Renderings Show Developer Geoff Palmer is Building His Least Offensive Fortress Ever

Finally, proper renderings have been revealed for the Broadway Palace, the latest giant mixed-user from Fauxtalian fortress king Geoff Palmer (of the Orsini, Lorenzo, and Pieros fame)—this one, already under construction, is rather out of character for Palmer. These new, detailed images for the structures, via Urbanize LA, offer a much better look at the apartment complex flanking Olympic at Broadway than the sketches we'd seen before—while Palmer's known mostly for building stubby, ugly, fortress-like compounds so close to freeways that they're basically in the slow lane, this project is right in the heart of Downtown and actually attempts to blend in with its handsome surroundings. Reaching up to 10 stories in some sections (and stepping down to six in others), the building also incorporates what should be very successful groundfloor retail and restaurant space.

A brochure for Broadway Palace says that the building on the south side of Olympic, 1026 South Broadway, will have 240 apartments and 15,900 square feet of retail space; that one is due for completion sometime next year. On the other side of Olympic, 938 South Broadway will have 439 apartments and about 20,000 square feet of commercial space. This half of the development broke ground in March, and is slated to open in 2017.

It was certainly a pleasant surprise when early plans for the two-building development did not look like ersatz Italian-Renaissance fortresses, probably largely due to Broadway's design guidelines, which prevent anything from mucking up the good architectural thing they've got going on there. Broadway's lined with fancy shops, classy eateries, and hot spots that attract people on foot, but for some reason, Palmer had proposed one of those skybridges he loves so much, to span Olympic and connect the two halves of Broadway Palace. But the renderings don't show any aerial walkways and there aren't any permits for the most commonly used address for the project, so it seems like the skybridge may be out of the picture.

· Shiny New Renderings for Broadway Palace [Urbanize LA]
· Geoff Palmer Wants to Put a Skybridge Above One of Downtown's Most Bustling Areas [Curbed LA]
· DTLA's Worst Developer Starts Work on Big Broadway Complex [Curbed LA]