Never could find the time to take that tour of the old LTV Tower today, but as promised in yesterday's Statler-tour item, Angela Hunt did indeed stroll the future Grand Ricchi yesterday with developer Leobardo Trevino. She just posted a series of photos showing that 1600 Pacific has indeed been stripped to the bones in preparation for build-out. Also, she notes on her blog:
Leobardo's approach to renovation appears to be well-suited to a time of economic slow-down. He plans to renovate as the floors are purchased: a crane and building materials are staged in the basement, and every floor has a large opening in the floor and ceiling along the west wall to allow the crane to operate. The building should be ready for move-in by December.And by request, here's a lengthy slide show filled with Sam's pictures from our Statler walk-through yesterday. Could have been longer -- he only took, like, 408 pictures. For real.
Leobardo has a similar plan for the Statler Hilton, which he purchased days ago. He and his team will clean up the exterior and interior, and do the same with the library next door. I toured the Statler two years ago, and it has such potential, with great views overlooking Main Street Garden and cool mid-century architecture (which I'm liking more and more). Leobardo is going to approach the Statler renovation in the same way as 1600 Pacific, renovating in stages. We'll see the building transform over the next two and a half years.
