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.

More Mixed-Use Towers Near Staples Center

Passengers on the Blue and Expo Lines should enjoy Pico Station's unobstructed view of Staples Center while it lasts, because skyscrapers are coming.  The Los Angeles Times reports that a group spearheaded by Jamison Services has agreed to purchase the 2.7 acre parcel at 1200 Figueroa Street, with the intention of building a residential-retail complex.  Although an exact sales price is unknown, the new owners reportedly shelled out more than twice the $31 million that L&R Parking paid for the property in 2010.  The land was formerly the site of a proposed development from the South Group, which planned for 648 condominiums housed within high-rises of 35 and 27 stories.  Jamison Services (and friends) envision a project similar in scale.  Plans submitted to LADBS late last year call for two 36-story towers, connected by a retail/parking podium.  The Times also reports that entitlements may be amended to allow for the inclusion of hotel rooms and additional retail space.  Jamison Services' project adds to the avalanche of proposed high-rise developments which have emerged near LA Live in the past year.  Chinese developers have revived the Metropolis and Fig Central mega-projects, while Williams & Dame, Mack Urban and the Onni Group also have towers in the works nearby.

Jamison Services Bringing Apartments to K-Town Parking Lot

626 S. St. Andrews Place; Image from Corbel Architects.

Koreatown has seen a boom in residential construction during the past calendar year, and that trend looks to continue on a parking lot just north of Wilshire Boulevard.  Jamison Services Incorporated, one of Koreatown's largest commercial landlords, has plans to build an 84-unit apartment building next to the Wilshire Professional Building.  The project at 626 St. Andrews Place will stand six-stories, with design work from Corbel Architects.  Despite the nearby Wilshire/Western subway station, 626 St. Andrews will include 203 parking spaces in a three level garage.

According to Businessweek, vacancy rates at Jamison Services' office properties have tripled over the past four years to an average of 25%.  Unfavorable economic conditions may have reduced demand for office space in Los Angeles, but they have also fueled a resurgence in the market for multi-family residential buildings.  Thus, Jamison Services is in the process of converting five of their office properties into apartments.  They have also started venturing into ground up construction, meaning that 626 St. Andrews Place may just be the first new building that the company has planned.

• L.A. King of Down-Market Offices Bets on Apartments (Businessweek)

Seven Story Apartment Building Coming to Koreatown

Per the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, a low rise apartment building is proposed for the surface parking lot directly behind the 1929 Wilshire Professional Building, and a short walk from the Wilshire/Western Purple Line station and the 22 story Solair Condominium tower.


The Wilshire Professional Building, image from LA Observed.


From the Public Notices for July 18th, 2013:

3875 Wilshire Boulevard (3869-81 Wilshire Boulevard, 622-40 South St. Andrews Place); Wilshire. Council District 10. The construction, use and maintenance of a 7-story apartment building with 209 units and two levels of subterranean garage. The site is currently improved with a parking lot. The Applicant is requesting, a Zone Change from C4-2 and PB-2 to [T][Q]C4-2 and a Site Plan Review for a project with 209 residential units. Please call Joni J. Quinn to review file: (213)473-9984. Documents are available for REVIEW at: Los Angeles City Hall, 200 No. Spring St., Room 721, Los Angeles, CA  90012. Comments can be faxed to (213)978-4656. REVIEW/COMMENT period ends: August 07, 2013

The new building will fill out the streetwall of the charming residential street seen here:


Image from pwright1 of Skyscraperpage