The last year in Los Angeles's Arts District has been a banner one (again). An adaptive reuse project to transform an old Ford Motor company building into creative office space reportedly had BuzzFeed thinking about making a move to the neighborhood, and another warehouse is set to become a new location of the posh, private Soho House club. That project has been a boon to the southern end of the Arts District, raising prices on real estate dramatically in the area, at least for now. The Arts District continues to be the "It" neighborhood for pretty much everything; with a huge arts complex in the works and an upper-crust, open-air mall about a year away, that trend is on track to continue. Here: a guide to the recent and forthcoming buildings, shops, parks, and more that have made the AD one of the most-watched neighborhoods in town.
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Mapping the Relentlessly Rising Coolness of LA's Arts District

Soho Warehouse
The Arts District's most gamechanging new joint is Soho Warehouse, and it's not even open yet. This expensive members-only club will have everything: a 1,500-square-foot performance space, a 14,000-square foot public market, a rooftop pool and observation deck, and a human espresso machine. (Okay, so they don't have that last one.) The club isn't expected to open until 2016, but it's already causing real estate prices to rise in the AD.
Ford Motor factory
This fantastic old Ford factory in the southern Arts District sold late last year for $37 million to developers who wanted to reboot the whole complex as creative offices with some retail on the ground floor. It was rumored that BuzzFeed might be moving in, but it looks like that didn't quite pan out. The whole shebang is aiming for completion in early 2016.
Soho Warehouse-Adjacent Mystery
LA-based Bay Capital Fund dropped $11.5 million on a two-acre parking lot directly east of the forthcoming Soho House with loose plans to put a restaurant, retail, or maybe even a hotel on the site. Seems like they're banking on the Soho House to pull some serious cool (and cash) into this pocket of the neighborhood.
Sixth Street Viaduct
Designed by HNTB with an assist from One Santa Fe architect Michael Maltzan, the wavy new viaduct will have dedicated bike paths and 60-foot-tall arches when it opens in 2019. Even though the bridge won't fully close until January 3, 2016, there's already been a rockin' goodbye party. Demolition's expected to begin January 8.
Hyperloop Technologies Inc.
Oooh, that sweet, unlimited, ridiculous tech money has arrived in the Arts District. Hyperloop Technologies Inc., which is working on building the theoretical transportation method that would pop riders in a tube and shoot them from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 35 minutes, leased a 6,500-square-foot warehouse and turned it into the place where this theoretical marvel will become a reality (maybe!).
The Wheelhouse
"Part bicycle shop, part vintage-inspired hangout, and part specialty coffee destination," this coffee shop is repping the holy trinity of hipster-attracting retail. It's supposed to be open sometime this year.
Shreebs Coffee
There's lots of coffee in the Arts District, but this is the only place serving it out of a converted shipping container. Highly Instagrammable. Image via Shreebs
Challenge Cream and Butter Building
Not all the action in the AD is in the south. Up at the northern end, a 1920s commercial building built for the Challenge Cream and Butter company, one of the first to be converted to artist lofts in the 1980s, sold earlier this month to developer Est4te Four, which will be turning the structure into—what else?—creative offices.
Iron Triangle Brewing
There's already so much coffee in the AD, but the next cool liquid for the neighborhood might just be beer. Next month, this 40,000-square-foot retail/brewing/restaurant space is planning to open in the AD, and another two (one involving nightclub impressario Cedd Moses) are in the works. Image via Eater LA
A+D Museum
Though only a temporary space, the Architecture + Design Museum's presence in the AD is kind of a big deal. The brick and bow-truss building has already hosted its first opening (for the museum's Shelter: Rethinking How We Live in Los Angeles exhibit in August) and will probably host a few more before it moves to an as-yet-unannounced location in DTLA with the LA chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the new Center for Architecture and Urban Design Los Angeles. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
Arts District park
What part of Downtown couldn't benefit from some more green space? The AD is certainly on that list, and this forthcoming, half-acre park will be a good start. The park was supposed to open this year, but progress has been delayed by about six months because toxic soil and turn-of-the-century trash (stockings, old gonorrhea medicine) turned up at the site.
La Kretz Innovation Campus
Fitting right in among the raw, vegan, and artisanal is the city's recently opened clean technology center, which contains offices, labs, classrooms, conference rooms, event space, and a manufacturing workshop in a rehabbed building that it's hoped will inspire an entire district of clean, green tech offices along the LA River.
Hauser Wirth & Schimmel arts space
This big "multi-disciplinary" arts complex will house a restaurant, a bookstore, and space for several museum-grade exhibits; it'll also have artist residencies tying the neighborhood to its roots. The first exhibition opens in March 2016.
Coca-Cola building
This vacant, 123,600-square-foot building is slated for a rebirth. Built in 1915, the factory was Coke's SoCal production center until 1929. It sold last year for $19 million in an all-cash sale, and will be reborn as creative office space with a rooftop "penthouse" and a restaurant.
One Santa Fe
Extending for a quarter-mile, this mixed-use complex by local starchitect Michael Maltzan includes a grocery store, 99-seat theater, 438 apartments, a coffee shop that puts butter in their java, and a Cafe Gratitude, the beloved if borderline-culty health food restaurant.
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GROW Market
The Manhattan Beach-based market opened last month and takes up approximately 5,300 square feet of space in the One Santa Fe complex. The market has a focus on "healthy eating" and is fully stocked with all the grass-fed beef and fancy cheese you'd need to host a gluten-free beer tasting at your loft. Image via Brigham Yen
The Springs
Hailed as one of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2014, The Springs is a "holistic megaplex" that offers opportunities to take a two-hour soundbath, consume a drink made of Himalayan rock scrapings, and then get your colon blasted clean, all under one 13,800-square-foot roof. There's also a raw/vegan restaurant and a fresh-pressed juice bar. Photo by Wonho Frank Lee
Barker Block
Originally used by the Barker Furniture Company, this two-phase developmenthas more than 300 loft, townhouse, and live/work units—for sale, not for rent, which is still fairly rare in Downtown (for now). Phase two was a huge hit when it opened last year.
Metro stops
Metro is looking to add the ultimate amenity in the Arts District: two train stops on either the Red or Purple Line. The proposed sites are both between the LA River and Santa Fe; one would be by One Santa Fe and one would be near the forthcoming Sixth Street Viaduct replacement.
At Mateo
. The project broke ground last month and is expected to open in fall 2016.
AMP Lofts
First approved about six years ago, but just now getting going, the latest version of this mixed-user will include lots of open space, 320 live/work apartments, a communal artisan workshop, and, of course, a dog run. Developers are hoping to break ground in the middle of next year, with construction lasting about 20 months.
Industrial
Designed by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects, this brick-and-metal-covered mixed-user will have 360 units, underground parking (with two levels above ground), and "an affordable housing component."
Legendary Development project
This massive project includes 472 apartments in seven brick-and-steel buildings, plus commercial or live/work space, PLUS a 922-space parking structure.
Blacktop Coffee
This good-looking little coffee bar (240 square feet) comes from a former Handsome Coffee expert. Image via Elizabeth Daniels
Blue Bottle Coffee
Oakland-based Blue Bottle opened its first LA shop last year in this husk of a Handsome Coffee shop, which was one of the original hip coffee places (no sugar!!) in the 'hood. This location will be BB's "home base" for their LA takeover (four other locations are planned or open across town). Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
EightyTwo
EightyTwo combines booze and arcade classics like pinball in a no-fail concept. The bar was designed by SCI-Arc faculty member Darin Johnstone for people who love drinking but wish it was just more fun. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
Old Modernica complex
Modernica vacated its seven-building complex in 2013 (they're now in Frogtown). The new owners plan to create retail and creative office space.
Garey Building
The latest version of this project will replace warehouses used by global toy company Megatoys with ped-friendly rentals, plus retail and restaurants. The project's designed by Togawa Smith Martin and work continues to be underway.
Zinc Café & Market
A cavernous "all-day eatery" just across the street from the Handsome Coffee that turned into a Blue Bottle, this cafe with exposed beams and cocktail section is always making lists of the hottest places to eat in LA. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
Northern Grade at Cntrl Studios
It's not a permanent brick-and-mortar, but when "GQ's fave men's market" comes to LA/the West Coast for the first time and chooses the AD, that's notable. NG's curated sellers hawk American-made, J. Crew-meets-Renegade-Craft-Fair-type goods.