Garfield Building Update: The Ball is Rolling!

A while ago, some snotty internet troll falsely accused me of only having negative things to say.

The purpose of this blog is to make the public aware of what's going on. In a city as vast, corrupt, and mismanaged as Los Angeles, there will be periods of time when there isn't anything positive to report. The public has a right to know this stuff, and the mainstream media doesn't give it as much attention as it should.

But when there is good news, you can bet I'm going to celebrate it. (Case in point: the long-empty Santa Monica Sears being adaptively reused, positive updates at the Jardinette Apartments, this multi-item positive news roundup, the long-empty Evergreen Hostel being turned into housing for students at risk of homelessness, and a badly neglected little bungalow being fixed up and put on the rental market.)

Today is one of those days.

Four months ago, I lamented the fact that the Garfield Building, empty for a whopping 33 years, had been compromised by vandals. I couldn't tell you why the previous owners left it empty from 1991 until they sold it in 2023. The owners, investors from San Francisco, planned to turn the former office tower into a hotel.

Converting a former office building is a big undertaking, and I predicted that it would take a while, especially since there were no plans on file yet. That has changed: a permit application has been submitted.

It will still take time. But at least now we know that something's happening.

The day the hotel opens, the Garfield Building will officially graduate from the ELA map and you can bet I'll be celebrating.

403 W. 8th Street, Jewelry District.

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