The Grand Avenue Project has come a long way since it was first proposed in 2004. After years of multi-phased building and many delays, developers are finally ready to begin construction on the project’s final leg, called The Grand. The slated area, which sits across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown, is currently an underused parking structure.

Courtesy of Gehry Partners

Real estate agency Related Company released another round of updated renderings for the much-anticipated mixed-use development. According to the images and documents from the LA County Board of Supervisors, the development will bring upscale shops, a movie theater, an Equinox hotel, and residential tower to First and Grand. Famed architect Frank Gehry will design the massive revitalization project. 

Despite the project’s many hiccups with the city, The Grand development was always meant to activate DTLA’s cultural and civic centers, which were mostly underused after work hours and popularly known as a ghost town. The developer, in partnership with the LA Grand Avenue Authority, aimed to revitalize the neighborhood through the addition of new offices, retail, and residential structures interwoven with luxury amenities, spacious public parks, and contemporary architecture.

For the most part, the vision of the Grand Avenue project has come to fruition. The project’s already-completed components — Grand Park, The Emerson, and The Broad — have succeeded in becoming key gathering areas for both locals and visitors in Downtown. 

The project’s first phase was the construction of the 12-acre Rios Clementi Hale-designed Grand Park, which replaced an existing public park in Downtown’s civic center. After its completion in 2012, the public embraced the new park, which included tree-shaded sidewalks, drought-tolerant plants, an interactive fountain plaza, performance lawns and courtyards, numerous street lights, portable park furniture, and helpful kiosks.

Broad Museum

The project’s second phase included the completion of a luxury condo tower in 2014 and The Broad Museum in 2015 on Grand Avenue. The Emerson Tower slowly ushered in a new wave of professionals willing to live, work, and play in the previously quiet neighborhood. However, The Broad, with its free and exclusive collections, quickly activated the area for tourists and became a cultural landmark in Los Angeles.

After years of fine-tuning designs and paperwork, work on the final phase of the project is set to begin this fall, and it will undoubtedly further enliven Downtown. According to Urbanize, the residential tower will rise 39 stories, featuring 113 condos and 323 market-rate apartments. Twenty percent of the apartments will be available to low-income residents. The Equinox hotel will rise 20 stories with approximately 314 guest rooms and additional amenities. Planners are setting aside an estimated 200,000 square feet of space for commercial and retail spaces underneath the two towers. The biggest update from the Grand Avenue Project plan is a parking garage, which has been reduced from 1,350 spaces to 800. The final stage is expected to complete sometime in 2022.