Can Frank Gehry’s ‘Grand LA’ Breathe Life into Downtown Los Angeles?
Also today: Inside the first Stargate AI data center, and the story of a secret apartment inside a dying mall.
Across the street from Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, retail remains more than half empty at the Gehry-designed Grand LA.
Photographer: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Grand LA, a mixed-use complex designed by Frank Gehry, promised to rejuvenate a neighborhood of financial towers and cultural institutions in downtown Los Angeles, replacing a parking lot across from the starchitect’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. The plan included a residential tower, hotel and a dining and retail hub aimed at boosting foot traffic.
But nearly three years after its opening in 2022, more than 60% of the complex’s retail spaces remain empty amid downtown’s struggle to recover from the pandemic, prompting developers to pivot their strategy. Instead of traditional retailers, a 20,000 square-foot artificial intelligence museum will serve as the Grand LA’s anchor, contributor Carolina A. Miranda reports. Today on CityLab: Can Frank Gehry’s ‘Grand LA’ Make Downtown Feel Like a Neighborhood?