The 888 International Tower plaza at 9th and Figueroa is currently a barren and inhospitable space, but a simple redesign could completely transform it into a great open space for the public, adding value to the community
We all know how scarce good public spaces are in the Los Angeles region. A metropolis that rapidly expanded after the invention and subsequent democratization of the private automobile, Los Angeles is a decade or more behind when it comes to catering our city to pedestrians instead of drivers. Our roads and highways have been congested and clogged, but our sidewalks have been empty for decades, and as a result, it is no wonder why walking in LA is about as enjoyable as a visit to a dentist.
Nevertheless, as Downtown LA continues to evolve into an active urban community driven increasingly more by pedestrian energy, high quality public spaces will become all the more important as people begin to explore beyond their cars and outside their comfort zones, which entails pretty much anywhere not contained within a “controlled artificial” environment, such as a mall or “lifestyle center.”
People will finally be able to roam and explore a true urban grid (yes all on foot!) and not be restricted by the region’s more common suburban-planned linear commercial boulevards (usually flanked by residential) that impede pedestrian movement. Downtown LA, as the largest urban grid in Southern California, has the potential to be as serendipitous and fulfilling for the pedestrian as almost any other great urban center in the country.
However, the potential for Downtown LA to become that great walkable center relies on the concerted efforts, however piecemeal they are, to create high quality urban spaces designed for pedestrians. Within Downtown LA, we are currently lacking enough open space where people are inclined to sit and relax and people watch. Go to any pedestrian oriented city in the world and one thing you’ll see is the proliferation of pocket parks that dot the urban landscape.
One of the spaces that currently exist in Downtown LA that could be 100% better is the concrete barren plaza that is connected to the 888 International Tower, also known as 888 S Figueroa. This extremely outdated but fair sized plaza has incredible potential to become a hub of pedestrian activity as it sits within the context of a burgeoning intersection (at 9th and Figueroa) surrounded by the 271-unit Apex tower, The Pantry restaurant, and the 214-unit Watermarke Tower. Not to mention a stone’s throw from other exciting developments and the Staples Center/LA Live.
The owners of the plaza need not look too far for inspiration as the CitiGroup Center plaza at 5th/Flower in Downtown LA–once barren and inhospitable as well–was recently updated with a park-like setting and is now much more pedestrian friendly as a result.
Or we can look at Piazza Basilone in Little Italy in Downtown San Diego for inspiration. On my trip there last week, I was very impressed by how well this little plaza functioned within the neighborhood by attracting people to linger. In fact, I saw numerous people walk into the piazza, grab a seat, and either sat and chatted with their friends or just enjoyed the sunshine while people watching. That natural inclination to just enjoy the city is a reflection of good public spaces. Something we could use more of here in Downtown LA.
888 International Tower sits at a rapidly evolving intersection where new residential and commercial developments are taking place all around it
Imagine if this barren landscape was transformed into a welcoming park-like setting that attracted pedestrians from all around
Another view of the barren landscape that seems so wasted right now with so much more potential
Having plenty of seating is the right idea, but the way this plaza was initially designed with the hard sterile brickwork is off-putting and not inviting
Would you want to sit on this?
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Piazza Basilone in Little Italy, Downtown San Diego
Piazza Basilone is an example of a well-designed public space that could give us some ideas on how to redesign the 888 International Tower plaza in Downtown LA
Plenty of movable seats (lining the wall on the right) give pedestrians a place for respite to enjoy the outside sunshine and people watching
A simple circular water fountain adds something visually interesting to the plaza
Plenty of seating and tables give people a place to rest, read, or chat with their friends
Another view of the tables and chairs that encourage people to linger and enjoy the outdoors
Piazza Basilone, like 888 International Tower Plaza, sits within the context of both residential and commercial developments, but one is aesthetically well-designed and attracts pedestrians and one does not
Yikes. That piece of so-called public “art” at 888 is not the most inviting spectacle, either. Its mechanical, pointy-object theme is telling pedestrians to “move along quickly, don’t be late for your shift!”
Timely that you posted this… I was about to ask you if you had any news or insight on the ground floor space INSIDE this building.
The bank has moved and there’s some construction going on inside. Any ideas what it could be?
And I totally agree… I walk past this plaza at least two times every day. It’s awful, but could be great, has a good amount of space because of the way the road curves there.
I bike next to this plaza every evening on my way home from work, and I think it’s ripe for improvement, especially given its proximity to AEGtown. I think a fully considered project would also negotiate with Foothill Transit to move their layover space from the portion of Figueroa adjoining the park, or finding a way to integrate those idling buses more thoroughly with a pedestrian space. Right now it’s just hulks of steel taking up a lane and diesel fumes scaring the peds away.
This plaza is screaming for a redo and it’s well setup for one. The art piece in the center doesn’t really bother me too much and could be played up if accented with better lighting at night, softer landscaping around it and seating. Get rid of all the brick and create a more intimate space with seating areas much like the Citibank plaza. A coffee cart and or newstand that encourages people to stop and linger could also be helpful.
Great idea brigham! i really like how you show photos of existing things that could be conducive to the project. From my experience, business owners are business people and creative minds are creative minds but meshing the two isn’t always the easiest. So offering something tangible really helps complete the “idea”.
I personally think its a great idea. There are a few things that will be happening to the building within the next few months and hopefully it will spark a change.
Lawrence: “A coffee cart and or newstand that encourages people to stop and linger could also be helpful.”
I find the coffee/restaurant to be the most important part of making it a living space, though it can definitely be done wrong. Did the CitiGroup Center plaza at 5th/Flower have the Starbucks with outdoor chairs before its renovation? I could imagine the Little Italy plaza without any restaurants and chairs (or the restaurants without the plaza) would not be that special.
Without the chairs and adjacent restaurants
I take that back about the Little Italy plaza. Looking at the air photo and street view, that really is some nice traffic calming and unpaving.
First, get ride of all that brick, so uninviting and dark. Put in something pleasant like Bluestone Cobblestone Pavement. Put in a 6X9 Guerilla Garden and at least one city bench, made partially of wood. That piece of sculpture is so cold and out of place, too. Get rid of all of it!!! Can we demolish that bank too?
Excellent article Brigham!
@BC – the Citibank Plaza has always had the Starbucks and other restaurants at the plaza level with outdoor tables, but the space in its previous form didn’t lend itself well to sitting down or just hanging out. The re-designed space aside from adding nicer, drought tolerant landscaping, also allowed for the creation of seating alcoves that feel less exposed to the busy intersection of 5th and Flower, much like Piazza Basilone in SD creates a space that is both part of the street and yet enclosed just enough to provide that extra bit of comfort for pedestrians stopping in or passing through.
Reagan’s 1980s S&L bubble built these towers! These plazas were designed and built this way in the 1970s and 80s for the same reasons that McDonald’s puts hard plastic seats in its restaurants: they don’t want you lingering around their building; and there’s no grass or fountain because they don’t want us around the foot of this tower. It was the 80s Downtown was a “different” place from today and I agree that many of the outdoor “amenities” ought to be revisited for modern purposes of a Downtown region that encourages walking and public leisure amid new residential purposes and transit options.
Brigham has identified a rather unique space within downtown’s unrelenting hardscape of parking lots and building facades. Not so long ago this corner was a barren spot enlivened only by the heavy volume of northbound Figueroa traffic and eastbound 9th street traffic coming off the 110 freeway. Although the intersection has witnessed the opening of several major residential projects, it nevertheless retains a drab and soulless feel, a legacy of decades of auto-centric planning policies. (The obtuse and stark public artwork only adds to this general impression.)
With the rapid development of South Park and the LA Live mega project, it has however become an informal gateway of sorts between that district with its newfound pedestrian traffic and the rest of downtown. Given downtown’s dispersed geography, a re-imagining of this odd-shaped bump out represents a unique opportunity to knit together adjacent areas via attractive and inviting pedestrian linkages.
(BTW the unusual shape of this particular corner is likely due to the original platting of downtown by Spanish settlers who followed Spanish imperial planning guidelines requiring streets be laid out along northwest-southeast/ southwest-northeast axes to allow sunlight to hit at least two sides of each structure. This anomaly was extended at a less severe angle into the City West/Westlake area and does not become regularized until Hoover where the grid takes on a typical north-south, east-west orientation. This explains the kink in many east-west streets at Figueroa and Hoover Streets.)
Launched with great fanfare in 2010, the My Figueroa project overseen by the CRA and funded by a $20M Proposition 1C grant from the state, was meant to rework the Figueroa corridor from USC to the Financial District. Initial sketches envisioned a beautified and multi-purposed corridor prioritizing public transit, bicycles, and pedestrians over cars and enlivened by reactivated ground floor spaces. (The website hasn’t been updated since last March however so maybe the project has succumbed to budget cuts and/or the imminent closure of the CRA.)
In any case a re-imagining of this corner would be an ideal fit with this nascent Figueroa corridor plan. As Brigham and others have suggested, inviting benches, greening, a water feature, wayfinding signage, etc. would not only beautify and activate this unique spot but also help draw the substantial pedestrian flows in and around LA Live into the rest of downtown.
i love this website: http://popupcity.net/
from this site..what about swings?
http://popupcity.net/2012/01/trend-10-urbanism-made-to-like/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=the+pop-up+city
..or something equally as fun. agree with other poster about taking out brick and replacing with some light colored stone and definitely MORE WOOD for warmth. AEG has a lot of metal and I often wonder how and when they might incorporate other natural materials for the sake of balance. maybe some sort of enclosure-type structure because of the close proximity to so much traffic–i read someone wrote it was “like a gateway”—would some sort of actual gate be appropriate?
I totally agree with all of the above comments. That whole stretch of Figueroa is starting to develope into neighborhood with a big city sense of “place”. It would be such a plus for 888 Tower to initiate an inviting plaza with tables, umbrellas, maybe a fountain, anything to make it a special place to linger, relax and enjoy the street. We could do a better one than San Diego.