Lofty Ideas -- Part IV

This past weekend my wife and I drove into downtown Los Angeles to participate in the Downtown Living 2007 Weekend. We have discussed moving to a loft in downtown LA and this was our opportunity to see what was available and get a glimpse at how it might fit in with our lifestyle. In Part I we looked at the Mosaic Apartments at Union Station and the Barker Block Lofts. In Part II we got off the event itinerary and visited the Molino Street Lofts, then back on the itinerary in Part III where we visited the Biscuit Company Lofts, a conversion of a 1925 Nabisco factory. Today we discuss the 2121 Lofts, our final stop in the Arts District.

When we had begun looking at the event brochure the 2121 Lofts were the ones that excited us the most just by the description and when we got there externally they looked just as funky and livable as described. Then we stepped inside the complex of a dozen or so building grouped together as a single complex and we were even more excited. The vibes were Bohemian and free spirit and we got even more juiced.

The first model we entered was small and cramped and nothing really special. The second was two-stories (upper a real loft) with a winding cast-iron staircase for access. This one was much better and there were some things about it I really liked, but the price was not one of them. We left the model and went in search of the "oasis of authentic loft living" the brochure promised. 2121 is 78 artist lofts spread over 28,000 square feet of landscaped courtyards. We never saw the promised "folding glass walls, operable skylights, martini grove, herb garden, sundeck, spa or private dog park." In other words, what they promised they did not show or had not yet built. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement.

The restrooms were in two other unfurnished models, each with a beautiful arched glass window on one wall that were spectacular, so long as you did not look through them. Outside of the windows was the underside of an overpass or bridge, with graffiti, dumpsters and parked cars dominating the view. One of them had a beautiful glass secondary, private entrance, but the area outside it was fenced off in chain-link and pretty unattractive.

There was a third model that was pretty nice I thought, but not nice enough to offset the sour taste already in our mouths.

Dammit did I want to love these lofts and just could not bring myself to do it. They promised a lot and delivered little. They should have had a lot more models open to showcase at least some of the niceties in design that the brochure spoke of.

By now we were running out of time as the event ended for the day at 5:00 PM and we were getting perilously close to 4:00. With a heavy heart and lots of disappointment, we left 2121 and the Arts District and headed on into the city. We would only have time for two more stops. Next time out we will cover two spectacular properties, the Little Tokyo Lofts and 1010 Wilshire in Part V.