Shiny New Renderings for Fig South

Next week, the DLANC's Planning and Land Use Committee is scheduled to take a closer look at Fig South, the glassy high-rise project slated for the (other) parking lot across the street from Staples Center.  The twin 36-story towers are being designed by architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux; artistic renderings depict glassy, elliptical shaped buildings with swooping rooflines.  Both towers would rise 400 feet above street level, the maximum height allowed for the property at 1200 S. Figueroa street.  Altogether the project comprises 648 condominium units, situated above 48,000 square feet of sports-themed retail and restaurant space. 

Designs for Fig South feature a prominent 100-foot tall podium, containing 1,770 parking spaces on seven above-grade and two below-grade levels.  Renderings portray a landscaped outdoor deck atop the podium, offering amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness room, and barbeque pit.  Additional open space would be included within each tower, specifically in the form of two rooftop terraces.

South Park Condo Project Gets a (Slightly) Different Look

Image credit: Harley Ellis Devereaux

As the long-awaited revival of Fig Central finally starts to rev its engines, architectural firm Harley Ellis Devereaux has retooled the look of a neighboring high-rise proposal.  1200 Fig - revealed in July by Curbed LA - will feature a pair of elliptical, 36-story towers with 648 condominium units and 50,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space.  Updated renderings of the project portray the twin buildings with horizontal window patterns, giving them an appearance which would be right at home in Downtown Miami.  The towers are adorned with swooping roof lines, inspired by the architecture of the adjacent Staples Center.

While the towers may look straight outta' Brickell, their podium structure has a lot more in common with Times Square.  Six levels of above-grade parking will be wrapped with LED signage, displaying advertisements and public art above Figueroa, Flower and 12th Streets.  Similar video screens are also utilized on neighboring tower developments, including Fig Central and the recently completed double-Marriott on Olympic Boulevard.

The mixed-use complex is being developed by a team of investors, including Jamison Services and the Hankey Group.  At 400 feet, the twin towers will reportedly be the tallest reinforced concrete structures ever built in Los Angeles.  According to the website of structural engineering firm Cary Kopczynski & Company, 1200 Fig is anticipated to break ground in late 2014.

3670 Wilshire Revived, Going Low-Rise

3670 Wilshire Boulevard, seen from the corner of Wilshire and Hobart

The dusty lot at 3670 Wilshire Boulevard, once intended for a glassy condo tower, is instead headed in the low-rise direction.  An environmental report released by LADCP indicates that property owner Don Hankey has plans for a six-story structure, housing 377 apartment units and just under 8,500 square feet of ground floor retail space.  Designed by the architectural firm of Van Tilburg, Banyard & Soderbergh (Casden West LA, Picasso Brentwood), the stucco-clad building would span a full city block in between Wilshire Boulevard and 7th Street.  Located within easy walking distance of two Metro Purple Line stations, the mixed-use development would nonetheless sit atop a two-level, 710-car garage.

Over the years, this 2.2 acre parcel has been the site of several never realized proposals.  Prior to the financial crisis, a Korean developer planned to build a 40-story skyscraper on the lot.  Standing 490 feet above ground, the Nadel Architects-designed tower would have redefined the Mid-Wilshire skyline.  After the recession squashed any chances of a high-rise, Hankey scooped up the property in 2011.  Under an arrangement with the former Community Redevelopment Agency, Hankey would have built apartments on the northern side of the lot, while the CRA would have converted the southern portion into a park.  However, the demise of the state CRA system just a few months later put a stop to any talk of green space.  Three years later, here we are.