Arts District’s AMP Lofts aims to bring artists back to the neighborhood

Downtown’s Arts District is exploding with new development, but most new housing is considered pretty far out of reach for the neighborhood’s namesake artists, many of whom have been squeezed out of the AD. But a new project hopes to bring some of them back with artist-focused amenities and a cool-looking building, the architect tells Architect’s Newspaper.

Steinberg Architects principal Simon Ha told the Architect’s Newspaper that the design team working on the project wanted the project to look artsy, too, making the street faced of the building “funkier than those of a typical podium-style building.”

The AMP Lofts project, designed by Steinberg Architects with Shimoda Design Group, will have 320 live/work units and amenities aimed at artists, like a shared studio-like workshop where residents can make and show large pieces. The space will even have a double-height loading dock, to move artwork in and out of the workshop easily.

The mixed-use project will also have about 20,000 square feet of street-level commercial space, a gym, a pool, a sauna, and a dog run.

Developer Greystar got building permits for the AMP Lofts in January, city records show, and work appears to be underway on the site now.

• Artists in L.A. Arts District? This 320-unit complex wants to bring them back [Architect’s Newspaper]
• Should the Arts District still be called the Arts District when artists can’t afford to live there? [Curbed LA]