One year after breaking ground, a large apartment tower is starting to rise next to the Figat7th shopping mall in Downtown Los Angeles.
The project, which is being developed by Figat7th landlord Brookfield, will occupy a long-empty lot at 960 W. 7th Street. Approved plans call for a slender glass-and-steel tower containing 784 apartments - including studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units - above an 831-car garage.
Designed by Marmol Radziner and LARGE Architecture, the tower will rise 56 stories in height from its main entrance at Figat7th's upper level. When including above-grade parking levels fronting 8th Street, the tower will stand 64 stories - or roughly 695 feet above ground level.
In addition to housing, the 960 W. 7th Street will incorporate amenity decks above its podium and roof levels. The building will also front the Figat7th terrace and 8th Street with small commercial spaces.
A new staircase between 7th and 8th Streets will address an approximately 36-foot grade change across the site, while also providing an access point to the adjoining shopping mall.
Completion of 960 W. 7th Street is expected in 2022, according to a project website.
The tower, which is bookended to the north and south by the Wilshire Grand tower and the Metropolis complex, is the final component of a master-planned development dating to the 1980s. Prolific developer Robert Maguire, who built Figat7th and two neighboring commercial towers, had intended to build an office skyscraper at 960 W. 7th Street as recently as 2006.
Brookfield, which has ranked as Downtown's biggest office landord since 2013, is also spending $60-million on upgrades to the 1980s Wells Fargo Center and approximately $170-million on a renovation of the California Market Center in the Fashion District.
Other investors are also planning high-rise buildings in the neighborhood surrounding Figat7th. In February, developer Mitsui Fudosan America announced that construction would begin soon for a 42-story tower directly across the street from the mall. However, no visible progress has occurred at the site since the outbreak of COVID-19.
- 960 W 7th Street (Urbanize LA)
