$1.2-Billion Downtown L.A. Project Draws Top Architects

A proposed $1.2-billion downtown development next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall has attracted a string of the most influential architects now at work.

Last week, a team led by architect Frank Gehry for developer Weintraub Financial Services was joined by Frenchman Jean Nouvel and Iraqi-born Zaha Hadid, creating a high-powered triumvirate of world-class designers vying to develop the site.

Planners envision a spectacular mixed-use project that would combine housing, shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities on both sides of Grand Avenue south of 1st Street.

They assert that, along with Disney Hall and the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, it would provide a springboard for the continued revitalization of downtown.

Describing the teams competing for the work as “world class,” Eli Broad -- vice chairman of the nonprofit Grand Avenue Committee -- said Tuesday: “We’re hopeful we’ll be able to create a street where people will stay after work and one that will be a draw for the entire region.”

Among the other competitors for the project on four lots owned by the city and county are designer David Childs, currently working on the development of the ground zero site in New York City, and noted British architect Norman Foster, who is aligned for the Los Angeles project with New York real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Altogether, eight teams of developers and designers have submitted applications for the opportunity to come up with plans and financing for the complex. In early January, the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority -- a power-sharing agency created by the city and county -- is expected to select a short list of three to five teams based on the qualifications of the designers and developers. The latter will be expected to describe in detail their anticipated funding sources -- which could be a considerable challenge given the scope of the project and the current economic climate.

Meanwhile, however, the big-name interest involving about 60 firms is raising the profile of the development, already among the largest proposals ever for downtown.

“This will be, as you might say, very competitive,” said Scott Johnson, a design partner with Johnson Fain, an architecture and design firm on one of the teams. “It’s the top of the hill and has a lot of physical visibility and a lot of excellent buildings around it. Everyone’s waiting to see what goes in the middle. You’d want to be in there if you were an architect.”

Plans for the development have touted it as a Los Angeles counterpart to the Champs-Elysees in Paris or Rockefeller Center in New York. They call for up to 1,000 residential units, 1 million square feet of office space, 600,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and restaurant space, and possibly a 400-room hotel.

“It’s a dream team,” Gehry said of his group, which also includes architect Henry Cobb and the Santa Monica-based architectural firm Daily, Genik. “My fantasy is we can each hold our own and respect each other but play off each other.

“For me, it’s not important if I do a building -- I’ve got Disney Hall. I’m more interested in the urban planning,” Gehry added. Among the challenges, he said, is to create an area accessible to everyone. “To create another elitists’ enclave is not” the goal, he said. “We’ve already got Beverly Hills.”

Of the four parcels neighboring the new concert hall and now used as parking lots, two east of Grand are owned by the city and two on the west side of Grand are owned by the county.

In September, the city and county agreed to the power-sharing arrangement to develop a comprehensive plan for the area. Of the projected $1.2-billion cost, about $300 million would be needed for public infrastructure improvements and about $900 million for real estate development, according to the committee.

“What this means is that Grand Avenue is about to become a premier boulevard,” said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who serves on the Grand Avenue Authority. “It’s more than just the buildings, because I think this is a defining moment in how we approach the next phase of downtown.”

With the recent construction of Disney Hall, the cathedral and many downtown lofts, the development is an opportunity “to create something terrific,” said Martha Welborne, managing director of the Grand Avenue Committee, which is advising the authority. “There’s so much happening downtown. It’s just a great time, and we’re building on all that.”

Welborne acknowledged the “challenges of the office market right now. But of course you build for the future.”

She added that the power- and revenue-sharing agreement between the city and county gave the plan “a real leg up.”

In the past, the city and county have fought over development downtown, with the county suing the city to prevent county property-tax revenue from being used for redevelopment in the downtown business district.

The agreement approved in September calls for the city and county to each have two representatives on a five-member board of directors to oversee the project, with a nonvoting director to be appointed by the governor.

The chosen developer or development team will have to take on all four parcels and develop a comprehensive plan by September 2005.