area newsletter MARCH 2019 • LOS ANGELES
20 19
Community News Developer plans multiple apartment towers in Koreatown
Koreatown, one of the densest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, is due to welcome even more residents in the near future. Dr. David Lee, through his company Jamison Services, has two new multi-tower projects in the works, which would potentially add hundreds of new residences to the K-town area. Lee has long been LA’s top landlord of private office space, but in recent years has turned to developing his properties into multifamily residential projects, primarily in Koreatown. His most recent project will be located at the corner of 7th St. and Mariposa Ave., where a parking structure currently stands. In its place, Jamison will be constructing a 23-story tower and a 28-story tower, containing 641 apartments and 18,454 square feet of retail space. The towers would stand atop a 4-story podium with 2 basement levels, allowing for 1,922 parking spaces. Jamison Services also has plans to build another 2-tower project at 3600 Wilshire Blvd., replacing a 2-story parking structure at the rear of the lot. That development would involve the construction of a building with dual 23-story apartment buildings containing 760 apart¬ments and parking for 1,527 vehicles.
Hollywood Art Deco landmark to be rehabbed
The former headquarters of the Hollywood CitizenNews will find new life as the site of 2 restaurants and an event space, according to a report filed with the City of Los Angeles. Located at 1545 N. Wilcox Ave., the 1930’s building was recently declared a historic-cultural landmark due to its Art Deco architectural style and the historical significance of the Citizen-News. The daily newspaper operated from that location from 1931 to 1970 and was noted for its advocacy against public corruption during the administration of Mayor Frank Shaw, who was recalled from office in 1938. The rehabilitation of the CitizenNews building is expected to take about 12 months and will include the development of adjacent alleys into walkable paseos and patio areas for al fresco dining. The project is being undertaken by LA-based Relevant Group, which is already building two hotels on the 1500 block of Wilcox, on either side of the Citizen-News building. A 10-story Thompson Hotel, containing 200 guest rooms, is under construction at 1523 N. Wilcox and is expected to be completed this year. Meanwhile, an 8-story, 212-room Tommie Hotel, a lifestyle micro hotel chain owned by Hyatt, is being built at the corner of Wilcox and Selma Ave.
Community News 8th & Fig tower inching towards groundbreaking
A proposed residential tower to be built at 8th St. and Figueroa St. in downtown Los Angeles is slowly moving forward. LA’s City Planning Commission recently denied two appeals to the project’s environmental impact report, with the condition that the project set aside 5% of the residential units for low income housing. Plans submitted for the development call for the construction of a 41-story building that would contain 438 condominium units and about 7500 square feet of ground level retail space. The building will replace an existing surface parking lot. Appeals to the project’s EIR had been filed by the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and CREED LA, an advocacy group that supports construction laborers. Mitsui Fudosan America, the U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese real estate developer, has owned the property for over 30 years and had attempted to develop it at various times in recent years. MFA is responsible for the tower at 601 Figueroa, built in 1990, and is also developing a tower at 8th and Hope Streets. The 8th and Fig project has been pending since 2016 and is expected to be completed by 2022.
WeHo announces pot licenses
The City of West Hollywood has released the list of approved businesses that will be permitted to acquire a cannabis business license. The city’s legal framework, which was established by an ordinance passed in November 2017, allows for the issuance of 40 licenses, divided evenly into 5 categories, to businesses that will sell marijuanabased products to the public. The 40 licensees will include medical dispensaries, adult-use retail locations, delivery services, edible consumption lounges, and consumption lounges that allow smoking, vaping, and edibles. Screening of the 300 applicants occurred through mid-2018, with the 40 finalists now granted 12 months to secure their license and open their businesses. Four existing medical dispensaries, currently operating under temporary licenses, are among the 40 approved businesses.
Restaurant
Spotlight
Rossoblu
Cosa Buona
Kismet
1124 San Julian Street Downtown Los Angeles
2100 West Sunset Boulevard Echo Park
4648 Hollywood Boulevard Los Feliz
This fancy Italian restaurant in the Fashion District tells the story of the two places chef Steve Samson considers home: Los Angeles and Bologna. The menu here features handmade pastas, market fresh produce, and an extensive in-house butchery and salumi program. Try starting your meal with the tuna crudo, which is served with beans and mustard seeds. For dinner, try their free-range veal chop alla bolognese. If you want pasta, consider the Maltagliati, flat-andwhite noodle served with porcini and sage. To drink, take a look at their Pan-Italian list of wines, or enjoy a craft cocktail.
This tiny spot, located on a corner in Echo Park comes complete with pizza, antipastos, salads, and more. Alimento’s Zach Pollack took over the space previously known as Pizza Buona and gave it an upgrade. Here you can order a sausage or margherita pie, enjoy appetizers like the spicy potatoes diavola and the garlic bread, or even order meatballs, shrimp scampi, and chicken wings. To drink, the casual, walk-in neighborhood pizzeria has a few Italian wines and beers to choose from. If you have room after your order, make sure to try their cookie semifreddo.
This bright, inviting restaurant in Los Feliz has a Middle Eastern-inspired menu. All food here is meant to be eaten family style--so bring company and come hungry. The restaurant cares about forging personal relationships with local farmers and producers, so they try to source as much as possible from small, responsible growers. The all-day casual restaurant features dishes like the squid on the plancha, lamb belly, magic myrna potatoes, and heirloom beans.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES
J. Paul Getty Museum 1200 Getty Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049
LACMA
6060 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036 CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
Auto-Didactic: The Juxtapoz School September 29, 2018 - June 2019
Eighteenth-Century Pastel Portraits August 28, 2018 – October 13, 2019
3D: Double Vision July 15, 2018 - March 31, 2019
Juxtapoz Magazine, known for featuring “lowbrow” and pop surrealist artists that would otherwise be considered as outside of the mainstream art world, has teamed with the Petersen Auto Museum to create a group show of artists whose work is often inspired by hot rod culture. The exhibit features many car-centric paintings and sculptures, as well as a number of vehicles that converted into moving works of work. The exhibit includes work by Robert Crumb, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Robert Williams.
Celebrating a medium that is often overlooked in other time periods, this exhibit delves into the favored form of portraiture in late 18th century Europe. Pastels allowed the artist to create classically beautiful works without the arduous process that oil painting often requires. This flexibility coincided with the growing class of people who patronized portrait artists, creating a unique body of work that represented both an evolving craft and an evolving society.
This exhibition explores the art of stereoscopy, the technique that allows a two-dimensional image to create the illusion that it occupies three dimensions of space. Following the history of the technology from the experimental photographs of the 1830’s to the sophisticated digital films of modern day, the exhibit creates a hands-on experience, allowing viewers to use various devices to view 3-D art from artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Ed Ruscha, and features over 60 photographs, videos, and holographic sculptures.
Petersen Automotive Museum
5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036
RodeoRE.com