"creating a park-like atmosphere that is communal"

The developers of a proposed $31-million hotel near Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles are ready to seek city approval to construct an indoor-outdoor complex in the brick shell of a condemned apartment building.
Plans call for gutting the empty three-story building at 1130 S. Hope St. that was erected more than a century ago and is no longer structurally sound. The developers would build inside the perimeter of the old exterior walls, creating a landscaped open-air courtyard leading to a new tower with 44 guest rooms.

A separate glassed-in structure for an artist in residence would also be built on the Hope Street side. On top of the ninth floor of the tower would be a swimming pool — and three suites that would hover on stalks above the pool. Like the courtyard, the roof would be landscaped with trees and plants.

“It’s about creating a park-like atmosphere that is communal,” said Sam Marshall, who is designing the plans for the yet-unnamed hotel. Marshall is part of a development partnership, led by former Manhattan Beach insurance salesman Kevin Burke, that bought the property last year for $2.1 million.

Rendering of a proposed boutique hotel at 1130 S. Hope St. in Los Angeles. The tall building at left is an existing condominium tower. (Sam Marshall / November 2, 2012)

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-boutique-hotel-downtown-20121102,0,5291241.story