Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District
The
Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District, also popularly called
Times Square West, and
L.A. Live is a
civic center currently under development and construction in the
City of Los Angeles in
California. Adjacent to the
Staples Center (home of the
Clippers,
Lakers,
Kings,
Sparks, and
Avengers sports teams), the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment District is slated to cost approximately USD $1 billion to be paid by owner
Anschutz Entertainment Group with help from Los Angeles taxpayers. It will feature six city blocks of apartments, ballrooms, bars, concert theaters, condominiums, restaurants, movie theaters and a hotel.
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L.A. Live rendering of Club Nokia |
Architects and designers were inspired to create a district featuring the same amount of flashiness prominent at
Times Square in
New York City and the
Ginza District of
Tokyo. Construction began on
15 September 2005. Phase One of the project will open in 2007, with Phase Two and the Ritz-Carlton/Marriott Marquis Hotels completed by 2008-2009. The district is expected to revive Downtown Los Angeles and help it compete with
San Diego and
San Francisco for convention center business.
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L.A. Live rendering of Nokia Theatre |
The multi-faceted entertainment destination will feature entertainment venues, restaurants, retail commercial and residential spaces, television and radio broadcast studios, and concert spaces. Highlights of the district will include a four star, 1,100 room convention center headquarters hotel, a 40,000 ft² outdoor plaza, an
ESPN broadcast and restaurant facility,
Regal Theatres, as well as Club
Nokia, the
Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, and
Nokia Plaza.
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L.A. Live model facing the Staples Center |
The centerpiece of the district will be a 55 story, 1,200 room hotel constructed in the parking lot directly north of the Staples Center. The hotel is expected to bring the Los Angeles Convention Center a significant increase of reservations, mainly due to the solution of the existing problem of a lack of nearby hotels to serve convention visitors. The Hotel was delayed for a time, but local homebuilder
KB Home recently signed an agreement to help build the hotel, thus construction has also begun on the hotel. The first phase will contain the Nokia Theatre, the Nokia Plaza, a retail plaza, as well as an underground parking garage, holding a fraction of the project's expected total of 4,000 parking spaces.
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L.A. Live model of the Staples Center |
Nokia Theatre Los Angeles will be a premier mid-sized music and theatre venue featuring state-of-the-art acoustics and seating for 7,000. The Theatre will host the
Latin Grammy Awards and
ESPY Awards, as well as numerous other productions from
VH1,
MTV, and
BET. It is also available for corporate shareholder meetings, product launches, and seminars. Club
Nokia will be a club for live music and cultural events. The stand-alone club, which will accommodate up to 2,400 patrons, will feature up and coming music acts, bands, and cultural shows. The club may also be used to host private parties and corporate events.
Nokia Plaza will a 40,000 ft² open-air plaza that will serve as the central meeting place for Los Angeles' Sports and Entertainment District. The Plaza will serve as one of the district's key anchors, providing a broadcast venue featuring giant LED screens as well as a red carpet site for special events. The
Nokia venues will be part of the "
Nokia Unwired" marketing platform, which will bring live music to fans in both the
Nokia venues and through "Nokia Presents Hard Rock Live" on
MTV.
This project officially marks the move of central Los Angeles towards the south. Many predicted that the focus of the Los Angeles skyline would move to the area surrounding Staples Center, as is finenly illustrated in The Island. The new buildings will take on a more modern and futuristic look. The same is happening in San Francisco, a move to the south that is, with modern highrises that will shift the focus of the skyline.
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L.A. Live model of downtown area |
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Staples Center*
Hollywood and Highland*
Kodak Theatre*
Grand Avenue Project*
L.A. Live*
RTKL L.A. Live *
Los Angeles Sports Council*
Staples Center official web site
