Plans have been unveiled for Above, a 350,000sf ground-up creative office project that will support the continuing regeneration of Los Angeles’ Arts District.
Owned and entitled by LA-based The Legendary Group, the 17-story Class A project will consist primarily of 311,000 sf of office space on 12 floors plus 22,000 sf of ground floor production, retail, and/or food & beverage space. There are also three levels of subterranean parking and four levels of above grade parking. Construction is scheduled for mid-2023, with delivery estimated early in 2026.
The Legendary Group, together with Brookfield Residential, also developed The Aliso mixed-use project in the Arts District. Consisting of five low-rise buildings featuring 472 live/work residential units over 22,000 sf of ground-floor commercial space, The Aliso was built in 2019 and has enjoyed great leasing success.
Cushman & Wakefield Vice Chairman Mike Condon Jr, , Vice Chairman, senior director Brittany Winn, associates McKenna Gaskill and Pete Collins, and Scott Menkus from the firm’s Los Angeles office have been retained by The Legendary Group to spearhead leasing efforts for Above.
“New developments such as Above, along with under construction projects like 2130 Violet, and 520 Mateo look to be the next wave of modern high-rise projects, propelling the Arts District beyond a mom and pop, adaptive reuse market into what should be the top tenant attracting market in all of Los Angeles,” says Mike Condon.
Located at 411 S Hewitt St, Above will be a one-of-a-kind project with modern amenities and design functions, including one super floor, private outdoor patios on every floor, floor to ceiling glass, 360-degree views of Southern California, and a breezeway providing direct access between Hewitt St to Colyton St.
“The project is equipped with multiple, high-clear spaces on the ground floor and throughout the stack, which is tailored toward an explosion of production and creative tenants in need of space with volume,” adds Winn. “Of the 4 million square feet of new inquiries we have seen over the last 12 months in the Arts District, over 25 per cent of these requirements have included a need for high clear space and Above has been designed to meet the demands of the market.”
The property is strategically positioned within walking distance to numerous retail, dining and entertainment amenities while the headquarters of several high-profile tech companies also surround the property. The location also provides quick access to a centralized freeway network.
The Legendary Group will lead development of the Above project with a team headed by Surj Soni and Dilip Bhavnani and designer Gensler – with Eric Stultz taking on the role of project lead. The project team also includes Edgar Khalatian from Mayer Brown, and Travis Cullen and Johanna Falzarano who are with Envicom.
Gaskill says: “The Arts District has recently seen an emergence of tenants looking for unique creative office space as demand looks to outweigh supply—we received nearly 800,000 square feet in tenant inquiries in Q1-2022.
“Tenants’ desire to grow their business here is stronger than ever, exemplified by several recent headquarters relocations into the area by prominent companies in a variety of industries. The Arts District is helping reshape Los Angeles from a sprawled metropolis into a city with a thriving urban core and has become a hotspot for exciting tenants to plant their flag, but also a place where people want to live and stay.”
