What was once a razed office building turned accidental feral cat colony is about to become a playful complement to Grand Park.
FAB Park, a design from firms MLA, OMA and IDEO, has been chosen to occupy the nearly two-acre site on the corner of First Street and Broadway (hence "FAB") in Downtown Los Angeles. The park is expected to cost $28 million, much of which has already been secured through developer-related fees, and is planned to open in 2019.
The winning design focuses on a central plaza surrounded by sculpted canopies and mature oak and sycamore trees. The park is being pegged as a crossroads of sorts for anyone living, working or exploring in the area and will feature both a communal plaza and some more naturally intimate spaces.
Photograph: Courtesy OMA
Local landscape architects Mia Lehrer + Associates, who designed Vista Hermosa, are leading the project. The design manages to strike a balance between concrete walkways, shade structures and lush green space. Sure, there's not a ton of grass, but with Grand Park's event lawn next door it's an understandable omission.
Photograph: Courtesy OMA
In addition to the park's lush leisure spaces, it'll feature a multi-story restaurant designed by OMA, the firm fronted by famed architect Rem Koolhaas—though Koolhaas himself is not involved in the project. The structure will house a more casual experience on the ground and a fine dining option inside, with an edible garden on the rooftop and an amphitheater tucked underneath.
Photograph: Courtesy OMA
So why not just annex this plot of land as a part of Grand Park? The neighboring green space was a joint venture between the city, county and developed Related Companies, whereas this new park is on a former piece of state-owned land bought by LA's Department of Recreation and Parks in 2013—after Grand Park was already open.
The design was chosen by the Bureau of Engineering in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, the 14th Council District Office and the Department of Recreation and Parks, who had put out a call to pre-approved firms to draft a plan for the park before coming up with four finalists: AECOM, Landscape Architects; Brooks + Scarpa Architects; Eric Owen Moss Architects; and Mia Lehrer + Associates, Landscape Architects.
Photograph: Courtesy OMA
Photograph: Courtesy OMA