No Reservations

0

A $2 billion plan to transform Century City’s landmark hotel site into a vast mixed-use complex of residences, offices, shops and a hotel hinges on the demolition of the iconic Century Plaza hotel and that has put preservationists on alert.

The specter of razing the hotel, which is known for hosting several U.S. presidents, prompted the leader of L.A.’s most prominent conservation group to declare that she wants to see the 1966 building spared the wrecking ball.

The new owner of what is officially named the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza wants to tear down the 726-room hotel at Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Avenue. That would give him a blank 5.75-acre canvas on which to paint his vision of the Century City of the future.

Developer Michael Rosenfeld wants to build two 50-story towers, which would be the tallest buildings in West Los Angeles. But the demolition would wipe out a building that has long been known as President Reagan’s hotel of choice in Los Angeles, in addition to being the site of presidential dinners, and a wide array of famed parties and society events.

That history weighs on the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Linda Dishman, who “absolutely” wants the building designated historic and placed on a list of landmarks, which would help protect it from demolition.

“I think the significance of the property both architecturally and culturally really demands that the preservationists raise the issues on the importance of this building,” said Dishman, the executive director of the non-profit conservancy.

Any effort to preserve the structure will be a challenge to the hotel’s ownership group, Next Century Associates, which comprises Rosenfeld and D.E. Shaw Group of New York. Rosenfeld, who leads the development effort, will also have to contend with a well-organized group of nearby homeowners associations that have battled projects in the area over traffic concerns. Then there’s the tanking economy, which has ravaged the local real estate business.

Still, Rosenfeld who has owned the hotel for less than a year is optimistic.

“The opportunity to re-envision one of the most significant urban centers in an internationally significant city like Los Angeles is a tremendous privilege and tremendous responsibility,” said Rosenfeld, who purchased the property with the Shaw Group in May for $367 million.

Rosenfeld said that he bought the hotel because of its value as a core real estate asset, but by midsummer he became inspired by a 2007 planning document commissioned by area stakeholders and City Councilman Jack Weiss that calls for a “green” Century City. Rosenfeld said that his proposed project would follow those guidelines.

“We believe that this will positively change the entire character of the Westside in bringing mixed-use and a new urban-friendly project that achieves both the planning and transportation goals of the city of Los Angeles,” he said.

Rosenfeld, president of L.A.-based real estate investor and developer Woodridge Capital LLC, has completed several projects in the past. He launched construction of the Carlyle condo building on Wilshire Boulevard and sold it midproject in 2007 for $140 million.


The hotel

The 19-story Century Plaza, which fronts Avenue of the Stars and faces the new 2000 Avenue of the Stars office building that houses talent agency Creative Artists Agency, opened in 1966 as the cornerstone development of the new Century City area, which was built on the former 20th Century Fox backlot.

The hotel was designed by the late Minoru Yamasaki, the architect who also designed the World Trade Center twin towers in New York. Since opening, it has hosted a slew of significant people and events: In 1969, President Nixon hosted a state dinner at the hotel and years later Reagan made it his hotel of choice during his presidency.

“It was the Western White House because it was his lodging of choice,” said Ken Bernstein, the manager of the city’s Office of Historic Resources. “I myself remember seeing him there in the early 1980s.”

The hotel, with its curved fa & #231;ade, is one of L.A.’s prime examples of the modern architecture of the 1960s.

Rosenfeld’s project, announced last month, includes a dedicated condo tower and another that would house the replacement Century Plaza hotel, along with offices and condos. Stores with rooftop gardens would be built around a plaza that would include water features and abundant greenery. In all, the plan calls for 293 condos, a 240-room luxury hotel, and about 100,000 square feet of both retail and office space.

Project architect Henry Cobb, whose firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners worked on the original plans for Century City in the late 1950s, said the decision to raze the hotel wasn’t made lightly.

“We’ve tried very hard to imagine this space as a place for people, a place that will be full of life,” said Cobb, who also designed what is now the U.S. Bank Tower in downtown, L.A.’s tallest building. “You don’t just remove things arbitrarily the removal of the Century Plaza hotel, which is a building that has a lot of history to it now, is something that has to be evaluated in light of the character and quality of what replaces it.”

However, Mike Eveloff, president of the local Tract 7260 Homeowners Association, said that in addition to traffic that would be created by the new project, the loss of the Century Plaza would take away some of the character of Century City.

“The Century Plaza has been part of this community for a long time,” he said. “It is an iconic building.”


Moving forward

Rosenfeld would like to break ground in three years. In at least one way it’d be perfect timing the development could be getting under way as the economy presumably has rebounded.

The developer’s time line calls for completion in 2015. Before that, he will need a series of approvals. A draft environmental report that would address impacts and mitigations is expected to be filed with the city later this year.

Dishman said her organization is “seriously considering pursuing designation of the property.” The property could be designated historic on the city, state or national registers, any of which could complicate or halt the razing.

“We are looking at all options,” she said.

Rosenfeld said: “While we acknowledge that the Century Plaza has nostalgic value, we don’t believe that it is an architecturally important asset that is irreplaceable and it is our firm belief that an important part of the planning in any city involves embracing the future, which is an ever-evolving vision.”

But even a historic designation or a finding in the EIR that the hotel is a historic resource doesn’t guarantee the hotel ironclad protection from demolition, according to Bernstein of L.A.’s Historic Resources Office. The City Council has the power of decision on the necessary entitlements.

Bernstein said the project could obtain a statement of overriding consideration, which means that the benefits of it outweigh any problems.

“But the legislative body needs to substantiate those considerations and make findings to back them up,” Bernstein said.

Lisa Hansen, deputy chief of staff for Councilman Weiss, whose district includes Century City, said in an e-mail that it is too early in the process for Weiss to take a position on the project.

Hansen said Weiss would “ensure that any historic designation application will have a full public-hearing process to allow review and discussion on the merits.”

No posts to display