NoHo Arts District, Los Angeles

New condominium buildings along a North Hollywood street

The NoHo Arts District is a new Los Angeles community, located near Valley Village, Burbank, Toluca Lake, Universal City and North Hollywood, that is home to contemporary theaters, art galleries, cafes, and shops. The community is generally bounded by Hatteras Street to the North, Cahuenga Blvd to the East, Tujunga Ave to the West and Camarillo Street to the South. The area features more than 20 professional theatres producing new work and classics, diverse art galleries, public art and professional dance studios. The district also features the largest concentration of music recording venues west of the Mississippi. A Metro Rail station is located here, the North Hollywood station of the Red Line, and the terminus of the Metro Orange Line busway is across the street.

Business and theatre owners in the Universal City/North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce formed the idea of establishing a theatre and arts district in 1992 with support from L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs. They chose "NoHo" as it not only reveals its location, but also plays off the well-known "SoHo" Arts District of New York City.

Today, The NoHo Arts District, in conjunction with greater North Hollywood, is being transformed from a relatively lower-middle class suburb into a regional center, in large part as a result of the construction of Metro Stations for the Red Line and the Orange Line, two lines that have made the neighborhood into a regional hub for the San Fernando Valley. Medium- and high-density developments are being built around the Metro Station, making the Arts District an epicenter of citywide development, with the intent of creating a walkable urban village. North Hollywood's landscape (and the Art's District as a result) has been transformed in recent years, with condominium towers (including a 15-story building on Lankershim Boulevard being built in the midst of older one-story bungalows and small apartment complexes.

Mixed-use apartment and restaurant on Magnolia Blvd

El Portal Theatre on Lankershim Blvd.

The theater district includes two new large venues that expand upon existing theatres, the newly redesigned NoHo Arts Center (formerly the American Renegade Theatre), and the redesigned Historical El Portal. They add to the existing 31 theatres located in and around the NoHo Arts District. The NoHo Commons, consisting of 3 phases, is in its 3rd (and final) phase awaiting the completion of the 7-screen Laemmle theater and a revamped historic Phil's Diner. The eight story office building piece of Phase III was completed in fall of 2009 with the Art Institute of California-Hollywood being its primary tenant. NoHo Commons, developed by J.H Snyder company, is located near the NoHo Arts District's commercial core and subway station. The $100-million, 292-unit loft apartment project by Snyder was the first segment to be completed of NoHo Commons, part of a "transit village" rising at the terminus of the Metro Red Line subway and the Orange Line busway.

NoHo14 is a 14-story apartment building with 180 units on Lankershim Boulevard and Cumpston Street that is complete and now leasing. The historic North Hollywood train depot at Lankershim and Chandler Boulevards is being restored to its 1920s condition. The old train depot sits on land owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, across from the Metro Red Line subway station and next to the terminus of the Orange Line bus line.

Currently the NoHo Arts District, in conjunction with the Community Redevelopment Agency-Los Angeles, is working on beautification efforts to make the area more appealing to businesses. The focus currently is primarily on revamping store fronts on Lankershim Blvd and Magnolia Blvd with Burbank Blvd to follow.

In the future, North Hollywood plans a $1 billion mixed-use development at Lankershim and Chandler, surrounding the Metro Red and Orange line terminals. The project would re-develop 15.6 acres (63,000 m²) with 1,720,000 square feet (160,000 m²) of commercial and residential space, including 562 residential units and three high-rise office towers. The project was awarded to Lowe Enterprises by the Los Angeles Metro board and will be designed by architects AC Martin Partners.

External links

• http://www.nohoartsdistrict.com/

Coordinates: 34°10′20″N 118°22′41″W / 34.17222°N 118.37806°W / 34.17222; -118.37806