Times Mirror Square

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Los Angeles Times Building
at Times Mirror Square
The Los Angeles Times Building at the southwest corner of First and Spring streets, part of the Times Mirror Square complex
Map
General information
TypeOffice
Location202 West 1st Street
Los Angeles, California
United States
Coordinates34°03′11″N 118°14′41″W / 34.053009°N 118.244596°W / 34.053009; -118.244596
Completed1935
OwnerOnni Group
Design and construction
Architect(s)Gordon B. Kaufmann
The Los Angeles Times Building

Times Mirror Square is a complex of buildings on the block bounded by Spring, Broadway, First and Second streets in the Civic Center district of Downtown Los Angeles. It was headquarters of the Los Angeles Times until 2018. It is currently vacant, with plans being proposed regarding how to best utilize the existing buildings and the total ground area of the site.[1]

Components[edit]

Times Mirror Square includes:

  1. The Los Angeles Times Building (or "Kaufmann Building")[2] at the southwest corner of First and Spring Streets, opened in 1935.[3] It was built as the headquarters of the Los Angeles Times and was designed in Art Deco style by Gordon B. Kaufmann.[4][5] The building won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition.[6] Harry Chandler, then the president and general manager of Times-Mirror Co., at its opening, declared the building a "monument to the progress of our city and Southern California".[4]
  2. The ten-story 1948 Mirror Building or Crawford Addition[2] at the northwest corner of Second and Spring, designed by Rowland Crawford[7] Site of the 1880s Nadeau Hotel and adjacent to its west, a building used as City Hall from 1884 to 1888.[8]
  3. The 1973 Pereira Addition,[2] a six-story glass and steel structure on the southeast corner of First and Broadway, which was inaugurated as the headquarters of the Times Mirror Company. The International-style wing designed by William Pereira "recapitulates the geometric order and monumentality of the Kaufmann structure", according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.[9]
  4. A parking garage at the northeast corner of Second and Broadway

The parking garage at 213 S. Spring, stretching from the west side of Spring to the east side of Broadway between 2nd and 3rd streets, is sometimes referred to as the "Los Angeles Times Parking Garage", but is not actually part of Times Mirror Square. On both sides there are relief sculptures by Tony Sheets, Evolution of Printing and Evolution of Los Angeles, respectively, created in 1988–1989.[10]

Gallery[edit]

  • The 1948 "Crawford Addition" building at the SE of the complex, NW corner of 2nd & Spring, September 2020
    The 1948 "Crawford Addition" building at the SE of the complex, NW corner of 2nd & Spring, September 2020
  • 1973 Pereira Addition at the NW of the complex, SE corner 1st and Broadway
    1973 Pereira Addition at the NW of the complex, SE corner 1st and Broadway
  • Relief sculpture Evolution of Printing by Tony Sheets on the Los Angeles Times parking garage at 213 S. Spring St., adjacent to Times Mirror Square on the south.
    Relief sculpture Evolution of Printing by Tony Sheets on the Los Angeles Times parking garage at 213 S. Spring St., adjacent to Times Mirror Square on the south.

History[edit]

See also: History of the Los Angeles Times

Times Mirror Square is located on a major portion of what was in the 1880s and 1890s, the central business district of Los Angeles.

On April 13, 2018, LA Times employees were notified that ownership was unable to reach a new lease agreement to remain in the Times Building. The staff of about 800 employees would relocate to a new campus under construction in suburban El Segundo, 17 miles (27 km) to the southwest when the lease at the Times Building expired on July 31, 2018.[7]

Onni Group, a Canadian developer which became the owner after Tribune Publishing lost control of its real estate in bankruptcy reorganization,[7] reportedly wanted to increase the monthly lease by $1 million.[11] The new Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong moved the paper to a building he owned in El Segundo, leaving the building empty.

The vacant building is currently underused, with vacant space being used for movie shoots, earning the company as much as $4 million one year.[7][4][6] The original building, despite its historic and architectural significance, is not listed as a historical landmark.[5] It is not in the listings of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, California Historical Landmarks, or U.S. Registered Historic Landmarks in Los Angeles. Onni has planned to redevelop the site.

Redevelopment[edit]

In 2018, The Onni Group, a real estate development company, proposed to demolish the 1973 wing and replace it with residential units and retail.[5][7] Two residential towers were proposed, a 37-story tower rising 365 feet and a taller 53-story building rising 655 feet.[12] The plans includes 1,100 apartments with 24 moderate-income units and 10 low-income units.[13] The design emphasizes walkability and retail around the Civic Center area of DTLA. Later in 2018, City Hall approved the demolition of all the additions to the original 1937 building, including the Pereira wing, to make way for the proposed towers.[5]

Lobby in the former Times building, 2018

The new underground Historic Broadway light rail station opened on June 16, 2023, on the 2nd Street side of the building, as part of the Regional Connector.[14][15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Steven Sharp (July 8, 2020). "Two Design Options for Times Mirror Square Redevelopment". Urbanize L.A.
  2. ^ a b c Schave, Richard (June 28, 2018), Times Mirror Square: Historic-Cultural Monument Application (PDF), Office of Historic Resources, Department of City Planning, City of Los Angeles, p. 6, retrieved September 28, 2020
  3. ^ Vincent, Roger (January 8, 2015). "Los Angeles Times site to be redeveloped". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ a b c DiMassa, Cara Mia (June 26, 2008). "Much has changed around the Los Angeles Times Building". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Miranda, Carolina (July 17, 2018). "Ugly carpets and green marble: The design of the Los Angeles Times buildings changed along with the city, though not always gracefully". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "15 films and TV series that filmed at the Los Angeles Times building". Los Angeles Times. July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e Curwen, Thomas (July 20, 2018). "For a brief, shining moment, Times Mirror Square was L.A.'s Camelot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  8. ^ Masters, Nathan (January 15, 2013). "CityDig: When Los Angeles City Hall Commanded the L.A. Skyline". Los Angeles Magazine. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "Times Mirror Square", Los Angeles Conservancy
  10. ^ Kerczek, John Daniel (2012). "Thesis: Historically-informed development in the Civic Center South area of Downtown Los Angeles". California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. doi:10.15368/theses.2012.98. S2CID 127849028. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ James, Meg; Chang, Andrea (April 13, 2018). "Patrick Soon-Shiong plans to move Los Angeles Times to new campus in El Segundo". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "First Look at the Times Mirror Square Redevelopment". January 24, 2017.
  13. ^ Smith, Dakota (February 10, 2021). "Council OKs plan for housing at former Times building amid calls for more affordable units". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Channick, Robert (January 8, 2015). "Tribune Media to redevelop Times Mirror Square in Los Angeles". Chicago Tribune.
  15. ^ Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority [@metrolosangeles] (May 22, 2023). "Metro Board Chair @AraJNajarian just announced the Regional Connector will open Friday, June 16! 🎉🚊Free rides that weekend!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 22, 2023 – via Twitter.

External links[edit]

Media related to Times Mirror Square at Wikimedia Commons


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