Robert O’Quinn works on a car at Downtown Car Wash at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street. It was bought by a developer who plans to build a high-rise hotel-and-residential complex (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
The carwash site across the street from L.A. Live “is a Los Angeles real estate trophy,” said buyer Ben Neman, “and we want to make it a much better trophy.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
A dramatic transformation of the carwash’s surrounding neighborhood over the last three decades has left the sprawling one-story business looking out of place, like a go-cart among sleek race cars. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
