 |
| LAFD Station 15; Image Credit: Chuck Madderom Collection via LAFire.com |
With construction now underway on a new, USC-funded Fire Station at the corner of Hoover and 30th Streets, something had to be done with LAFD Station 15's current digs on Jefferson Boulevard. It appears that USC has found that something. According to an environmental report released by LADCP, the university proposes the relocation of the current station building to a vacant lot near the Shrine Auditorium. There it would serve as a studio annex to the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, located at the corner of Figueroa and 32nd Streets. RZC houses both the Electronic Arts Game Design Lab and the university's student-run television station. Comprised of slightly over 8,700 square feet of floor area, LAFD Station 15 dates back to 1950, and is eligible for local historic landmark status. USC proposes slight modifications to the structure as part of its preservation, including new landscaping and improved lighting.
The adaptive reuse project is closely tied to the $1.1 billion Village at USC, which will create over 2 million square feet of student housing, academic facilities and neighborhood serving retail. The first phase of the Village, once scheduled to begin work in mid-2014, consists of housing for 2,470 students and 140,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space. Although an exact groundbreaking date is unknown, USC is currently in the process of obtaining demolition permits for the existing University Village shopping center.
 |
| The new LAFD Station 15, designed by WLC Architects. Image credit: LAFD |
- Fire Station No. 15 Building Reuse and Improvements (LADCP)
- Groundbreaking for new LAFD Station 15 Near USC University Village (LAFD News & Info)
- The Village at USC Brings Open Space and Fake Old Town Charm (Building Los Angeles)
Thanks for posting this update. I was curious what was going to happen to the station since it was originally slated to be retained in the new village (when the design of the village was more standard / contemporary). Once I saw the new renderings and the placement of that south walkway from Watt Way to the Village it meant that plans had changed.
ReplyDeleteI like the plan; keeps the building around, moves it and reuses it in a location where it fill fit in nicely, given the warehouse-style look of the Zemeckis Center. I assume they couldn't just tear it down given some historic significance and had to repurpose this way?
NOTE: I heard from someone in USC planning that demolition will begin on June 2.
To clarify -- demolition of the Village around the station, not the station itself I think, since that will need to stay open until the new one opens in March of next year.
DeleteI think there were plans to tear the Fire Station down a few years ago, but for some reason USC has opted for preservation. It's a nice building, but it's not an architectural landmark. If there is some historical significance to the building, I'm not aware of what it is.
DeleteGood news about the demolition date. I'll keep my fingers crossed!