The structure, which consists of two state-of-the-art office towers, six and eight stories high respectively, sitting atop seven levels of enclosed parking capable of accommodating 1,500 cars, completes the remarkable triad of buildings designed by Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Associates, and executive architect Gruen Associates.
The first of those buildings, the iconic “Blue Whale”, which opened in 1975 and was followed in 1988 by the Pacific “Green”Building, was recently honored with the “25 Year”award by the LA Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. According to Cohen, construction of the Red Building is expected to begin later this year and should be completed within 24 months.
He expects strong interest and demand for the stylish offices, particularly from creative companies, including entertainment and new media firms, adding that “preliminary discussions are already underway with several potential space users.” Designed to allow for a variety of office floors ranging in size from 14,000 to 36,000 square feet, the six-story West Tower and eight-story East Tower will both feature “sky lobbies”overlooking an elegantly landscaped palm court configured for both spectacular views and maximum energy efficiency.
The complex’s ultra-modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art building systems, including elevators, HVAC and electrical, have also been designed to provide maximum flexibility to suit the most demanding tenant requirements. The rest of the talented design team working on the Red Building includes AREA Architects, which is designing office lobbies and public spaces; landscape architect Thomas Balsley Associates; Kaplan, Gehrig, McCarroll Architectural Lighting, and Selbert Perkins Design for environmental graphics.
Like its fully leased Green neighbor, the Red Building will be accessible from San Vincente Boulevard, which will be beautified with the addition of new public art works. The seven-level automated parking garage will offer self-park, assigned and valet/attendant parking.
The PDC presently consists of two architecturally distinctive buildings containing 1.2 million square feet of showroom and office space. The larger of the buildings, nicknamed the “Blue Whale”because its dramatic color and size, contains approximately 750,000 square feet of space, leased exclusively to the top home furnishing showrooms to the design trade.
The six-story structure connects to the Green Building, a nine-story, 450,000 square foot facility that houses three floors of showroom tenants, a state-of-the-art, fully equipped 388-seat film theater and reception area and is fully leased to a roster of prestigious office tenants such as Dailey & Associates, Rogers & Cowan, Weber Shandwick, BNC (Bragman Nyman Cafarelli), and PMK/HBH, Momentum and Jack Morton.
One of the major attractions of the PDC is “WP,”a restaurant located on the Blue Building’s third floor and terrace, operated by celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck, who will also be opening a new restaurant on the first floor of the Green building in the fall. The complex also features an outpost of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), a 200-seat conference center, a private fitness center for tenants and a variety of venues for private events that most recently have included Elton John’s Aids Foundation Oscar party and the HBO Emmy Awards.
Besides being an anchor for West Hollywood, a destination neighborhood known for its high-design, fine restaurants, boutique shopping and world-class nightlife, the architecturally distinctive PDC, the largest mixed-use facility of its kind, remains the leading regional source for fine, traditional and contemporary contract and residential furniture, fabrics, architectural products, floor coverings, wallcoverings, lighting, kitchen and bath products and accessories.
More than 130 showrooms display and sell 2,100 interior product lines to professional interior designers, architects, facility managers, specifiers, decorators and dealers. Known for his skillful repositioning of commercial real estate, Charles S. Cohen heads a multi-faceted real estate development company that owns and manages over eleven million square feet of prime Manhattan, Los Angeles, Florida and Houston office and showroom space. Other design centers owned and operated by Cohen include the Decoration & Design (D&D) Building at 979 Third Avenue in Manhattan, the Decorative Center of Houston and the Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) in Dania Beach, Fla.
