Times Mirror Square is a two tower, 1,127-unit residential development in downtown Los Angeles. Sharing the same city block as
the historic Kaufman Building, the former headquarters of the LA Times, the development looks to its neighbor as inspiration for its distinctive architectural character.
The new building’s podium relates in height to the setbacks of the original newspaper building, with the structural columns at the ground floor, amenity levels, and crown expressed in a similar manner to the historic Art Deco structure.
The façade treatment of the 37- and 53-story towers draws its inspiration from the historic processes of newspaper production. The balconies are conceived as a series of paper rolls travelling around the façade and feeding in and out of the structure, like newsprint moving through a printing press. Screening elements at both the parking garage and the crown reference linotype machines and printing plates for their design; applying the hierarchy and layout of the printed page as a proportional reference to organize the building.
Between the two structures, an extensive paseo connects First and Second Streets
and is activated by new ground floor retail spaces on each side, providing an expansive pedestrian focused public amenity. The paseo links the complex of civic center buildings to the North of the site with the Broadway Historic Theater District to the South, along with a new Metro station across 2nd Street marking its southern end.
