The Century, Los Angeles
A surge of new condo developments, attracting such recognized architects as Richard Meier and Frank Gehry, will soon challenge the way Angelenos define luxury real estate.
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ShareAugust 1, 2007
When it comes to Los Angeles real estate, the city’s most sought-after properties have always been of the sprawling, horizontal nature, swank with pools and extensive landscaping. The vertical tower has yet to be embraced. However, a surge of new condo developments, attracting such recognized architects as Richard Meier and Frank Gehry, will soon challenge the way Angelenos define luxury real estate.One of the first new condo towers attempting to win over L.A.
buyers is the forthcoming building at the site of the former St. Regis hotel.
"The Century will bring a new way of living to Los Angeles," says renowned
architect Robert A.M. Stern of his new multifamily project in Century City,
immediately southwest of Beverly Hills. The high-rise building takes the best
ideas of estate living and gathers them together into a sleek, forward-looking
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The Robert A.M. Stern–designed Century
building will offer 48 condo units within a 42-story elliptical tower. (Click image to enlarge)
The Century’s units are stacked inside a 42-story building laid
out as an ellipse. "By curving the edge you get the most dramatic, panoramic
views of the Pacific to the west and the mountains to the east," notes Stern.
Units are fitted out in any of three design packages, two designed by Stern: the
Century, which takes a traditional approach with light colors and warm wood
surfaces; and the Manor, a statelier look more in tune with Stern’s signature
work featuring architectural woodworking and finely crafted hardware. A third,
the Metropolitan, is a contemporary theme and will be designed by Marmol
Radziner, the L.A. architectural firm that has rehabilitated several Richard
Neutra homes, including the Kaufman house in Palm Springs. Their modern designs
will be outfitted in a neutral palette and maximize light with open spaces that
flow from one room to another.
Each of the units contains a fireplace, artisan-level millwork
and cabinetry and a spacious balcony. "The balconies are like rooms themselves,"
says Stern. Units range from 2,400 to 10,000 square feet and are priced from $3
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A living room rendering of Stern’s design for the Classic
interior, one
of three design packages available to buyers. (Click image to enlarge)
The building will also host the kinds of amenities that
ownership of an estate provides: a library imagined as a cultural lounge, a
screening room, a children’s play area, a spa with therapy rooms and an exercise
suite. "People can surrender the cares and worries of a private estate," says
David Wine of Related, the project’s developer. "But they don’t have to give up
the benefits of living on a large piece of property."
The building occupies barely 15 percent of the four-acre site
along Avenue of the Stars,
leaving room for pools and gardens, both formal
and informal, as well as two outdoor entertainment areas with fireplaces. A
gracious drive sweeps up to the entrance and the lobby leads to a vista of the
gardens and the 75-foot-long swimming pool. "It’s just like arriving at your
home in Beverly Hills," says Stern.
The Century, 310.552.2055, www.thecentury.com
