New details released for big Fashion District Flower Market redevelopment

A big redevelopment is in the works for Downtown’s Southern California Flower Market, the bustling marketplace near 7th and Wall streets, where vendors sell flowers wholesale and retail. The market’s owners are at work on a plan to overhaul the four-acre site, and a newly released initial study lays out the details for what’s in store.

The Flower Market is made up of two, two-story buildings—the north and the south building—and, under the plans, the north would be renovated while the south would be demolished and replaced with a new 15-story building with underground parking.

The top 12 stories of the new building would be residential (323 units, 32 of which would be set aside for moderate-income families), while the lower three floors would hold offices, retail, and restaurants. There would also be room for wholesale flower market uses.

Courtesy of Brooks + Scarpa

The lower floors would be a mix of (square footage is approximate):

• 59,000 square feet of office space
• 4,400 square feet of retail space
• 64,000 square feet of wholesale space and storage
• 13,400 square feet of food and beverage space (including two restaurants)
• 9,200 square feet of event space

The new south building would also hold a public paseo and ground-floor bike storage.

The north building would continue to operate as the Flower Market and will remain open during construction, with work done in phases to avoid disrupting business

The Southern California Flower Market was founded in 1909 on Los Angeles Street—the market’s original location. It moved to its current Wall Street location in 1923. The market is now owned by a consortium of families, many of whom are descendants of the founding vendors.

• Southern California Flower Market Initial Study [Department of City Planning]
• Downtown LA's Southern California Flower Market wants to build a residential tower [Curbed LA]