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Living and working in the Arts District

David Hollen works on a piece titled "Tetrahedral Chain" in the basement of his apartment building on East 3rd Street where he has lived and worked since 2005. "This area was doomed the moment they declared it 'the Arts District,' " Hollen said. "Like moths to a flame, developers are drawn to artist enclaves as a sure-fire way to make a lot of money."

David Hollen works on a piece titled “Tetrahedral Chain” in the basement of his apartment building on East 3rd Street where he has lived and worked since 2005. “This area was doomed the moment they declared it ‘the Arts District,’ ” Hollen said. “Like moths to a flame, developers are drawn to artist enclaves as a sure-fire way to make a lot of money.”  (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

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As the One Santa Fe project and other big developments and people come to the Arts District, longtimers say they are worried the eclectic, small neighborhood they fell in love with will disappear.

One Santa Fe

One Santa Fe, right, features 438 studio, one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments as well as shops and restaurants. It is on South Santa Fe Avenue and is scheduled to open in September.  (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Arts District

Longtime residents of L.A.’s Arts District worry about being priced out as the area undergoes a revitalization. Above, a view of the district from the intersection of Traction Avenue and East 3rd Street.  (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Kim West

Kim West has lived in the Arts District since 2009 and has had a studio there since 2007. Her studio now is just across the bridge in Boyle Heights, where she has chosen to house her work because of rapidly rising rents in the Arts District. “When I first stumbled into the Arts District in 2007, it felt like a total gem in its quiet authenticity,” West said. “That’s not the case so much any more.”   (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Megan Geckler

Megan Geckler has lived in the Arts District since 2009 and is seen in her studio in Boyle Heights. “I hope that the developers and property owners of the Arts District find a way to retain our artists by offering them affordable live and work space,” Geckler said. “It would be a shame if the name of the Arts District ended up referencing its past instead of its identity in the future.”   (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Kim Abeles

Kim Abeles, an award-winning installation artist, lives with her husband, Ken Marchionno, in a studio on Traction Avenue. “I first got here when it was rough and tumble,” Abeles said. “But, lofts were 10 cents a square foot, so as an artist, I had plenty of space and could come up with the rent easily.”   (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Nancy Uyemura

Nancy Uyemura works in her Traction Avenue studio where she has been living for more than 30 years. Uyemura says the Arts District has changed dramatically which is both good and bad. “We’ve gotten more attention and with that more people and traffic and parking is a problem,” Uyemura said.   (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Shooting along the L.A. River

A film crew shoots a fashion commercial along the Los Angeles River on the edge of the Arts District, where many film crews and photographers come to use the urban scenery as their backgrounds.  (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

Art Share L.A.

A man walks past Art Share L.A., which maintains a 28,000-square-foot warehouse with 30 subsidized live/work lofts for artists.  (Jabin Botsford / Los Angeles Times)

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