CRE Awards 2020: Best Public Project

THE MUSIC CENTER PLAZA

Location: 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles

Developer: The Music Center / Performing Arts Center of LA County

Contractor: MATT Construction

Architect: RCH Studios

The mission with this project was not just to resurrect, but to transform the central circulation area into a “plaza for all,” an outdoor performance venue and pedestrian-centered nexus for meaningful artistic engagement. Revitalizing a historic sector of downtown Los Angeles alongside other nearby restoration efforts has created a vibrant hub for visitors. The MCP’s noteworthy municipal and artistic neighbors include the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles City Hall and the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The renovated Plaza has become a public square where people can connect over food and art and attend free and low-cost activities and events. The design pays homage to MCP’s origins while updating it to meet the needs of its vibrant, diverse 21st-century community. Major infrastructure improvements include enhanced access, such as ADA seating in the bar areas and ADA-accessible entry points. Also constructed are five new buildings: the Lisa Specht Welcome Center, the Mullin Wine Bar, Go Get Em Tiger, Abernethy’s restaurant and a dedicated public restroom building.

LONG BEACH CIVIC CENTER

Location: 411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach

Developer: Plenary Properties Long Beach, LLC

Contractor: Clark Construction Group — California, LP

Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP

The Long Beach Civic Center (LBCC), a multi-faceted development in the heart of downtown Long Beach, encompasses a new city hall and civic chambers, a headquarters for the Port of Long Beach, and a public library. The project replaced maintenance-plagued, seismically-unsafe structures with new civic buildings that play a vital role in the city’s efforts to revitalize downtown Long Beach without added cost to taxpayers. The state-of-the-art Civic Center development was delivered under an innovative public-private partnership, utilizing a design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract.

FINALIST

ROBERT FROST AUDITORIUM

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