DOWNTOWN:LA, I'm Yours has dug up this great spec video for Brave New World, a series that creates unlikely juxtapositions in LA architecture, made by USC lecturer Mina Chow. The first episode looks at the Caltrans District 7 building, built in 2004 and designed by Morphosis, and the Bradbury Building, built in 1893 and designed by George H. Wyman--it's a really great intro to both essential DTLA buildings. In the comments to the LAIY post, Chow writes "we're hoping to turn it into a broadcast series for PBS So-CAL. I'm hustling up underwriters.... Stay tuned. The next episode is on 'The Divine vs. the Deviant' or 'Sacred vs. Sin' between the California Mission and the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral." Man are we looking forward to that. [LAIY]
Hide your keys! They're predicting a Carmageddon for Downtown this weekend: "With the Lakers, Clippers and Kings all in postseason action this weekend and the final stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, authorities are warning of street closures and heavier than normal traffic in the downtown area. 'There’s never been a weekend like this in Los Angeles,' said AEG’s Michael Roth. 'Six playoff games in four days? In Los Angeles? Never. And the bike race will be a really big deal.'" [LAT]
The $1 billion project to rebuild the Gerald Desmond Bridge at the Port of Long Beach is getting set for construction next year. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that yesterday the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission approved a "notice of intent" to award a $649.5 million contract to the joint venture team that will handle the design build portion of the project. The Gerald Desmond Bridge was built in the 1960s, but must be replaced to increase both ship and truck traffic through the port. Then there is the embarrassing fact that the Gerald Desmond is a grown-ass bridge that has to wear a diaper (pictured in the above gallery) to catch the crumbling concrete that frequently falls from its 165 foot high underbelly. The new bridge, which is expected to get underway in 2013 and require five years to complete, will have 200 foot clearance over the water--enough room for modern container ships to pass under with ease.
· Long Beach Harbor Commission gives nod to $649.5M bridge contract [Long Beach Press-Telegram]
· Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project [Official Site]
· LB's New Gerald Desmond Bridge Will Have Dream Bike Path [Curbed LA]
Beverly Hills is in the process of revamping its bike plan, and surprise, surprise, it falls well short of work being done in basically every other city on the Westside. Since November, the city (which is in a nasty battle with Metro, throwing roadblocks in front of the Purple Line subway) has been exploring a Bike Route Pilot Program as part of a Bike Plan Update--most recently the city's Traffic and Parking Commission made a recommendation for three new bike routes through the city, down from the five recommended to the Commission when the process began. In a strongly polemic post, Better Bikes reports that the commission recommended three routes--along Burton Way, Crescent Drive, and Carmelita Ave.--but left off proposed routes on Beverly Drive and Charleville Blvd. The number of bike facilities recommended isn't the only problem advocates have found. The Ad Hoc Bike Plan Committee exploring the new plan established strict limitations on its own powers, establishing that bike infrastructure improvements will effect "no change to traffic flow or parking." That means no road diets, traffic calming, or protected bike lanes--all the darlings of the complete streets approach. (That limitation explains the use of the term bike "routes" to describe the infrastructure being studied--the proposed routes fall short of the Class II bike "lane" designation that most bikers prefer.) (To be fair, LA's own massive bike plan has had its share of critics.) The next step for the Beverly Hills Bike Plan is a date before the Beverly Hills City Council in June, where the council is under no obligation to follow the recommendations of the commission.
· Bike Route Pilot Process: Room for Improvement [Better Bike]
· Westside Cities Working Together on Big Bike Plans [Curbed LA]
Sifting through Craigslist's vast virtual grab-bag is usually a pretty mirthless task, but yesterday, we came across an ad that actually made us chuckle. Headlined "Charming Bungalow in Prime Silver Lake Hills, $800," the post goes on to describe said bungalow thusly:
CRAFTSMAN STYLE THATCHED ROOF BUNGALOW FROM THE EARLY 90s
This 12 sq ft open air dream is a perfectly cozy spot for any aspiring artist.
Situated under a gorgeous citrus tree.
Ideal for single but could accommodate a couple for up to 5 minutes if both crouch.
Utilities included, no running water, no heat, no A/C.
Previous owner loved but outgrew the place.
Original wood-like door.
Pets allowed but (full disclosure) a skunk lives 10ft from the front door in a skunk hole.
Walking distance to local shops, silver lake reservoir and many real houses.
Brand is real Playschool (not a replica).
Only serious inquiries please. No scams.
The long-sought renovation of the century-old Southern Pacific train depot in North Hollywood is a few weeks from completing its first phase, the Daily News reports. Environmental cleanup of the site, located near the nexus of the Red and Orange lines at Lankershim and Chandler, wraps at the end of the month--after that, bids go out for the actual restoration, which will take a year. What the new train depot will become remains a mystery. "Once the transition is completed, I think it can be a really vibrant, happening place, whether it becomes a park or just a business of its own," Kirk Jaffe, president of the Universal City and North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, tells the newspaper. [LADN]
Updated 3:34 pm: Word around the internet's celebrity real estate water cooler is that Ryan Seacrest has snapped up Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's major Beverly Hills compound, for either "close to" or "far less" than its $49 million asking price. The Coldwater Canyon property, which DeGeneres first started assembling in 2007, includes a 9,200 square foot main house designed by Buff & Hensman, two guesthouses, a three-bedroom house, and 2.87 acres of land. It was first listed last May for a rumored $60 million, but hit the MLS in October asking $49 million. Today TMZ reports that Seacrest "is paying within a couple of million dollars of the asking price. The deal is in escrow and it will close this week." However, The Hollywood Reporter says that "Another source close to the transaction said the sale is for far less than the asking price," so we'll have to see how that shakes out. Seacrest relisted his Mediterranean house in the Hills for $11.985 million just a couple weeks ago. Meanwhile, DeGeneres is becoming quite the real estate mover and shaker--in December it was revealed that she had bought Brad Pitt's modern Malibu beach house. Update:The Wall Street Journal reports the sale price is $37 million. THR now appears to concur with that number as well.
· RYAN SEACREST Buys Ellen DeGeneres' $49 Mil Estate [TMZ]
· Ryan Seacrest Buying Ellen DeGeneres' $49 Million Estate [THR]
· Did Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Just Chop $11 Million Off Their Beverly Hills Compound? [Curbed LA]
This property in the southern stretch of Hancock Park sold just exactly a year ago, and it appears that in that short time someone has put up one hell of an elaborate house. Let us count the fancy brand names: "Bulthaup German kitchen w/ Gaggeneau appliances Metal Floor 2 ceiling Fleetwood doors Ceaserstone Counters Italian Rexsa bath, Korakril counters & Caracelle sinks." Whew. The house also has five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, two fireplaces, a saltwater infinity pool, and an atrium. And if you like it, but you're just not quite sold: "David Cho Master of Feng Shui says 'this home has been optimized with specific elements to optimize wealth, health, relationships & charisma & the location of the pool attracts opportunities & wealth'." Asking price is $2.595 million.
· 631 S Mansfield Ave [Zillow]
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Beverly Hills is in the process of revamping its bike plan, and surprise, surprise, it falls well short of work being done in 
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