DESCRIPTION

Downtown Los Angeles is a very diverse neighborhood, in that, different zones such as historic core, fashion district, and art district are located in this vicinity. Each of these districts has its own distinctive characteristics which differentiate them from one another. In recent years the number of residents and residential units in downtown area is increasing and that increases the demand for more social and recreational facilities.Art District specifically is one of those unique neighborhoods. The boundaries of the district are 101 highway in north, LA river on the east side, 7th street on the south side and the Alameda street on the west side. The manufacturing history of this neighborhood created an industrial outlook to it that within time hasn’t change, however, functionally it went through drastic changes. Started from 70’s, many of the manufacturing units has moved to different locations or some of the industrial lines stopped working because of economic reasons. This lead to an abandoned area that artists used the opportunity to buy those inexpensive buildings and changed them to their art studios. This lead to the idea of building a live-work lofts in that district. Over time, the number of artists or people who wanted to live by artists increased which created a unique sense of place in that district.

In this project, the goal by proposing a fashion institiute is to reflect on the creative soul of this neighborhood and frame a small part of it, so that the unique sense of place which is hidden behind the brick walls of the old warehouses can find a new way to be presented to art lovers and other visitors. Plus, by creating a manufacturing component, the project ties back the history of the neighborhood and creates job opportunities that on the other hand is a microcosm of the neighborhood issues and highlights the affluent residents of the area as well as the homeless population who live in the same neighborhood.In addition, having American Apparel, Lucky brand headquarter, Alameda corridor, and fashion District in this vicinity, creating a fashion institute can be good respond to needs of this district.