In February, we took an aerial tour around the intersection of 8th and Figueroa Streets in Downtown Los Angeles to scope out a newly-completed apartment tower from Mitsui Fudosan America. A dedication ceremony held on March 14 offered a glimpse inside the tower.

Figueroa Eight, named for its cross streets, stands 42 stories in height and features 438 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above a podium containing a parking garage and approximately 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

View of pool amenity deckGary Leonard

Los Angeles-based Johnson Fain designed the tower, which is unique among recent Downtown high-rise developments in that it clads its parking garage in the same type of glass as the trunk of the tower above. That decision was a requirement imposed by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission as a conditional approval in 2019.

The  deck of the podium overlooks the intersection of 8th and Figueroa with a large amenity deck featuring a swimming pool with cabanas. Inside, the tower includes a clubhouse, a lounge, and a gym, while its rooftop features a sky deck.

Figueroa Eight's design team also included interior design firm Rottet Studio and HKS Architects, which served as architect of record.

View of tower from pool deckGary Leonard

Mitsui Fudosan America, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui Fudosan, has owned the site at 8th and Figueroa since the 1980s, which was once slated for an office tower. Plans to construct a residential high-rise on the site emerged in 2016.

While Mitsui Fudosan America was dormant in Los Angeles for roughly a quarter-century, the developer is not done with the neighborhood. MFA also owns a second property two blocks east at 8th and Hope Streets, where a similar apartment tower is planned in the near future.

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