little tokyo mall could get showy new exterior
As lease negotiations with new Korean businesses lead the Little Tokyo Shopping Center toward a future that doesn’t quite fit its name, new owners are hoping to give the complex a fresh identity to mark the times.
New renderings available from SLAB Architects show the bland three-story concrete block building, built in the mid-1980s, with a bright plum-colored facade embellishment — an eye-catcher arguably more suited for the LA Live area than the fringe of the Arts District.
The wrap-around shell, if carried out as shown, would cover a large portion of the elevation along Alameda and extend to the main entrance on 3rd Street. A slightly translucent material and over-sized billboards are part of the design.
And changes wouldn’t stop there.
A new interior image shows the mall’s atrium with a multi-story art chandelier where a Japanese fire tower replica now stands, another step away from the original flavor that has given the building its title of “America’s largest Japanese indoor shopping mall.”
These aesthetic changes should come as no surprise in light of recent news, as the group of new investors hopes to gain better visibility for their $35.5 million asset stuck in a second-rate location, a move to boost appeal to more mainstream tenant prospects — the most recent of which is similar to Spa Castle, a universally popular Korean super spa in New York City.
According to SLAB, the proposed alterations — most certain to turn heads and stir interest from the street — are still under consideration.
What’s your opinion of the new design? Let us know in the comments below!
Little Tokyo Shopping Center New Conceptual Exterior
25 comments
Talk about underwhelming. It looks like a Circuit City.
Although Im all for updating and revamping little tokyo, this new look doesnt do anything for me. If they plan on changing out the exterior, do it all the way through. The mix and match look doesnt work. Feels like a cheap cover up.
looks tacky
Fantastic design. I would shop there in a minute!
they need to bring back the movie theater and bowling alley as they had in the 80′s!:)
It certainly would look better than it does now. That place is a dump that doesn’t have anywhere worth shopping.
I appreciate the effort, but I think these new owners should look no farther than the shopping centers from their own motherland. There is a shopping center in Seoul literally covered in LED lights. It looks fabulous and attracts plenty of attention and shoppers as a result.
The rendering above COULD BE executed successfully based on the material of that dark purple facade. Designer boutiques across the world usually have simple and elegant designs that uphold their upscale reputation.
Nevertheless, I would have to agree with some here that covering the facade partially with this unknown material is ambiguous at best. Why not “go all the way” and embellish the entire center? Why cover only 75% of it? Doesn’t make sense given that the old concrete block facade is hardly anything worth preserving.
Looks like they threw a piece of tuna over it.
MMMMMM… nigiri-mall-zushi.
Wow that sucks. Great idea, terrible execution. Please try again.
I agree with loveandhatela that bringing back the bowling alley (which was open 24 hours) and/or a movie theater would provide some engagement other than retail shopping.
Regarding the rendering shown, it is rather underwhelming if only for the reason that it fails to mitigate the severity of the building at the pedestrian level. A more visually stimulating facade would be an improvement but human scaled street access and street level venues would truly enhance that block.
they should slap a GIANT hello kitty face on the facade.
I agree with Hello, looks like a cheap cover-up. I hope they go back to the drawing board with this one.
Isnt the building all block? maybe its done for structural (cost) reasons, youd have to recalculate the load on those walls to open it up, still it could be better
Here is the department store I’m talking about in Seoul that’s wrapped in LED lighting: http://os.typepad.com/my_weblog/images/led_02_seoul_green.jpg
The rendering does not mesh with the neighborhood the developers may find they grossly mis-judged the market. It’s interesting how the one Korean restaurant currently in that mall is by far the least popular.
Consider the mall at 7th and Fig: it’s in a much busier location and a unique open-air/underground concept that far surpasses this SLAB proposal – and yet the number of vacancies is ridiculous. Malls in any style are too suburban for a neighborhood that is moving fast towards a vibrant street life. Despite need for a renovation, the outdoor Japanese Village Plaza is thriving because it generates an urban appeal.
The plans by the Korean investors for the Little Tokyo Shopping Center seem far more vindictive that based on sound business decisions.
>> Consider the mall at 7th and Fig: it’s in a much busier location and a unique open-air/underground concept that far surpasses this SLAB proposal – and yet the number of vacancies is ridiculous. <<
That suggests the problem is not just in poor design but in the weakness of downtown for mainstream shopping.
For a variety of reasons, the area does well in luring customers to the bargain-rack shops of Broadway and the garment district. But quite a few of the shoppers who support more upscale, or merely typical suburban-mall-type (and also typical downtown Chicago, Seattle, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, not to mention downtown Santa Monica, Pasadena) retailing, avoid downtown LA. In that regard, our downtown has more in common with what’s true of some of the most decentralized, demoralized and hollowed-out cities of the country (Cleveland? Detroit? Dallas?).
Compare that with the customer base of, for example, New York City, which has remained large enough to keep its original (and huge) Macy’s department store going full steam ahead. Or, in the west, the shoppers of downtown San Francisco being plentiful enough to keep their own large Macy’s operating at maximum speed.
Even more telling, a high-priced department store run by the same company that owns Macy’s recently opened its second largest branch in America a few hundred yards from the very same Macy’s in downtown San Francisco.
Unfortunately, because various groups of us (or our predecessors) in Los Angeles allowed our city’s downtown to become very decayed, non-competitive and unlovely, beginning at least around the 1940s, as growing amounts of money started flowing out of downtown to other communities, the problems today are far more difficult than they’d otherwise be, and much harder to resolve.
The moral of this story is that people should never allow their city to become too decayed, non-competitive and unlovely in the first place. So pox on all our houses for not acting sooner to turn around the situation.
I agree with most of the comments regarding the Slab design. It doesn’t look that great, but, it is a very early stage dipiction of what it may become. I’m sure the final result will be much more appealing. I am happy that the investors are putting in the effort that was non-existant by the previous owners. I’ve been here a few times and each time it was a graveyard. I’m not sure how the stores inside even stay in business. I’m hoping the new investors not only give the place a much needed facelift, but, also attract better stores that are worth shopping at. The suggestion for a bowling alley re-opening would be great. Maybe a Lucky Strike type of place. My only other suggestion would be to make Beard Papas stay open later than 6pm. There have been so many times when I craved for a cream puff after dinner.
hello kitty faces all over it would be better… it is atrocious… looks like a giant bandaid.
IMO, the design is modern, sleek, colorful, and will attract more attention than the current bland, fortress-like cement facade. AND…. they need to open up the entire ground level to make it more pedestrian friendly.
Looks like it wants to be Beverly Center Jr.
And very Eighties. Which might a plus for some people…
A couple of kids at sci-arc could whip that crap up in 5 mins.
Seriously though, this design is awful in my judgement.
They want some of that La live aesthetic fairy dust to be sprinkled over their cinderblock galleria.
Try again please.
Tim’s right, it looks like fricken Circuit City.
i agree….open up the street level retail stores to attract some pedestrians. And replace the wall with some sort of huge glass opening so that outsiders can see how nice it looks on the inside. The exterior does no justice to the interior.
I like the interior, but I don’t like the exterior.
The interior appears to go for an ethnically neutral, modern minimalist look. The exterior has “let’s make it look like Downtown Live” vibe to it all the way.
# 7,
An entire building in LED lights may work in Asia, but I don’t think it will play in that sleepy part of LA. IMHO, it will look tacky.
Oh, and everyone… all must bear in mind that the renderings are early stage. You know, an essay in rough draft form. I wouldn’t consider it as the final draft at this point.
I dont want a Korean Mall, of Only Korean stores in Little Tokyo. They have their own town, Keep Little Tokyo for Japanese Americans and their mom and pop stores. Koreatown has their own malls why build here?