first look: belmont station apartments
Followers of the five-story Belmont Station project, formerly known as Northwest Gateway, may be familiar with the site’s historic role in our city’s once-expansive streetcar transit system.
The new earth-toned apartment complex is sandwiched between the First Street Bridge and the Belmont Tunnel on a former dirt lot in City West. Completion is expected in April of this year.
Red Car trolleys once exited the now-inoperable tunnel — Los Angeles’s original subway — on their way to Echo Park, Glendale and Burbank, once far-flung suburbs of the city. These days some die-hard commuters drive in from Lancaster and Victorville every morning. No, thanks!
A Changing Neighborhood
Today, the neighborhood known as City West is being completely reshaped by new housing developments, schools and parks. Belmont Station Apartments is located just west of the long-delayed Vista Hermosa school and recreation complex, across the street from its 14-acre park component set to open soon.
The historic substation at the rear of the property that once provided the juice to power Pacific Electric trains is protected by preservation statutes and cannot be altered.
However, the structure may be sandblasted to remove decades of graffiti or painted to match its original color. Crews testing exterior paint chips found some with 150 to 200 layers of spray paint, a telling sign that the derelict station (and the site in general) was once a playground for graffiti artists and the homeless.
The nearby Belmont Tunnel portal will be completely sealed, cleaned and refreshed with landscaping. The developer Essex Property Trust is considering painting a mural on the face of the tunnel to give the illusion of openness and depth.
Other enhancements to the grounds include a proposed mini-park for residents’ use, complete with a dog fountain, “piddle patch” and dog run —all this in addition to the broad hillside green space close by.
So Many Floorplans
Over 40 different floorplans make Belmont Station a unique leasing juncture. Studios, one- and two-bedrooms (some with loft spaces) ranging from 500 to 1,850 square feet are included. “If we can’t find an apartment for you, no one can,” joked Darcey Forbes, marketing and communications manager for Essex Property Trust.
Apartments are outfitted with granite countertops, black- and stainless-steel appliances, carpeted floors and in-unit washers and dryers.
An Art Deco-style clubhouse with period-revival furnishings and fixtures will provide a fun environment for watching the game. Other resident amenities include a 14-seat screening room, outdoor pool, spa, fitness center, resident lounge and business center.
In addition to 220 market-rate units, the development contains a whopping 55 units for low-income families. A growing waiting list already containing over 100 names illustrates the insatiable need for such housing options in Downtown.
Edge of Downtown, Close to Echo Park
With all the betterment Belmont Station brings to City West, it misses the mark on ground-floor retail — there is none. Moreover, there aren’t many neighborhood amenities within a short walking distance, a disadvantage that may discourage potential residents.
Even still, an quick bus ride up Glendale Boulevard brings you to Echo Park’s strip of galleries, cafes and shops. In fact, the apartments are closer to this trendy stretch of Sunset than to the Downtown’s Old Bank District. Plus, the jogging path, taco trucks and food vendors around the lake make for a bona fide urban vibe, much more than the elevated walkways of Bunker Hill ever could.
Belmont Station Apartments
2nd & Glendale, City West District
866-360-4985
belmontstationla.com
-Complete Belmont Station Apartments Construction Photo Set
-Other First Look Coverage
New to Downtown LA? angelenic.com is the neighborhood resource for those living, working and visiting Downtown Los Angeles.
Check out our restaurant news for the latest on Downtown’s expanding dining scene. Sign up for our RSS feed or email feed to receive angelenic in your inbox every morning!
9 comments
This place looks amazing! I am excited because I have a dog and with a dog park that is really ideal.
Before it was a “dirt lot” it was known as Toluca Yard, and was a Pacfic Electric railroad yard with about 10 tracks.
I believe that the PCC cars on the Glendale/Burbank Route (P.E.’s second most ridden route, and the only one that ran PCC cars) would lay over at this yard during the day outside of rush hours. When the afternoon rush came, they would shoot into the tunnel for the one mile ride to Subway Terminal Building at 4th and Hill, where they would pick up riders for the afternoon commute to Glendale and Burbank.
Those trains last ran in 1955.
I’m glad that this once forsaken neighborhood is coming back to life at such a rapid pace after more than a 45-year hiatus! The apartments look great!
I’m sad they can’t use the old Pacific Electric subway tunnel for a modern light rail line. It used to take the train only 90 seconds to get from 1st and Glendale to the Subway Terminal Building. The same trip today takes over 20 minutes in morning rush-hour.
Thank you Essex Property Trust for the low income units, I do not hear about too many nice building that will except low income applicants. If you are one of the low income tenants, do not plow a good thing, following the house rules. It is a beautiful building. My daughter and I both work, would live there, but I accepted a resident manager position at a senior building.
Thank for the opportunity to live in a great place with a lot of comfortes.cecilia.
Thank for the opportunity to live in a great place with a lot of comfortes for all the familly.cecilia
they are nice aparments.i am actually a painter & we are doing the painting there.
one word gentrification
and is that really such a bad thing?
Leave a Comment