Tribune plans to 'redevelop' LA Times buildings

Times Mirror Square viewed from City Hall, with the corner of 1st and Spring streets in the foreground. Photo: LA Observed

In case you missed this nuance, when Tribune Media spun off the Los Angeles Times into a separate weaker newspaper company, the Chicago-based Tribune kept the real estate that the Times offices occupy in the center of downtown LA. The Times has been a renter in the home the Chandlers built for awhile now. And now the other shoe falls. Tribune Media announced today it wants to "redevelop" the 1930s Times building and connected younger buildings, collectively called Times Mirror Square, into a multi-use project to take advantage of its great location across from City Hall. "Restoration" of certain buildings is included, so I assume that means keeping the Times building itself, since it's the only oldie but goodie on the block. From the Times' story:

"The Times Mirror Square master plan promises to deliver a compelling urban project that includes the restoration of important buildings and the construction of complementary new buildings around a new Metro rail station directly connected to four of the region's major rail lines," Murray McQueen, president of Tribune Real Estate, said in a statement. "We look forward to identifying the best development partner to help us achieve the immense potential of this site and bridge two of Downtown LA's most dynamic districts"…

Tribune Real Estate is also pursuing a partner to oversee development of the 21-acre site in Costa Mesa, which had served as printing plant and distribution facility for the Los Angeles Times. Features include a functional rail spur and a helicopter pad.

"The site has been a well-known part of the Costa Mesa landscape for over 40 years," McQueen said. "Costa Mesa is developing a strong identity as a cultural hub of Orange County and we are excited to be developing the site during this next chapter of civic vibrancy."

I'm not sure what the city historic-cultural monument status is of the Gordon Kaufmann-designed Times building; I seem to recall that only the Hugo Ballin murals in the globe lobby are designated as historic. Tribune says it is looking for a development partner for the project, which is centered on the block bounded by 1st and 2nd streets, Broadway and Spring Street. The Metro station is near 2nd and Broadway, under what's now a Tribune-owned parking lot, part of the crosstown Regional Connector now under construction by Metro to link the Blue, Gold and Expo lines.

The Times itself uses very little of the square footage anymore. Its need for office space is much less than when it was a far bigger newspaper. There is no more corporate headquarters to house — the newest building above the bank at 1st and Broadway was the home of Times Mirror, before that company was swallowed up by Tribune more than a decade ago. The printing presses left long ago, freeing up a few floors and allowing the old loading docks to be remodeled into a cafeteria and other facilities. The excess space is rented out for film and TV shoots and to tenants such as the call center that has created headaches for Times staffers. Finally, I don't believe the Times building is in such great shape. My last office there was near a seam between between buildings where water regularly leaked, allowing the growth of truly large cockroaches. They would drop down onto desks from the ceiling with unnerving frequency. So all in all, redeveloping the block into a thriving corner of DTLA may not be such a bad idea for the city.