PriceSpotter comes early today so that we can make the 12:30 showing of Batman. We’re giving you pictures, location, and specifications of a property. You’re putting them together and giving us a LISTING PRICE. Submit your guesses in the comments, and Monday we’ll reveal the owner's asking price.
What/Where: 4 BR, 3 BA in Toluca Lake Size: 1,980+ sq. ft. SFH on 6,770+ sq. ft. lot Additional details: A Country English type home with a pool. Wood beamed ceilings, marble bathroom, rear yard, chef's kitchen and a fountain. Formerly celebrity owned.
No wonder the crowd was so small at today's "Take Back Our City" rally. Most of LA was busy taking their money back from IndyMac. The bank, recently taken over by the Feds, saw lines reminiscent of the recent iPhone lines. A friend of Curbed was there to snap some pics and report back. "This Indymac bank is next to my office in Encino. These people are all in line to close their accounts. The LAPD showed up to "keep the peace" between representatives of Wells Fargo, Wamu, Citi and Bank of America who all showed up to recruit new clients…scary."
· IndyMac Reopens Under Restrictions [LABJ]
· IndyMac Customers in Mad Rush to Withdraw Money [Originator Times]
Curbed editor Josh is down at the City Hall, checking in with today's noon "Take Back Our City" rally. He emails: "Ron Kaye, former editor of Daily News [and organizer of event] is speaking: Lots of anti special interest talk....taking back LA from bureaucrats...Nimbyism is sane response to powerlessness...trying to get city hall to pay attention. About 75-85 people here." What are people saying about development? "The entire thing is anti development," he writes. "Anti-Home Depot. Anti-Autry museum. Save the Verdugo golf course....bicyclists here too." More to come...meanwhile for those just catching up: More about the group after jump. UPDATE: Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez has a bit more: Not too many bikers showed up.
Now that we've exhaustively addressedeverysinglequestion commenter Bitter Renter has posed, we can go back to our normal Ask Curbed series of questions, so you can rant about crappy landlords and bad parking. Oh look! Here's one now:
"I live in a not too fancy apartment in Noho Arts District that has been plagued with bathroom problems ever since i moved in in December. The problem is that there is a crack in the drain pipe enabling water to leak out underneath the tub and spreading all over my floor whenever I take a shower. The problem is very costly to fix for the building owner and s/he is to be dragging their feet on this. The building manager is trying to get it fixed but doesn't keep me updated very well on the conversations she's having with the owner. Can a problem like this be a legitimate call to action to break the lease and how long of a period do I give the owner before I put this card on them?"
The raging fire at Universal Studios this morning has taken out a chunk of the park, including two sets for the CBS show The Ghost Whisperer and the King Kong Exhibit, according to the fire department's latest press conference. The video vault building is currently on fire, however the fire dept says it's not the main vault and everything lost can be replaced. New York street was also destroyed. The fire chief has stated that despite not watching Desperate Housewives, he can state that the Wisteria Lane set was not affected. The theme park has pushed back its opening until noon. Story developing... UPDATE: Los Angeles Times reports the fire has been contained to a half-acre area and that the theme park will not open today. The MTV Movie Awards, set to be held at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal, are scheduled to go on.
The May 2008 Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association newsletter gives a brief update on the proposed redevelopment of the Sportsmen's Lodge at Ventura Blvd and Coldwater Canyon. The hotel will remain and will actually be expanded, but most of the parking and banquet space gets the heave-ho. Naturally, everyone is ready to lose their minds over traffic.
"Restaurant and retail buildings one and two story would be built along Ventura Blvd and Coldwater Canyon as well as within the larger property. The hotel would be increased from 147 to 163 rooms. Since the new retail and restaurant buildings would be built on what is now an existing parking area, parking structures would be built in the interior of the site... The critical question is whether this intensified use of the property would create more traffic problems on Ventura Blvd and Coldwater Canyon..."
We love questions that answer themselves. The newsletter notes that the developer is still preparing a traffic study so we'll wait in quiet anticipation to find out if traffic will be better or worse.
· May 2008 Newsletter [SOHA]
· CurbedWire: Memorial Weekend Edition [Curbed LA]
A couple of Earth Day related tidbits to our inbox: First, The South Group or the Mayor's Office (we can't tell the difference anymore) emailed with an update on the fantasticness of Luma - the South Park condo building which was awarded LEED Gold Certification today. On Earth Day, no less! We're heaving with joy. The Mayor popped in to the LEED ceremony, smiled and "unveiled a new Green Building Program (to reduce the use of natural resources, create healthier living environments and minimize the negative impacts of development on ecosystems) and held up the condominium as an example of the kind of environmentally friendly development the community needs." (the presser is after the jump).
Also, today, we received word that Universal Studio's new The Simpson Ride will be environmentally friendly. Via the press release: "The newly minted, environmentally conscious “The Simpsons Ride” represents the largest lighting installation of LED lamps in theme park ride history. The attraction will be illuminated with 2,582 LED lights, expending just 27,675 watts per hour as compared to 82,909 watts consumed per hour by standard incandescent lighting."
New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff takes aim at developers releasing renderings that are meant to sway public opinion, but aren't drawn realistically. For example, in developer Tishman Speyer's Hudson Yards proposal for Manhattan's West Side, Ouroussoff notes the renderings are seen from a "birds-eye view," rather than street level, which makes the project seem smaller than it actually is. And yes, here's how the $1 billion mixed-use project Noho Wave project (pictured above) looks, and yes, if you're floating in the sky, that thing is not big AT ALL. And another example: This Wilshire project is probably to scale if you are a 30-foot Yeti.
· Now You See It, Now You Don’t [NYT]
· First Look: NoHo Wave [Curbed LA]
Listing: Office space/Recording studio Asking Price: $2.1 million
Located in the hip and happening North Hollywood Arts District, the Alley Studios has just popped up on LoopNet. From the listing:
The property known as the Alley Studios has a deep creative history and has been frequented by the music industry' s top musicians, artists, and producers throughout the years. Clients have included Ozzy Osbourne, Bonnie Raitt, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linda Ronstadt, Smashing Pumpkins, Jackson Brown, among many others.
The 6,000 sq. ft. building also provides "ample street parking" and some sweet grant money for facade improvements in case you're not a fan of the wood paneling and sky mural.
· The Alley Studios [LoopNet]
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The May 2008 
