CurbedWire: Wilshire Blvd’s Saban Theater, Urban Land Institute Awards
BEVERLY HILLS: Never a dull moment on Wilshire. The former Wilshire Theater, now called the Saban Theater, underwent some interior renovations last year, and exterior work started in June. The new marquee is arriving this week, according to Esther Adir, executive director of the Beverly Hills Performing Arts Center, owner of the Beverly Hills venue. All the renovations should be finished by 15th of September, according to Adir. [Curbed Staff]
LOS ANGELES: Go nominate someone for a Urban Land Institute (ULI) LA District Council award. The local chapter of the nonprofit research and education organization, is seeking to hand out four Los Angeles Real Creativity (LARC) Awards. Nominations must be submitted by 9/30. In these tough employment times, sucking up to the boss is probably an brilliant go–go nominate him/her. [Curbed InBox]
Description of the event:
“The ULI LARC Awards will be presented annually to four local recipients who, through their extraordinary vision and creative action, are helping to change our world (and our lives) – as Angelenos, Americans and global citizens. Not only do these local projects deserve recognition in their own right, they may also have value beyond their original, local purpose. That is, they may offer useful models for other communities to emulate, or they may simply serve as an inspiration to other creatives, while providing leadership in the responsible use of land, shared spaces and our collective resources.
The LARC Awards presentation promises to be a memorable event because the awards will be presented by some of the City’s creative giants — legends in their own right who have already earned their iconic places in the history books and changed our lives for the better. The LARC Awards will celebrate the continuation of this stream of creativity year after year, from one legend to the next. This year’s legends being awarded are Frank O. Gehry, Stan Ross, Buzz McCoy and Stu Ketchum.”
And the official web site.
Rent Check: Look Inside Superior At Venice
Courtesy of the web site for 1007 Venice, that Kanner Architects’-designed rental project on Venice Boulevard, some photos. And here are rental prices: One-bedrooms measuring 840 square feet are going for $1,995. Two-bedrooms measuring 1,337 square feet* (with a 400 square foot balconies) are going for $3,400. Floor plans, your critiques await.
· 1107 Venice [Official Site]
· Kanner Architects’ Transformation of Venice Boulevard [Curbed LA]
Update: Wallace Neff in Beverly Hills: A full photo set of the…
A full photo set of the remodel of Groucho Marx’s Wallace Neff house in Beverly Hills has finally been posted to the MLS (the house went on the market two weeks ago with pictures of just a chandelier and a single glass door). It turns out the house doesn’t really look like an underwater ski lodge at all; the $12.9 million asking price seems a small more justified now. [MLS]
Renderings for Downtown’s Megatoys Project
We’ve uncovered full-scale renderings of developer Charlie Woo’s proposed Arts District project near Alameda and 1st, which if built would add 320 apartments and 15,576 square feet of retail to the neighborhood. It would upend Woo’s Megatoys factory and turn Garey Street into a pedestrian-only enclave, and these pics represent that walker’s party. The architect here is Togawa Smith Martin, the same firm behind developer Rick Caruso’s Americana at Brand and his forthcoming Burton Way development. There is concern over the random act of animal cruelty taking place in the middle of the water feature. Also, we see an awning advertising for an “East Village Gallery.” Hmm, not to copy New York, but it is sort of a fitting nickname for this part of town: very village-y, very East.
· Megatoys Project Takes a Step Forward [Curbed LA]
Reno, NV 89510 New Real Estate Listing – 3 Bed 2 Bath Home For Sale By Owner – $1500000
FSBO listed on 09/01/2009 – CURRENTLY A LICENSED BOARDING AND TRAINING FACILITY ON 53+ ACRES, WITH A WESTERN TACK AND HOME DECOR STORE (could be converted to 2nd home with ease). ESTABLISHED 1987.
Yet Another Crazy Time Lapse Video of the Station Fire
Check out this time lapse video of the Station Fire, (courtesy of iReport), yet another video of a fire, and more evidence that coverage is growing increasingly viral.
· Zero Percent Contained [iReport]
Kanner Architects’ Transformation of Venice Boulevard
After watching and watching this thing go up for the last two years, Kanner Architects-designed new apartment complex on Venice and Superior is nearly finished. Those numbers on the exterior–which designate the address of the building–is a design choice we might have skipped, but the architecture firm and landscape architect Dan Weeden deserve a lot of praise for helping transform this stretch of Venice Boulevard. If you don’t know this area of Lincoln and Venice boulevards, reckon…uninhabitable! Wide streets, traffic, small to no landscaping. Over all, developer Gilly Rojany’s criteria was two-fold, according to project architect Damian Lemons. “He wanted to make the scale of [the building] very pedestrian, but his thought was also to make it very attractive for his tenants,” he says.
Some of the details that stand out design-wise about the project: A new curved sidewalk rounds out the corner of Superior, while the three-tale building has setbacks, and the planters are really steps that people can also sit on, according to Lemons.
Additionally, if balconies can feel like an afterthought on many apartment complexes, the balconies here are of varying design and size, which makes the development look less cookie-cutter. Pointing out the height and scale of the three-tale building (there are other surrounding, and older apartment buildings that are also the same size) seems vital, given that the 65-foot Eric Owen Moss tower is plotted across the street, kitty corner to this project, and some people are freaking out about that height of that project. A post with interior shots and rent information to follow.
· ConstructionWatch: Superior At Venice Shows A Small Color [Curbed LA]
Flipping the Dairy Farm in The Hollywood Dell
A reader sent this four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, instructing us to look at the sales history. It’s certainly…optimistic pricing. The house was sold in September of last year for $685,000 to flippers who were clearly looking for a distressed property (the seller was the former Countrywide Bank). According to the listing, the house was originally a dairy farm house has been restored. All told, about 150 square feet was added in the renovation according to real estate agent Eric McCollum, who notes the original home was “messed up from top to bottom.” Now, the home features a “living room with coffered ceilings, wood burning fireplace, and French doors. Formal dining room with original stained glass windows.” There are also double paned windows, a large patio and tankless water heater. Quick forward to last month when the property went on the market, with an asking price nearly double the last sales price. New listing price: $1.218 million.
· 6403 Primrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90068 [Redfin]
· 6403 Primrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90068 [Official Site]
Fire Season: Here’s How To Help
· Cash. LA Now says charitable donations need cash more than anything else for food, counseling and relocation services.
· Animal food, litter, crates and blankets. (Via the Pasadena Humane Society)
· Volunteers. But get ready to get trained. Shelter workers can get trained in a day and then can be on call for this fire and future emergencies.
Donations can be made to the following organizations:
Potential volunteers for the Red Cross should call (866) 548-8226. Financial donations can be made by calling (310) 445-2685 or online at www.redcrossla.org
For donations and volunteering at the Salvation Army, call (800) SALARMY or go online at: www.salvationarmy-socal.org
Goodwill Southern California has 100 locations that can be found by calling (888) 4GOODWILL or (888) 446-6394, or by going online at www.goodwillsocal.org
The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA is at 361 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena. The society can be reached at (626) 792-7151.
[Image by LA Times reader Alex]
· Want to help in the fire effort? Here’s how [LA Now]
Steve Hymon’s New Blog: After noting this morning how…
After noting this morning how much Steve Hymon’s transportation coverage for the Los Angeles Times is missed, we can report that Hymon has not stopped writing. In addition to doing some vital-sounding consulting work, Hymon has realized how lucrative and non-time consuming blogging is, and he’s writing about his like of hockey at his new blog, Puck Boy Chronicles. [Puck Boy Chronicles]