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Mapping the Arts District's Unstoppable Wave of Fancification

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Downtown's river-adjacent Arts District has been changing for a long time. Most artists were priced out of their warehouses years ago and celebrity residents and fancy sausages (and New Girl) have been drawing attention to the neighborhood for ages. But the AD is at a tipping point now: the massive and expensive One Santa Fe mixed-user has just opened to its first tenants, the city has proposed new rules to make the area more livable for its rich new residents, and pretty soon the neighborhood could have more grocery stores—all boutique-style—than the rest of Downtown combined. Here, a map that captures all the fancifying changes afoot and on the way in the Arts District, including enormous mixed-use projects hoping to catch One Santa Fe's runoff, open-air malls, arts complexes, and of course fancy coffee joints.


· Arts District [Curbed LA]
· Oh God, is the Arts District Going to Be the Next Meatpacking? [Curbed LA]
· Arts District Working on New Rules For a Cooler Gentrification [Curbed LA]

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One Santa Fe

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Extending for a quarter-mile, this just-opened mixed-use complex by local starchitect Michael Maltzan includes a grocery store, 99-seat theater, and 438 apartments.

GROW Market

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The Manhattan-Beach-based market will take up approximately 6,000 square feet of space in the One Santa Fe complex. The market has a focus on "healthy eating" and will have all the grass-fed beef and fancy cheese you'll need to host a gluten-free beer tasting at your loft. [Image via Brigham Yen]

The Springs

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How was there not already a "holistic megaplex" in the Arts District? Well, now there is, and it's got a raw, vegan restaurant and a juice bar (fresh pressed, natch). [Image via Frank Wonho Lee]

Barker Block

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Originally used by the Barker Furniture Company, this two-phase developmenthas more than 300 loft, townhouse, and live/work units—for-sale, not rent, which is a rarity in Downtown. Phase two was a huge hit when it opened earlier this year.

Sixth Street Viaduct

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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.

Metro stops

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Metro is looking to add the ultimate amenity in the AD: 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.

Open-air mall

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This Grove-style mall will take out five warehouses and replace them with 125,000 square feet of shopping, anchored by an unnamed major retailer. It will also include yet another grocery store for the neighborhood.

AMP Lofts

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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.

Industrial

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Designed by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects, this brick-and metal-covered mixed-user will have 240 units and is expected to break ground sometime in 2015.

Legendary Development project

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This massive project includes 472 apartments in seven brick-and-steel buildings, plus commercial or live/work space, PLUS a 922-space parking structure.

Hauser Wirth & Schimmel arts space

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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.

Blacktop Coffee

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This good-looking little coffee bar (240 square feet) comes from a former Handsome Coffee expert. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

Coca-Cola building

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This vacant, 123,600-square-foot building is slated for a rebirth as creative offices with a street-level restaurant. Built in 1915, the factory was Coke's SoCal production center until 1929. It sold this year for $19 million in an all-cash sale.

EightyTwo

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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 loves drinking but wish it was just more fun. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

La Kretz Innovation Campus

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Fitting right in among the raw, vegan, and artisanal is the city's clean technology center, which will contain 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. The campus is expected to open in 2015.

Arts District park

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Now that it's insanely fancy, the AD is going to need some more green space; this forthcoming, half-acre park will be a good start when it opens in the summer of 2015.

Old Modernica complex

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Modernica vacated its seven-building complex in 2013 and the new owners plan to create retail and creative office space.

Garey Building

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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 is underway now.

Zinc Café & Market

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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. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

Blue Bottle Coffee

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Oakland-based Blue Bottle opened its first LA shop recently 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 across town). [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

Northern Grade at CNTRL STUDIOS

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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.

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One Santa Fe

Extending for a quarter-mile, this just-opened mixed-use complex by local starchitect Michael Maltzan includes a grocery store, 99-seat theater, and 438 apartments.

GROW Market

The Manhattan-Beach-based market will take up approximately 6,000 square feet of space in the One Santa Fe complex. The market has a focus on "healthy eating" and will have all the grass-fed beef and fancy cheese you'll need to host a gluten-free beer tasting at your loft. [Image via Brigham Yen]

The Springs

How was there not already a "holistic megaplex" in the Arts District? Well, now there is, and it's got a raw, vegan restaurant and a juice bar (fresh pressed, natch). [Image via Frank Wonho 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 rent, which is a rarity in Downtown. Phase two was a huge hit when it opened earlier this year.

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.

Metro stops

Metro is looking to add the ultimate amenity in the AD: 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.

Open-air mall

This Grove-style mall will take out five warehouses and replace them with 125,000 square feet of shopping, anchored by an unnamed major retailer. It will also include yet another grocery store for the neighborhood.

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.

Industrial

Designed by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects, this brick-and metal-covered mixed-user will have 240 units and is expected to break ground sometime in 2015.

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.

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.

Blacktop Coffee

This good-looking little coffee bar (240 square feet) comes from a former Handsome Coffee expert. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

Coca-Cola building

This vacant, 123,600-square-foot building is slated for a rebirth as creative offices with a street-level restaurant. Built in 1915, the factory was Coke's SoCal production center until 1929. It sold this year for $19 million in an all-cash sale.

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 loves drinking but wish it was just more fun. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

La Kretz Innovation Campus

Fitting right in among the raw, vegan, and artisanal is the city's clean technology center, which will contain 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. The campus is expected to open in 2015.

Arts District park

Now that it's insanely fancy, the AD is going to need some more green space; this forthcoming, half-acre park will be a good start when it opens in the summer of 2015.

Old Modernica complex

Modernica vacated its seven-building complex in 2013 and 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 is underway now.

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. [Image via Elizabeth Daniels]

Blue Bottle Coffee

Oakland-based Blue Bottle opened its first LA shop recently 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 across town). [Image via 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.