One year after buying the immense California Market Center (CMC) in Downtown Los Angeles, Brookfield has unveiled plans for a $170-million overhaul of the 1.85-million-square-foot complex.
Opened in the 1960s, the historic building located in downtown Los Angeles will experience a two-phase renovation that should be completed in 2020 and will transform the 1.85-million-square-foot space into a “…21st-century mixed-use creative office and fashion industry campus in the heart of DTLA,” according to Brookfield Properties.
“With Brookfield’s $170-million investment in this storied business center, DLTA will take
another giant step forward in its evolution as a forward-thinking, 24/7 live-work business district. With an inviting, amenity-rich, and open streetscape, sweeping public space, year-round activations, and unmatched floorplates, the new CMC will draw more creative firms to the heart of DTLA while elevating the region’s existing fashion industry,” Bert Dezzutti, western region executive vice president for Brookfield Office Properties said in a press release.
The current CMC space comprises three interconnected 13-story buildings and a two-story former bank. This entire area will be remodeled by San Francisco-based architecture-and-design firm Gensler, whose local Los Angeles-based projects have included the Banc of California Stadium and CBRE LA North, Masonic Temple in addition to social-media giant Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters.
Planned improvements include:
- recladding the building’s facade with floor-to-ceiling glass windows
- adding skybridges to connect all floors between the three buildings
- the construction of a 5,000-square-foot rooftop amenity space for tenants
- the removal of a two-story retail structure (the Pad Building) at 9th and Main to create a 13,700-square-foot landscaped plaza with space for outdoor events
- adding “fashion-focused” building amenities
In addition to new open space, CMC’s fortress-like ground level will be made more inviting to pedestrians through the creation of 150,000 square feet of retail space, with room for outdoor seating and dining.
While much of the property will serve as office space, Brookfield’s plan will continue to emphasize CMC’s importance to the fashion industry. Going forward, the bulk of the property’s fashion tenants will be concentrated into Building C, which will be improved with polished concrete floors and open concept spaces.
“The significant changes underway across the entire block–including the removal of the ‘Pad Building,’ the creation of prominent, public open space and the introduction of an unrivaled tenant roof deck–will not only strengthen CMC as a fashion hub, but it will draw all types of forward-thinking companies from across the city while also bringing in workers, residents and visitors from the surrounding community,” Rob Jernigan, co-regional managing principal at Gensler, said in a statement. “Brookfield’s $170-million investment is poised to be a game-changing catalyst for this corner of DTLA.”
Along with polished concrete floors, open-concept space, modern lighting and state-of-the-art technology, the site’s fashion tenants can expect to be concentrated within Building C—the first building to be renovated.
Construction for the CMC renovation is already underway, and is expected to be carried out in two phases. Completion is anticipated in 2020.
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