A New Angle : City Council Approves $14-Million Face Lift for Downtown’s Pershing Square

Across the street from the elegant Biltmore Hotel, a group of men huddled under blankets and shared cigarettes and swigs of wine Tuesday beneath the rain-dampened trees of historic Pershing Square.

Other homeless people roamed in search of handouts from office workers who had left the surrounding skyscrapers for a lunch-hour stroll through the scraggly park.

“Our customers look across the street and ask if it is dangerous to come here,” said Heidi Siennicki, manager of an upscale beauty salon next to the hotel.

On Tuesday, after eight years of negotiations between city officials and property owners, the Los Angeles City Council took a major step to revitalize the 125-year-old landmark that some say has become a civic embarrassment.

The council unanimously approved a $14-million face lift for Pershing Square that will be funded by $8 million raised through the creation of a special tax assessment district and a $6-million grant from the Community Redevelopment Agency. The property owners in the assessment district have agreed to pay a tax totaling about $660,000 a year over 30 years to help finance construction bonds.

“This action allows for the restoration of an important historical landmark in downtown Los Angeles,” said City Councilman Richard Alatorre, “and an economic stimulus for the whole city.”

The funding arrangement was sponsored by the Pershing Square Property Owners Assn., an organization of landholders surrounding the park, including developer Maguire Thomas Partners, property owner David Houk, the Los Angeles Athletic Club, Western Jewelry Mart and the Biltmore--all of which have a stake in downtown improvements.

“We thank God this was passed by the City Council--it’s been a long time coming,” said Randy Villareal, managing director of the Biltmore. “We’ve invested a lot of money in new buildings around here, but nothing for the people who work inside them.”

One reason the park has not been upgraded sooner is high costs, city officials said.

The park sits on a 5.5-acre concrete slab on top of a parking garage, so any dramatic changes must maintain the waterproof structure beneath the one-block square, officials said.

“Anything built on the surface has to be designed to work with the structural system of the garage,” said Don Spivack, director of operations for the Community Redevelopment Agency. “It’s only in the last few years that a viable and affordable design came into being.”

The face lift was designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta and landscape architect Laurie Olin of Philadelphia and includes the addition of a 120-foot-tall water spout, an amphitheater to be built on a grassy knoll, benches, walkways and groves of native trees.

“Work begins in April and will take a year to complete,” said Frank Catania, assistant general manager of planning for the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks. “The aim is to make the park so attractive that business people will want to use it again during the day, night and weekends.”

That prospect did not sit well with one down-and-out man at the park who grumbled, “They can do what they want, but they can’t keep the homeless people out of here.”

But John McAlister, president of the property owners association, said the man missed the point.

“We are creating an environment that can be enjoyed by all people,” McAlister said. “It will be a symbol of pride for the city.”