Demolition has commenced at a pair of small multifamily residential and commercial buildings in Westlake, clearing the way for the construction of a Michael Maltzan-designed apartment complex.
Aerial view looking southwestMichael Maltzan Architecture
The new development, which is proposed by an entity affiliated with the Walter J. Company, is slated for an approximately 18,500-square-foot site at the 1600 Wilshire Boulevard. Plans approved last year by the City of Los Angeles call for the construction of a seven-story building containing 85 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments (including 12 affordable units) above approximately 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and parking for 105 vehicles.
Maltzan's design for the apartment complex includes a series of upper-level setbacks and insets, which would be used to create courtyards and terrace decks for its residents.
View of buildings under demolition from Wilshire and UnionUrbanize LA
While demolition of the existing structures is already underway, construction permits for the new development have yet to be issued. Applications are currently in review by the Department of Building and Safety.
The Walter J. Co., which is based out of a building near MacArthur Park, owns numerous properties throughout the Westlake community. The company, named for its founder Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, is also behind plans for the Lake on Wilshire - a 41-story apartment tower which would rise at the intersection of Wilshire and Bonnie Brae Avenue.
Maltzan, who is the design architect behind the new Sixth Street Viaduct, has also worked on several large multifamily projects in recent years including multiple Skid Row Housing trust developments and the quarter-mile-long One Santa Fe apartment complex.
1600 Wilshire BoulevardGoogle Maps
- 1600 Wilshire Boulevard (Urbanize LA)
