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BUSINESSES, 37 getting the boutique hotel makeover — just witness the massive NoMad Los Angeles, which opened in the historic Giannini Place. On the opposite end of the size spectrum is the Firehouse Hotel. The old Engine Co. No. 17 building in the Arts District has been turned into an establishment with just nine guest rooms. The team behind Silverlake’s Hotel Covell undertook the project where each room has a unique theme and decoration. The building’s historic features have been preserved, but instead of fire trucks behind the large red doors, there’s a coffee shop, bar and a large, outdoor New American restaurant. The Firehouse hotel opened in April. At 710 S. Santa Fe Ave. or firehousela.com. —Nicholas Slayton
BEST UNRESOLVED TRANSPORTATION TREND Dockless Scooters
The city’s one-year pilot program for dockless scooters went into effect last March, and since then thousands of the devices have flooded Downtown. Now residents and tourists zip around city streets (which is allowed) and sidewalks (not allowed). The scooters, provided by companies such as Lime and Bird, are an alternative to transportation options like buses, trains and cars, and provide a solution to the first-mile/last-mile conundrum
posed by traditional public transportation options. Still, Downtowners and others are divided, as scooter clutter is everywhere, and there are safety concerns from riders who ignore the rules or don’t wear helmets (not required by law, but smart to do). Meanwhile, city officials continue to debate and try to modify an appropriate set of guidelines for the new mode of transportation. —Sean P. Thomas
JULY 22, 2019
STAFF PICK: UNRESOLVED TRANSPORTATION TREND Dockless Scooters photo by Jon Regardie
38 DOWNTOWN NEWS
BEST RESTORATION
Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial
Last November, the waterfall at the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial monument on Hill Street was turned on for the first time in 42 years. It was a landmark step in the refurbishment of the deteriorating monument, which finally reached its endpoint during a July 3 rededication ceremony that included the burial of a community-sourced time capsule. Located at the site of the first Independence Day flag raising in Los Angeles, the monument between the Civic Center and Chinatown features an 80-foot long, 47-foot tall water feature, a massive terra cotta bas-relief wall, and a 275-foot long brick wall. The monument originally opened in 1958 but fell into disrepair in the late 1970s when the water was turned off due to a drought. Now it has a glistening pool, more than 285,000 new tiles, a redone plaza and an environmentally friendly water system. —Sean P. Thomas
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