By ROGER VINCENT OCT 19, 2018 | 8:05 AM
High-rise living, once a rarity in Southern California, is gaining new favor as reviving urban centers such as downtown L.A. and Hollywood attract thousands of new residents in search of neighborhoods with a big-city feel.
Los Angeles has especially encouraged dense development near transit hubs like train stations, which has led developers to build skyward to increase the number of residences they have for sale or rent.
Such towers are expensive to build, so they have to be luxurious enough to attract well-heeled residents, real estate broker Dean Zander of CBRE said. Occupants may be empty-nesters, wealthy people in search of a pied a terre or working millennials with roommates.
In addition to their desirable locations, these luxury high-rises tend to have enticing amenities — think rooftop swimming pools, fancy gyms and dog runs.
“Not to mention the views,” Zander said, “and living amongst your peers in a more social environment” than most neighborhoods offer.
Here are a few of the highest residential towers recently built locally:
Circa
Just opened to tenants last month, the twin-tower Circa apartment complex at 1200 S. Figueroa St. is in the center of downtown L.A.’s booming South Park neighborhood. It stands across the street from Staples Center arena and adjacent to a light-rail stop.
Circa’s 35-story towers have 648 units combined. At ground level, Circa will have restaurants and shops under a massive block-long video display on Figueroa Street. Also noteworthy is its sprawling outdoor amenity deck on the eighth floor, which has two swimming pools, cabanas, fire pits, gas barbecues, indoor and outdoor yoga spaces, a fitness center, library, wine bar, clubhouse, chef's kitchen and two fenced-in dog parks.
Ten Thousand
One of the tallest — and most luxurious — rental properties in the region has to be Ten Thousand, a 40-story tower at 10000 Santa Monica Blvd. on the edge of Century City and Beverly Hills.
It boasts hotel-like services such as valets, butlers, free breakfast, car service and a concierge. There is a tennis court, indoor and outdoor pools, yoga studio and theater.
Metropolis
As its name suggests, Metropolis is one of the largest mixed-use developments in the West with three condominium high-rises and an 18-story Indigo hotel on Francisco Street in downtown Los Angeles between the L.A. Live entertainment center and the financial district.
Two condo towers of 38 and 40 stories have been completed and a third of 56 stories is under construction. On the sixth floor is a wide deck intended to let residents experience the outdoor California lifestyle, with a swimming pool, gas barbecues, trees, grass and a space meant for walking dogs.
888 at Grand Hope Park
Also fresh to the market is the 33-story 888 at Grand Hope Park, which bills itself as “an urban resort.” The 525-unit complex at 888 S. Hope St. downtown overlooks Grand Hope Park and will have street-level shops and restaurants.
Its wide eighth-floor deck is also a private park, with 85 trees and more than 1,000 plants plus grass suitable for lawn games like croquet. It has a swimming pool with cabanas, an outdoor cinema and gas barbecues. There are balconies, including a rooftop clubhouse for tenants.
Atelier
One of downtown’s must luxurious apartment buildings, Atelier, opened last year at 801 S. Olive St. next to a Whole Foods Market and the trendy Freehand Los Angeles hotel.
The 33-story tower has 363 units served by a 24-hour concierge. It has an outdoor deck with a lap pool, spa and cabanas. There is a barbecue and game terrace with a bocce court and fire pits.
The Griffin on Spring
Just open in downtown’s Historic Core neighborhood is The Griffin on Spring, a new 24-story high-rise amid early 20th-century office buildings that were once considered “the Wall Street of the West.”
The 320-unit apartment building at 755 S. Spring St. mixes historic and new design elements. Its landscaped “Observatory Rooftop Lounge” has a swimming pool and sundeck overlooking the city. It has a two-story fitness center and yoga room.
Argyle House
Hollywood’s new deluxe apartment high-rise is Argyle House, an 18-story tower at 1755 Argyle Ave. with a mid-century vibe that overlooks the famous circular Capitol Records Building and is pitched toward busy professionals in entertainment and technology fields.
The rent includes package shipping and weekly hotel-style tidying up by a housekeeper. Also covered through a phone app is a weekly order of groceries that will be delivered to tenants' refrigerators and pantries or laundry delivered from the cleaners to their closets.
It has a fifth-floor terrace in view of the Hollywood sign with a swimming pool, barbecues, outdoor dining area and dog run.
https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hp-high-rise-living-20181019-stor...