino,” Niami said.
— bloomberg.com
Rendering of the "largest home built in the U.S. this century." (Image: McClean Design; via bloomberg.com) Previously: The Biggest House in the US (according to Curbed) is Now Underway in Bel Air View full entry
This post is brought to you by Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) well known for its progressive curriculum, and singular focus on architecture is accepting applications from prospective students of all non-architectural... View full entry
We're excited to announce that we're giving away two sets of 3-Day Passes (4 tickets total) for the fast-approaching 2015 Dwell on Design, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles on May 29-31. If you haven't registered for the event yet, why not take a shot at... View full entry
The effort to save Norms comes at a time when historic preservationists say postwar buildings — especially on a smaller scale — face an increased threat from development pressure. — L.A. Times
Anyone who has ever grabbed a post-Largo meal or 2 a.m. existential coffee at Los Angeles restaurant Norms will be delighted to hear that The Los Angeles City Council has deemed the Googie-style building a cultural and historic landmark. Although this demarcation doesn't guarantee that it will... View full entry
