L.A. Live

L.A. Live is an entertainment complex in the South Park District of downtown Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center.[1]

L.A. Live was developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) (which Anschutz is based in and L.A. Live is the flagship of), Wachovia Corp, Azteca Corp, investment firm MacFarlane Partners, and with tax deferments paid by Los Angeles taxpayers. It cost approximately US$2.5 billion to build.[2] The architectural firm responsible for the master plan and phase two buildings was Baltimore-based RTKL Associates.[3]

With the adjoining Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, LA Live will be part of the "Downtown Sports Park" cluster for the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics being held in Los Angeles.

Timeline

Initial construction at L.A. Live began in September 2005.[4] The first phase opened in October 2007 and contained Microsoft Theatre, the Xbox Plaza, a retail plaza, as well as an underground parking garage, holding a fraction of the project's expected total of 4,000 parking spaces.[4]

L.A. Live was initially decried by architects as not being openly pleasing to the neighborhood streets and a metal looking fortress when it opened. The designer of the project, the architect Nate Cherry of CallisonRTKL, wanted to create narrow walkways to lure visitors into the plaza from the street, thus creating alleyways lined with restaurants, similar to a European style public plaza.[5]

L.A. Live brought in a renaissance to the neighborhood surrounding Crypto.com Arena and billions in economic activity to downtown Los Angeles. Through the years, the success of LA LIVE! has created mirrored versions or renovations of districts adjacent to sports venues, including TEXAS LIVE in Arlington, Texas, KEMBA Live! at the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City Live! in Kansas City, Missouri, Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Patriot Place outside of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, and the American Dream Meadowlands near Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey.[5]

Explored expansion

In 2020, AEG proposed a $1.2-billion public-private partnership that would add as much as 700,000 square feet to the convention center, which AEG operates, and a $700-million, 861-room addition to the JW Marriott hotel.[7] Plans were approved in 2022. Three years of construction is scheduled. The LA City Council approved the planned expansion of the convention center in September 2025.[8]

For a time prior to the return of the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, Phase IIII plans were being developed for the NFL to return to Los Angeles with a new stadium on the campus, to be called Farmers Field. The Los Angeles City Council approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AEG in a 12–0 vote on August 9, 2011.[9] AEG abandoned the project in March 2015, after the three most likely NFL teams all proposed their own stadium plans in the event they were to relocate to Los Angeles.[10]

Features

L.A. Live has 5.6 e6sqft of ballrooms, bars, concert theatres, restaurants, movie theaters, and a 54-story hotel and condominium tower on a 27 acre site.[11] The complex became home to AEG and the Herbalife headquarters in 2008.[12]

Event Deck

The west outdoor parking garage, the top-level roof is used as event space, called "Event Deck". The 90,000 square foot roof has no obstruction pilers and can easily accommodate large-scale tents and platforms. It was used for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards during the COVID-19 pandemic as they could accommodate an indoor and outdoor setting for safety protocol. Also used for the world premiers of the Hunger Games franchise and other Hollywood afterparties. The event space can hold up to 5,000 guests.[13]

Peacock Place

Peacock Place[14] (formerly Nokia Plaza, Microsoft Square & Xbox Plaza) is a 40000 sqft open-air plaza that serves as the central meeting place for L.A. Live. The Square provides a broadcast venue featuring giant LED screens as well as a red carpet site for special events.[11] Xbox Plaza hosted the first WWE SummerSlam Axxess event on the weekend beginning August 22, 2009, leading up to the 2009 SummerSlam event on August 23 at Staples Center. On June 24, 2010, the Square was the location for the official red carpet premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse among other world premieres.[15] The 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game red carpet was held at the plaza.[16]

Peacock Theater and The Novo

Peacock Theater (previously the Nokia Theatre before June 2015 and Microsoft Theater before July 2023[17]) is a music and theatre venue seating 7,100, and The Novo (previously Club Nokia) is a smaller venue with a seating capacity of 2,300 for live music and cultural events.[11][18]

The theatre has hosted the ESPY Awards since 2008, as well as the American Music Awards, the Primetime Emmys, the Radio Disney Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and other leading ceremonies serving the entertainment industry.[18] The theater is so commonly used, on March 11, 2008, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced with AEG that the venue would be the home to the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony from 2008 onward.[19]

The venue has also hosted the finale events of American Idol from 2008 to 2014. The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards were held at Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2010.

The first scheduled event held at the Peacock Theater was a concert featuring the Eagles and the Dixie Chicks on October 18, 2007.[18] Recording artist John Mayer's live album Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles was recorded at the Peacock Theater.

The Peacock Theater will host weightlifting during the 2028 Summer Olympics and powerlifting during the 2028 Summer Paralympics. It was also announced in 2026, The Academy of Motion Pictures will host the Oscars ceremony at Peacock theater starting in 2029, the 101st edition in a ten year deal with AEG.[20]

Grammy Museum

On May 8, 2007, it was announced that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences would establish a museum dedicated to the history of the Grammy Awards.[21] The museum opened in December 2008 for the Grammy Awards 50th anniversary. It consists of four floors with historical music artifacts.[22][23] It has featured a number of exhibits, including the John Lennon Songwriter Exhibit, which was open from October 4, 2010, to March 31, 2011. Embedded on the sidewalks at the LA Live streets are bronze disks, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring each year's top winners, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Hotels and residences

The centerpiece of the district is a 54-story, 1,001-room two-hotel hybrid tower, constructed above the parking lot directly north of the Crypto.com Arena.[11] Designed by Gensler and built by Webcor Builders, the skyscraper contains both an 879-room JW Marriott hotel on floors 3–21 and a 123-room Ritz-Carlton hotel on floors 22–26. Floors 27–52 hold 224 Residences at the Ritz Carlton condominiums.[24] The tower's architectural design evolves from a "geometric pattern of glittering, blue-tinted glass."[25] Thirty-four different types of glass were installed to create the uniquely patterned facade.[26] Groundbreaking for the tower took place in June 2007.[24] The project was completed in the first quarter of 2010.

In July 2014, Marriott Hotels opened a second two-hotel hybrid tower with 393 rooms just north across Olympic Boulevard with a Marriott Courtyard and a Residence Inn.[27] In 2025, plans were filled by AEG for a 49-story tower with 364 residences and 334 hotel rooms. The building, which would also include restaurants and bars, would be built across Olympic Boulevard from L.A. Live on a corner lot on Georgia Street.[28]

ESPN broadcasting studios

The second phase of development included a 12300 sqft ESPN broadcasting studio, as well as an ESPN Zone restaurant built on the corner of Figueroa Street and Chick Hearn Court. In an effort to expand coverage of West Coast sports, ESPN began broadcasting the 1 AM ET (10 PM PT) edition of SportsCenter from the studio on April 6, 2009.[29][30][31] The ESPN Zone restaurant closed in July 2013 and was replaced by Tom's Urban 24, Smashburger and Live Basil Pizza restaurants.[32]

Regal Cinemas

The $100 million, 140000 sqfoot, Regal Entertainment Group movie complex opened in 2009 and includes 14 screens and 3,772 seats.[33] It includes a three-story art-deco-style atrium and an 806-seat theater called the "Regal Premiere House" intended for "lucrative" premieres.[33] The theater complex became the West Coast flagship location for Regal, at the time of its opening, the largest theater chain in the United States.[33] The Michael Jackson film This Is It was the opening film at the theater.[33]

Restaurants

L.A. Live is also host to a set of mid- to upper-scale dining including Cleo, Fixins Soul Kitchen, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Katsuya, Lawry's, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Rock'N Fish, Sol-Agave Mexican Restaurant, Savoca Italian, Smash Burger, Tom's Watch Bar, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, and Yard House.[34]

See also

References

  1. Cara Mia Dimassa. L.A. Live Head Hints at Another Downtown Hotel L.A. Now, 10 December 2008, retrieved 2 May 2018^
  2. Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE Launches New Era For Live Entertainment Anschutz Entertainment Group, 2007-10-17, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  3. Christopher Hawthorne. It has no place Los Angeles Times, 3 December 2008, retrieved 3 September 2013^
  4. Nokia Theatre L.A. Live-About Anschutz Entertainment Group, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  5. Its design has been scorned, but L.A. Live has been crucial to downtown's resurgence Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2018, retrieved 5 February 2022^
  6. JW Marriott LA Live JW Marriott, 2008, retrieved 2008-09-11^
  7. Steven Sharp. J.W. Marriott expansion at L.A. Live takes a step forward Urbanize LA, 2022-09-07^
  8. David Zahniser. L.A. backs $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion amid major warnings about the cost Los Angeles Times, 2025-09-19^
  9. L.A. Now Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2011^
  10. AEG shuts down plans to build downtown Farmers Field for NFL team Los Angeles Daily News, March 9, 2015, retrieved March 9, 2015^
  11. Nokia Theatre L.A. Live-About L.A. Live Anschutz Entertainment Group, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  12. Jon Regardie. Nokia Gets Strong Reception Los Angeles Downtown News, 2007-10-22, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  13. L.A. LIVE Event Deck Discoverlosangeles.com, retrieved 5 February 2022^
  14. BRAD STEPHENSON. Microsoft permanently renames Microsoft Square to Xbox Plaza ahead of E3 2019 OnMSFT, 13 February 2019, retrieved 13 February 2019^
  15. Tracy Rosenfield. Summit Entertainment Announces Camp-Out Dates for "Eclipse" Premiere Hollywood News, 16 May 2010, retrieved 26 July 2012^
  16. The 2022 MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet arrivals 20 July 2022^
  17. Mike Barnes. Microsoft Takes Naming Rights to L.A.'s Nokia Theatre (Exclusive) The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2015, retrieved September 17, 2017^
  18. Microsoft Theater – About Anschutz Entertainment Group, retrieved June 9, 2015^
  19. Emmys Will Move To New Venue Associated Press/USAToday, 2008-03-11, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  20. Oscars relocating to LA Live Peacock Theater in 2029^
  21. Grammy Museum Set To Open In September The Recording Academy, 2008-06-05, retrieved 2008-07-08^
  22. Jon Bream. Museum in a Minute: Grammy Museum strikes a chord San Jose Mercury News, April 16, 2009, retrieved April 29, 2009^
  23. Our Mission The Grammy Museum, 2008, retrieved April 29, 2009^
  24. Eric Richardson. L.A. Live's Ritz Tower Nearly Done With Glass blogdowntown.com, 2009-05-15, retrieved 2009-05-18^
  25. Christopher Hawthorne. Architecture review: the tower at L.A Live Los Angeles Times, February 13, 2010^
  26. L.A. Live Tower & Residences Architecture Project | Enclos retrieved 2013-07-23^
  27. Eddie Kim. Marriott's New Downtown Project Is Two Hotels in One Los Angeles Downtown News, Civic Center News, Inc., June 30, 2014^
  28. Roger Vincent. Developer plans to add a hotel and hundreds of residences to L.A. Live Los Angeles Times, 2025-11-12^
  29. SportsCenter In L.A.- From ESPN Sports Media Journal, 2009-06-05, retrieved 2010-07-15^
  30. Stuart Levine. ESPN's 'SportsCenter' heads West Variety.com, 2009-04-06, retrieved 2010-07-14^
  31. Diane Pucin. ESPN's studio in L.A. debuts Los Angeles Times, 2009-04-06, retrieved 2010-05-07^
  32. Smashburger, Tom's Urban 24 and Live Basil Pizza Set to Open Fourth Quarter 2013 at L.a. Live | L.a. Live retrieved 2018-02-02^
  33. Richard Verrier [A Hollywood opening for downtown cinema]; AEG hopes its $100-million Regal movie complex will capture lucrative premiers October 24, 2009, B1 Los Angeles Times^
  34. Eat | L.A. LIVE Lalive.com^