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Los Angeles moved one crucial step closer Thursday to tightening city rules meant to stop mansionization – the phenomenon of big, boxy homes popping up on not-so-big lots.
Local politicians first sought to tackle mansionization years ago, passing city rules to curb the size of new and renovated homes based on the size of the lots they were built on.
Neighborhood activists soon complained the rules were riddled with “loopholes” that afforded builders additional square footage [...].
— latimes.com
Related stories in the Archinect news:This Bel Air home could be yours for a mere half billion dollars (yes, B-illion)How architecture is helping make Arcadia a magnet for Chinese moneyReturn of 'mansionization' has some L.A. homeowners grumbling View full entry
The longer days of summer are here in sunny SoCal. Curious where to find interesting architecture-related happenings in Los Angeles, or where other design-inclined folks are gathering in the Greater LA region? Archinect and Bustler compiled a snappy list of engaging lectures, discussions... View full entry
The city of Los Angeles has selected HDR to serve as program manager for the next three years for its robust Sidewalk Repair Program. The 30-year, $1.4 billion program aims to repair sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure universal access for all Angelenos. The second largest city in the U.S., Los Angeles is home to roughly 11,000 miles of sidewalks, many of which hinder passage because of cracks, buckles and bulging tree roots. — hdrinc.com
Related stories in the Archinect news:Why Los Angeles is struggling to fix thousands of miles of sidewalksMichael Maltzan proposes greening L.A.'s 134 freewayAlissa Walker imagines a "utopian" Los Angeles in 2056 View full entry
Christopher Hawthorne, in keeping with his exploration of the ever evolving urban identity of Los Angeles, reached out via the L.A. Times to Michael Maltzan to see if the architect had any ideas about transforming L.A.'s freeways from noisy polluting agents into civic amenities. Maltzan has... View full entry
Sorry, I’m not able to send this directly through SnapFace since your iPhone 6 doesn’t support neural chat. Old-fashioned text pixels will have to do. Remember the movie “Her”? That’s what Los Angeles is like in 2056. L.A. is the densest city in the U.S., with a population that’s about a third larger than it was in 2016. Taller buildings are everywhere, including New DTLA — a corridor of super-talls that runs the length of Wilshire all the way to Santa Monica. — Los Angeles Times
The speculative fiction details a "utopian" city primarily characterized by efficient, far-reaching public transport and fewer cars. There's no longer a drought, and buildings are wrapped in "solar skins" designed by Elon Musk.For more speculative visions of a future California, check out these... View full entry
The longer days of summer are here in sunny SoCal. Curious where to find interesting architecture-related happenings in Los Angeles, or where other design-inclined folks are gathering in the Greater LA region? Archinect and Bustler compiled a snappy list of engaging lectures, discussions... View full entry
It may not seem as if downtown Los Angeles is in need of yet another arts space. But it is coming nonetheless — and it’s aiming to fill a more locally minded role than some of the institutions around it.
The Main Museum will be a non-collecting institution housed in a series of historic early 20th century structures in the Old Bank District. Helmed by Allison Agsten, who previously served as the curator of public engagement at the Hammer Museum, the curatorial focus will be resolutely local.
— Los Angeles Times
The Main Museum is being designed by Tom Wiscombe Architecture and will have some 40,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. There will also be a rooftop sculpture garden and amphitheater.The opening is still a way off though: the ground floor spaces are expected to open in 2018 an the rooftop should be... View full entry
A little over one year since relocating to Downtown LA's Arts District, big changes continue to occur at the A+D Museum. Yesterday, the Museum announced Dora Epstein Jones as their new Executive Director, succeeding Tibbie Dunbar, who officially resigned from the position on February 1. Dunbar... View full entry
A Vancouver developer buying the storied Los Angeles Times building plans to demolish portions of the 750,000-square-foot complex to make way for a residential and retail development [...]
[The developer] intends to build apartments in place of a 1970s-era chunk of the building at Broadway and First Street, according to sources familiar with its plan. The stone-clad segments from 1935 and 1948, along Spring Street, would undergo renovations to house offices and retailers.
— LA Business Journal
According to the article, the developer – Onni Group – paid around $120 million for the building. It was previously owned by the Chicago-based company Tribune Media Co. The Los Angeles Times remains a tenant in the historic structure.For more Downtown Los Angeles news, check out these... View full entry
Anyone who's seen the iPhone-shot feature Tangerine or cruised by the doughnut shop at night knows that Donut Time wasn't just another of Los Angeles' dozens of purveyors of sweet, glazed pastries. Much more significant than that, it had long served as a haven for sex workers — many of them transgender women — who make a living on the streets nearby.
"I didn't think it would ever go away. It's really sad," [Tangerine director Sean] Baker says. "I think the film caught an end to an era."
— LA Weekly
According to LAist, Donut Time's closure may be related to a massive mixed-use development proposed for that stretch along Santa Monica Boulevard, where (of course) gentrification is on the rise. It's not yet known if anything will replace Donut Time.More on Archinect:Stonewall Inn formally... View full entry
Don't let the sweltering summer heat curb your creative inspiration. Curious where to find interesting architecture-related happenings in Los Angeles, or where other design-inclined folks are gathering in the Greater LA region? Archinect and Bustler compiled a snappy list of engaging lectures... View full entry
No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot — Chicago Tribune
It's like these cities think that he's building a Death Star..... View full entry
As white-shoe law firms shrink and expanding tech companies in L.A. increasingly move into restored warehouses or historic buildings, commercial skyscrapers around the country are struggling to find tenants. [...]
That leaves the owners of aging all-office high-rises like the U.S. Bank Tower looking for ways to produce new revenue [...]
OUE is not the first company to see a possible revenue stream in the desire of adults to pay money to act like children in downtown settings.
— latimes.com
More on what's happening in Downtown Los Angeles: The West Coast's tallest tower is getting a glass-bottomed slide on its 69th floorMia Lehrer + OMA win over Eric Owen Moss, Brooks + Scarpa, AECOM to design DTLA's new public parkAgence Ter and Team wins Pershing Square Renew with “radically... View full entry
Could Los Angeles grow to become a “real city” like New York or London? Last year, LA gained at least 50,000 people, according to a recent report from the California Department of Finance, pushing the population to more than 4 million people for the first time in the city’s history. — Vice
Part of the appeal of Los Angeles has been its refusal to be like other cities. For years, its objective "center" was a forbidding cluster of office towers with near zero street life, while in outlying, low-density neighborhoods, people partied in back yards that ran up against wildlife preserves... View full entry
This post is brought to you by Dwell on Design. In just two short days, Dwell on Design LA (DODLA), the largest design event on the West Coast, will kick off its eleventh and best show yet. Packed with inspiring onstage content, high-end designer home tours, live demos, art installations... View full entry
