first look: great republic lofts
This blog has moved to Twitter! Check out my twitter feed for the latest restaurant, retail, and cultural news in the neighborhood.
Don’t start second-guessing the name, this one you probably haven’t heard anything about.
Convermat Corporation’s Great Republic Lofts — a small-scale conversion comprised of 72 boutique loft condominiums in a slender, 13-story tower at 8th and Spring — has been maintaining a low-profile since interior work began last year.
The New York-based tissue paper purveyor-turned-developer is working with David Gray Architects of Santa Monica to re-envision the 1920s Beaux Arts structure, which project reps state will be delivered by fall 2008 (realistically, early 2009).
Approximately 80,000 square-feet balanced on small building footprint leaves room for only six units per floor, 40 which of will have corner floor plans with unobstructed city views.
To reach a larger pool of buyers, all floor plans will be single-bedroom configurations under 1,000 square-feet, allowing for affordable prices ranging from mid-$300s to the $500s. Additional half bathrooms in many units suggest the developer may be targeting young couples, perhaps looking to become first time homeowners. (No large penthouses units are included in the project.)
But the fair price point doesn’t mean interior finishes or the list of luxuries is lacking. Original brick walls and large windows characterize the living spaces that will contain wood floors, glass-tiled bathrooms and designer kitchens. A video intercom security system will link upper-level residents to a white marble -walled lobby facing Spring Street.
All residential amenities have been limited to the compact rooftop area, where a landscaped terrace with lounge seating, outdoor spa, and bathroom-sized workout room will be packed closely together.
While the development may not be distinguishable from other adaptive-use projects we’ve seen before, its 8th Street location is worth noting. Along with the National City Tower Lofts across the street (also under construction), the Great Republic Lofts will help co-anchor a slowly evolving pocket of restaurants and boutiques growing around the Main/Spring fork.
Three commercial spaces over 4,500 square-feet will bring in new businesses to a block already home to Angelique Cafe, Candice Held Boutique/Dalessio Gallery and the upcoming vegetarian oasis Infusion Cafe. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is rumored to be sniffing around the area, also close to L’Angelo Cafe, Wood Spoon and Full Moon restaurant.
-Great Republic Lofts Photo Set
Southeast corner view from Main Street
Marble-Walled Lobby, Entrance Facing Spring Street
Lobby Rendering
Elevator Lobby
Ground Floor Retail Space, Notice the Ceiling Architectural Detail
All Units Characterized by Original Brick Interiors
Living Room Rendering
Unit Interior with Glass Tile Backsplash in Kitchen
Finished Unit Interior Rendering
Glass Tiled Bathrooms
Bathroom Rendering
Skyline View from Great Republic Lofts Upper Levels
Rooftop Workout Room to be Glass Enclosed
Sloped Area to be Landscaped
Rooftop Spa
Rooftop Rendering Showing all Resident Amenities
22 comments
Here’s a link (courtesy “you-are-here” website) to another picture of this 1927 building. Wow, sure looks better in the lead photo!
http://www.you-are-here.com/downtown/life_insurance.html
Thanks. I’ve been curious about this building every time I walk by it.
I could be totally wrong here….but isn’t this building by the same guys who did the Chapman?
Does anyone this this will go rental too?
Always a Party:
It’s not the same developer as The Chapman. Convermat is a first time developer - from what I understand, they’re primarily a tissue paper company.
Also, at this point, there are no plans to go rental.
me likey.
I think the developer is being conservative and realistic considering how the economy is currently and for some time to come.
I would seriously consider this building, I like that its very centrally located in downtown.
I like this area way better than any fancy new place in south park ( and maybe because i’m priced out of south park lol)
It is bigger than a hotel room and you really just need it for the 3 -S’s ..shower,sleep and sh*t
the surrounding urban city of los angeles is your oyster and playground to feast upon.
Well at least for me it would and is.
It looks great, especially the rooftop. What sucks is that already some asshole loser taggers have tagged the side of the building. What losers.
What’s up with the parking???? I hear it’s just a rented lot for a few years.
The rooftop spa looks great…
Biggest room is only 980 Sq Ft? They should have made at least one or two larger rooms, as ther is always someone who wants to be a little bit “elite”, and would spend the extra cash. MIght wind up with a family who need space for their kid, or office.
Anyway, the place looks fantastic, and the views look great too. I’m still hoping for a building with a lap “pool” that runs around the perimeter of the building
the thing that seems the most amazing about this building is the views. it looks like units amazing views from at lease three sides because of the corner the building is on. can’t wait to get inside and take a look from the inside out! When can i do that? looks like i may get a flat in the City!
the little skinny building that could! great location, views and I really like that each floor only has 6 units. i can’t wait to see it up close and in-person.
This is some of the best looking living space I have seen in the downtown L.A. loft scene. I have been inside the building and have seen all the units on at least 2 mid level floors. The rooftop view IS the real deal for sure! The parking is a bit of a problem, though. The lot next door is owned by the developer (or so I was told) and has a totat of 60 spaces ONLY. There are 72 units sooo….do the math! It will likely have valet type parking with fees still to be determined. I wish it was a Mills Act building, but it is not. If that tax advantage were in place I would reserve a unit in a heartbeat!
Hi, i just wanted to comment about The great Republic lofts, its a scam
i moved last may, and i was looking forward to my new apartment, i was living at the Barlet at that time for more than a year, by my landlord sold it and give me less than 30 days notice, since i love living in downtown, i went to take a look of all the new buildings. they have good deals, cause i guess some were loosing tenants, and others were new, and have to fill the building, i narrowed my search between the Chapman, SB lofts, and The great republic lofts, this was the last building i saw, when i visit it, i asked an important question for me, since im not american and i had a visa to work in my company i relay on them, if they fired me i loose my visa, if i dont have a visa i cant live in US. so i asked about a breaking lease fee, cause the Chapman did advertise the “no worry lease” so they asked me why and i told them about my inmigrant status, i guess they were anxious to rent it, so they and they told me they would understand that situation, but they didnt want to advertise it like others, cause they didnt want to attract people that would break the lease for not liking downtown or whatever othe excuse.
Hearing that, i was excited about thea building it is pretty nice, dont get me wrong, they were building a laundry room by the time,( they said it was gonna be ready by may 15, but i didnt mind, i could handle 15 days without doing laundry. ) so, i was ready to rent, they told me they have an extra fee for pets, weird cause in downtown everyone has a pet, and the apartments dont have carpet, but when i spoke to the manager Jenny Colon, she told me
that we can avoid that, so when i signed my contract, in the part asking for pets, she told me to put none, and i did, and never pay the fee. Now, i lived there just for 2 months and have to get out to renew my visa, im having problems with that, so is 99% that im not getting it, it’s been since june 26 that i left my apartment, hoping to be back in a week, Now that it looks like i can go back even to pick up my things, i told the manager of my building that with my situation, i wouldnt be able to keep renting the apartment so i was letting them know that september will be my last month. And then it alll changed, they always were very nice to me, but now they are asking me for a breaking lease fee, that they told me didnt have if leaving the apartment was beyond my control, but they dont care about that, they say is my fault to get fired, and even if im willing to pay the other fees they are asking for, they insist they i have to pay more than one month rent for breaking the lease that they told me i wouldnt have to pay, believe me, with so many choices in downtown i would it go someplace else.
conclusion?; dont believe anything they say if they dont put it on paper, they just want their commission and dont care about what they told you or you at all. dont move to the great republic lofts” its a great scam.
and after 2 months living there, i never saw the laundry room finished.
NOTRENTINGANYMORE - your lesson here is to get everything in writing. When you rent an apartment, you are in a contract and have obligations to fulfill your end of it. I have been nothing but happy at Great Republic and their staff is extremely professional and accommodating. I think your post is only a small part of the real story. You are saying GRL is a scam because they held you accountable for the contract you signed. Why should it only work in your favor? If you want to leave at any time you should be able to, but if the owners want to evict you or raise your rent, then THEY must abide by your lease agreement?
It sounds like you wanted the best of both worlds, a nice place to live, reasonable rent, AND no commitment. Considering your situation, maybe you should have found a place that allowed to to go month to month or some shorter lease term.
Great Republic is a really nice place to live and all the residents I’ve met so far seem responsible, not immature partying types with no respect for where they live. This week the building only has 3 vacancies, so I think they are doing something right, and the owners are here every week in person, checking on their building. I’ve never seen that before in any building I’ve ever lived in.
By the way, the laundry room opened around Aug. 1, 2009. It’s very nicely done, although I bought a washer and used the in unit hookups, which most rentals don’t have.
No,Happy@great, im just saying is a scam cause they told me things to get me to rent there, and then didn’t keep their word. i was naive enough to believe them and didnt ask them to put on the contract. that was my fault, and im paying for that. is not that i want everything in my favor, but when you have a lot of options, you have the right to choose, if they lie to get you there, for me that is the problem. and yes is a small part of the whole picture, i was happy with all the staff as well. Im just explaining my situation, is not that i want to break the lease, cause i changed my mind about the apartment, is beyond my control to move out, and i asked before movin in, and they lie to get me there, that’s it, if its working for you, great, And good thing they have the laundry going, not at the time that they told me, but i didnt mind at that point, i was one of the first ones moving in, and i enjoyed it very much, until now.
and all SB spring, lofts manhattan, etc, the bartlett, and 80% of rentals in downtown has washer and dryer inside the units.
For someone so misinformed about their responsibilities as a tenant, I find it amazing that you have such accurate statistics on what percentage of the downtown rentals have washers and dryers in the units.
I guess Santa Fe, Pacific Electric, San Fernando, Gas Co., and Security Bldg. are the 20% that don’t?
yes they are part of that 20%.
and excuse me if i was misinformed, but what part of : they told me i didnt have to pay a break lease fee, you dont understand?.I already accepted that my fault was to didnt make them put that on my lease.
that was my fault and im paying for trusting them.believe me, i wont do that again.
and beside all, this is my personal opinion, based on my personal experience, it doesnt mean that the same is going to happen to everyone, and i guess that everyone is really happy to live there, like i was. this is just a learning for the people that WANT to take it, you CAN’T trust someone that is trying to sell you something or a service, you should always get everything that you are asking for, and they are giving you in writing. and this is not only for the GRB, this is for everyone, in my case, it happen there. im glad you’re enjoying renting there, but you dont know what i talked to them, and why they told me. unless your work there, and are part of the management.
I think making a post saying that Great Republic Lofts is a “scam” is not very helpful. How is not living up to your lease agreement a scam? I think you are a scammer using your immigrant status as an excuse to break your lease. We can post back and forth all day and all night about this, but the fact is that you broke a contract and it was naive of you to think that you would not be accountable for your actions, like everyone else is.
You signed a lease, you broke the lease, I’m sure you lost your deposit, so move on with your life. Great Republic Lofts is not a scam, it is a business. Having a verbal understanding instead of something in writing doesn’t get you very far if the staff or management changes. Maybe things are done differently in your home country, maybe everything is done by word of mouth, I can only guess. But you were foolish to think that you wouldn’t be held to a legal contract. If they are truly in the wrong, sue them in small claims court and let us know how it all works out for you.