Should Iconic Architecture Become Housing?

Music giant EMI may sell the famous Capital Records building in Hollywood to a housing developer. Converting landmark corporate buildings to housing has become a trend in Southern California.

1 minute read

March 16, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"A growing number of city leaders, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, are suggesting that the famous stacked-record tower is too much an icon to be turned into housing.

...As Los Angeles lost its perch as a corporate center in the 1980s and 1990s, the buildings were left behind, sometimes little more than empty hulls. Until recently, that is, when a spate of buildings that once served as corporate headquarters have been revived as luxury condos and lofts.

...Developers love the buildings because their rich history and details offer a special cachet. Preservationists mostly applaud the projects, because they spare the often rundown buildings from the wrecking ball. And city officials cheer at anything that dents Los Angeles' housing shortage."

FULL STORY: Capitol Condos? Critics Hate the Sound of It

Thursday, March 16, 2006 in The Los Angeles Times

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