In Downtown Los Angeles, construction continues for Apple's new retail store at the historic Tower Theatre.
The Cupertino-based tech company is transforming the historic movie palace at 8th Street and Broadway into a unique retail store which will incorporate space for programs, classes, and potentially live events.
Foster + Partners, in coordination with Los Angeles-based Gruen Associates, is designing the project, which includes a full seismic and structural retrofit of the 93-year-old Tower Theatre. Plans call for restoring the historic building to its original appearance, removing a series of mid 20th century alterations and recreating a portion of its clock tower which was lost to earthquake damage in the 1970s.
The Apple store joins a slew of new retail tenants on the Broadway corridor, including a flagship Vans sneaker store which recently opened next door.
Several property owners have recently restored neighboring office buildings, while others have converted them into apartments and hotels - including the popular Ace Hotel and the new Hoxton Hotel at 11th Street.
The City of Los Angeles is currently considering plans to convert a section of Broadway into a pedestrian mall.
One block east of the new Apple Store, the Delijani family, which also owns the Tower Theatre, is converting the 12-story Lane Mortgage Building into 110 live/work apartments.
- Apple to Restore Historic Tower Theatre (Urbanize LA)