Abandoned - Oceanwide Plaza (Los Angeles’ Graffiti Towers)

[@Lifeless188]

I just love how whenever Jake mentions the year 2007, everyone can already figure out what's going to happen next.

[@stormix5755]

That and 2019. It’s even funnier when a project manages to hit both recessions in its development

[@magicalmysteryperson]

Its the building equivalent to one of Todd in the Shadows' running gags called "Nirvana Killed my Career"

[@Kellyyy44]

Feels like so long ago

[@mapletouqe]

Oh yeah, it is.

[@nicka5040]

@@stormix5755 "both recessions" SO far....

[@silverwolf6236]

This series will never run out of content thanks to the events between 07 and 08.

[@stickynorth]

Bingo! So life changing for many of us... Still made more money in 2008 than I did in 2018 or even today.... And I know I'm not alone...

[@JollyGiant19]

@@stickynorth What all do you do? I've had no issues making more than I did before that.

[@drmegaman]

@@stickynorth Tell us your stories please

[@kellychuang8373]

Yeah and now in a recent time could look into 2020.

[@droopy_eyes]

Also shows why "too big to fail" and just aiming for the most luxurious & rich clientele is not "maximizing profits" but gambling blinded by the "perspectives".

[@venomousnate7263]

“In the summer of 2007….” Oh boy here we go.

[@JonathanGaeta]

We know it goes downhill whenever a project starts in 2007

[@RyudanX]

I thought the same thing as soon as he stated the land was purchased in 2006.

[@ToaOfFusion]

"Aw shit, here we go again."

[@JenniferinIllinois]

It's pretty much an 'Abandoned' meme at this point. 🤣🤣🤣

[@eden20111]

I don't get it

[@leonkernan]

Abandoned: Brought to you by 2008.

[@jenn-k-h]

And Bankrupt: brought to you by 2008 AND 2020 😏

[@davidanalyst671]

it was abandoned twice, by the 2008 Usa housing crash and the 2020 Chinese housing crash.

[@stickynorth]

@@davidanalyst671 That's how you know globalism is truly in effect whether you like or not. When events halfway around the world directly affect your city or life directly...

[@WilliamHollinger2019]

That should be the new series.

[@mipmipmipmipmip-v5x]

2020s also doing their best to join

[@TacoBellNinja]

Thanks for covering this! I worked at Staples Center for years and watched the towers go up quickly. It was crazy seeing the progress just stop one day

[@chad9971]

My dad lives in the apartment/condos right across from it. We'll sometime crack a beer and watch people break in and see what they're tagging next haha

[@stickynorth]

Free live theatre! I can dig that... Aka the REAL LIFE update to this video. It's fun when the documentary keeps rolling long after the cameras turn off!

[@pleasestopscreaming]

"Let's see what's on tonight..." [pulls back curtains]

[@Crosbie85]

Lol

[@shelbynamels7948]

For real?? I've been wondering about DTLA hi-rise living and the people who live there. Isn't that close to where there was a shooting in another tower's apartment about two weeks ago?? what about the actor who surprised a gang of thieves stealing his cAT and they shot him?? People interviewed in the first incident were talking about a lot of people staying on a short-term rental basis, doing AirBnB and OF??

[@astropioneer3296]

Hate those vandals defacing the city. It lowers property values in the area, creates a sense of neglect or being unsafe, and contributing to crime. It’s not your community art project.

[@JarennSwaggy808]

Now i see why in GTA 5 The Mile High Club building is not finished construction after 11 years 😂

[@MasterD1279]

My first thought as well 😁

[@williamhaynes7089]

makes you wonder if thats the reference that the devs had

[@ezraarrambide-webb6807]

@@williamhaynes7089I’m sure they would have updated it, but years later it just never changed. Sure it just happened.

[@deanchur]

It's too good as a map for gameplay as a construction zone. Ride up the stairs in a bike and onto the freeway to escape the police, have shootouts behind building materials, parachute from the crane, use the site as a sniper nest, jump a car up the stairs and over the wall and so on.

[@DanThomas-n1e]

City should buy it and give it to the homeless They could call it "CRACK CITY!"

[@2fast2nick]

I live next to it. They were tagging it every single night for a week, people were calling the police and they did nothing. Then about a week later when it started popping up on the news, they were like ohh, we should send some LAPD down there. After it was already completely tagged up.

[@Nicholas-f5]

Just like the Hollywood mansions tagging case

[@randomexploring541]

@@2fast2nick they never do anything about it until they’re threatened with media coverage aka being exposed, then they try to spin it around like they’re the heavens angels, but nope still hells angels?!

[@CapitalSharkAttack]

LAPD is the laziest gang FR

[@danielw.556]

Quite typical for Commifornia. A melting pot of scum, communist government... No punishment, free crime. Unbelievable. Using it for base jumping is kind of fun, does no damage. But as soon as damage starts, it has to have consequences.

[@JeremeyHowlett]

Just disgusting! All the tradesman that spent months building this project and a bunch of losers let taggers ruin all this hard work. What tge hell is wrong with the police, they want more money or else they are gonna let this crap happen.

[@lavenberry]

There are a lot of empty housing here in L.A. because of the asking price. There are signs that say 2 months free rent and other ruses to get people to rent. There are empty homes for sale. Investors are buying up housing, jacking up prices and when there's no takers, they let them sit empty rather than lowering the prices. This contributes to the housing crisis.

[@rabbit251]

I saw another video about this. A lot of these houses are bought up by private equity firms and hedge funds. It's in their interest that the prices remain high to avoid loses. As long as it is on the market at that high price that is what they claim is the value of the asset. But don't look for that to change in the next 4 years. It's only going to get worse.

[@lavenberry]

@rabbit251 If the rightwing remains in power, then nothing will change. In fact, it'll get worse.

[@angelcitystudio]

@@rabbit251 People are too dumb to know what is going on or care. They are just going to cry about not being able to buy a house and blame immigrants for it... 🤣

[@undearwearman654]

Just the rich getting richer and the poor unable to buy homes

[@heyo423]

Shocking that the big story is some graffiti, not the giant abandoned towers in the middle of a major city

[@torijones5194]

Especially a city with a housing problem.

[@naeberli9120]

Corruption, brought by all US banks, that we bailed out, IMHO, one of Obamas biggest mistakes, next to Trumps PPP loans.

[@BrownJedi87]

I love your “Abandoned” series and as I’m working in downtown LA, it’s the first time I’m watching one of your videos and look up to see the actual building itself.

[@Thedeathdump]

It’s surreal!

[@alexweldon7769]

Fun fact, I was staying in DTLA in July of 2019, when a series of minor to moderate earthquakes caused one of those massive bloody cranes on the roof to fall. You'll note shots from 2019 and earlier have mostly 3 cranes where as shots from later in development only have 2. It was during the US' largest anime convention being held across the street.

[@XENTHERAPEUTICS]

I remember watching this on the news

[@Thedeathdump]

That’s worried I’m trying to find a vid on KZbin but nothing coming ip

[@drmegaman]

I appreciate how the graffiti artists were nice and orderly and painted each floor going up instead of fighting over whatever had the most visibility.

[@MasterD1279]

To me it looks kinda cool how it's all lined up with just one on each floor.

[@Grisu.]

theres unwritten rules in the graffiti game, its all about respect. thats why they hate toys so much.

[@Crosbie85]

lol

[@alveolate]

that 4mil quote to "clean it up" sounds bogus as heck to me. gimme a couple months i'll do it for 40k.

[@kiernansfault48]

I recently spoke to a friend who met some guys coming out of one of the buildings a few months back. They said there was a point where it was so popular you'd just run into random groups of people while climbing. These buildings are like 50 stories tall, so getting to the top using the stairs and carrying all your gear acted as a bit of a natural deterrent until it blew up on social media.

[@datoneslav6902]

As a local LA native i should point something out, Local PD helicopters patrol through LA regularly. It may seem to be a waste of money to use helicopters to catch taggers but its likely that those helicopters were already airborne and patrolling nearby freeways, merely being diverted briefly to inspect the tower.

[@Hummerbird99]

Yes, there is actually quite a bit of controversy over the use of LAPD and LA Sheriff helicopters. No other city in the US has so many and use them so often. Huge expense.

[@datoneslav6902]

Yeah, living near a freeway i hear the birds fly over at least 2 -3 times a day. Ultimately though the use of them at all is a separate argument, I'm just pointing out that the use of them to survey the tower is rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

[@david_walker_esq]

I believe he tends to clutch his pearls over anything that can be deemed offensive by the left.

[@johnathanromero3944]

Just defund the police, all your criminal activities will instantly stop! 😂😂

[@GRosa250]

The LAPD and LA Sheriff’s Dept both use Airbus/Eurocopter AS350 helicopters. The hourly operating cost for each helicopter is about $2,000 not including the salary of officers flying them.

[@jamiearmstrong1813]

this is my fav series to binge on youtube

[@tomassiqueira5172]

Same

[@everydayengineering817]

The good news is that the glass can be cleaned and most of the concrete likely had cladding to be added yet. Great video!

[@edhenry70]

@5:18 "fun" fact: the smiling guy sitting on the far right is José Huizar, an L.A. City councilperson who is currently in federal prison. He was sentenced to 13 years for taking $1.5 million in bribes to help a different Chinese development company build a tower in downtown L.A. (see his wiki for details) Truly fun fact: one of his campaign events featured a performance by Suicidal Tendencies, a seminal SoCal/L.A. punk band.

[@XENTHERAPEUTICS]

He's not crazy! INSTITUTION!!!

[@722Leistung]

As a local I love what this represents, it’s a reflection of the decay and apathy that is pervasive in Los Angeles and in general California. I see it on occasion and smile, especially because it’s a blight that can’t be ignored, particularly by the political class here.

[@jamesrav]

it's also a reflection of how crazy expensive it is to build anymore. These rather generic towers cost $1 billion and now need another $1 billion to finish? I guess a billion ain't what it used to be.

[@edhenry70]

What a weird comment. You live here, you're a part of this place, but you're, I guess, happy(?) about this? How does this not reflect on you?

[@vcdonovan5943]

@@edhenry70 Salty bout something, precious?

[@iturnedintoamartian-cm6nd]

The political class? You mean the democrat crook, grifter/race hustler mafia

[@iturnedintoamartian-cm6nd]

The political class? You mean the dəmocrat crook race hustler mafia

[@markchalled3976]

A couple of projects were halted in Las Vegas around 2008. One eventually became the Genting Group's Resorts World. The other was the Fontainebleau. The second sat so long with the windows in place that they are now permanently etched by years of neglect. Thanks for the show Jake.

[@chrismcdonald2947]

The FountainBleu hotel episode he did was so wild. Went from one developer to the next before coming back to the original developer in the end

[@Frooh]

I literally work right beside this thing, and never knew what the deal was! Mystery solved lol (on a side note, it's very inspiring to draw).

[@cheesecake4648]

you know, the youtuber did a research that you yourself could have done.

[@Frooh]

@cheesecake4648 but... I'm lazy

[@Jwayspillz]

As soon as I heard “2007”, I knew it was going downhill 1:28 😂😂😂😂

[@raflamar4146]

A shocking amount of these failed skyscrapers are Luxury Condos. Zero demand, no buyers, development stalls and is halted

[@Powderlover1]

It should be seized by the city and rebuilt into 1/2 bedroom apartments. Flood the area with affordable housing.

[@Peewyld]

⁠@@Powderlover1 a group of city owned towers, filled with low income residents? Those buildings would quickly become a drug infested sex trafficking hub. No reason to build new buildings for affordable housing, what should be done is build these for the wealthy tourists and residents and seize the “affordable” properties that are run down and have building managers labeling the building as “luxury” just because they put in new floors and sinks. Those buildings are usually 30+ years old and still have rent similar to newer developments.

[@--_DJ_--]

@@Powderlover1 They probably don't have anywhere near the utility capacity to handle that many people. Also the upkeep of a building like that is tremendous. The city doesn't want to foot that bill.

[@stickynorth]

Ditto for the car market... When the MSRP average needs a 6 figure income, cars and trucks aren't moving... Hello 2008-style crash and goodbye Detroit!

[@JollyGiant19]

@@stickynorth You need a 6 figure income to afford any home in LA...

[@thousandoaksmall1995]

Just now learning that this channel I've been binging is made by the same guy who made Closed For Storm.

[@typicaltylerrr]

Yet another great video Jake! Looking forward to that "project".... 👀

[@roachtoasties]

I feel the problem is you can't leave a project like that abandoned indefinitely. There will come a time, if nothing is done, what's left is not salvageable. Left like it is, eventually the whole thing will need to be torn down.

[@ammiegrace2478]

I remember driving past these towers in may and being amazed that you could see the graffiti from the freeway. Great video!

[@RobA-YT]

Excellent job on this Jake, as always 🇨🇦

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks!

[@alexplains]

I live in DTLA and I think it's a special part of the city. It's also has the worst luck when it comes to timing. Less than a mile from this these towers there's a gorgeous building, and it has the following carved into the stone: "Los Angeles Stock Exchange - MCMXXX". It broke ground in October 1929.

[@Jedikimica12]

I knew you had this cooking up! Last week I saw the towers and I thought “I’m surprised I haven’t seen this on Bright Sun Films yet” and now here it is!! 😁 Keep up the amazing work! ❤

[@BrightSunFilms]

Glad I could bring this to fruition! Thanks so much for watching

[@wotterthose4511]

it's just Pacifica from Cyberpunk 2077 and you can't convince me otherwise

[@nickrustyson8124]

Or the Mile High Club in GTA 5 despite being made before the construction started

[@HermioneSamara]

My boyfriend works for a company that is involved with this buildings construction. On our first date, he pointed out all the graffiti and we speculated how the taggers pulled off the feat during drinks.

[@lovelygirl10158]

This looks like something that is happening here in Kelowna BC Canada. But it isn't abandoned. It's being built as I speak. I can see it from my apartment window. One tall building with two smaller ones. These condos here are super expensive. It's absolutely nuts Jake. Kelowna used to be a quint beautiful city. I'm all for progress. But this is horrible. I would love for you to investigate my city. I absolutely love your content. I've been watching for years. ❤ This girl loves you 💗

[@headers12]

I get so happy every time I see a new video drop!

[@Bulletbill88]

Love this series 😊

[@valshaldomee]

I’ve always wanted to see a video on the Majesty Building (or as it’s referred to by locals “the I-4 eyesore”) in Altamonte Springs, FL. It started construction in 2001 and it still isn’t finished. Granted, I don’t really know how much of a story there is behind it.

[@kristinajohnson5064]

Yes this one!!

[@postmodernrecycler]

I remember when they built the Central Pkwy bridge over I-4 and that lot was finally sold for development. I think there's plenty of story with the raising religious cash to build as they go.

[@zerof0rce]

I live not far from this project, and definitely think theres enough there for a video. I've only been in Florida a few years, and would love a deep dive on it from this channel.

[@Jamon1916]

Hey Jake, did you hear that Six Flags New Orleans is finally being demolished?

[@thedrewster0408]

It’s kind of crazy to think about how the theme park stood there longer as an abandoned site than the time when the park was operating. 5 years of operation and nearly 20 years of it being disused and abandoned. Outside of being a filming location at some point.

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

I actually went to the park the same summer Katrina happened. I went just a month before. And it was such a fun time, it was so sad for us locals that they never came back. It was always super packs during the summer time. But like so many other businesses in New Orleans. After Katrina, nobody was willing to invest in the city.

[@TheNaturalGamer1]

Fake news

[@JoshuaTheSpaceRuler]

I was at the E3 convention in 2017 which was next to the former Staples Centre and there were construction workers working on the Oceanwide Plaza. I was looking forward to coming back to L.A. within a few years to check out the finished project only to see this video that has made me speechless. I guess that I haven't missed anything but a damn good story.

[@ctradio4416]

Comes out one day ago, still appropriately calls it staples center like a local 1:06

[@shelbynamels7948]

as everybody should. Crypto my foot

[@deanchur]

I've never been to Chicago (or the US) but I still say Sears Tower

[@billdivine9501]

It will always be Staples Center to me.

[@Wnick1996]

2007: the year of things going wrong

[@John-PaulHunt-q3z]

The next economic crash will be worse than 2007 and 1929 combined for the west if and when it does come to pass. Hopefully it never will happen.

[@chman2]

My parents got divorced in 2007

[@danacantu6714]

The year I graduated from high school

[@drmegaman]

Well, 2008. The year 2007 was like "Things are so great, let's establish billion dollar projects that'll stretch out into the next two decades! Surely nothing will go wrong over that entire time!"

[@Parakeet-pk6dl]

Things went wrong all those years before; in 2008 it just became unavoidable…

[@LakeNipissing]

11:19 . . . That "OTR" tag is impressive... 10 floors in height. Interesting how there seems to be a 'code'... nobody paints on top of someone else's work.

[@rocknrollnichole1071]

Most respected graffiti artists respect each other.

[@tomrogers9467]

@@rocknrollnichole1071. If they had any respect to begin with they wouldn’t be vandalizing private property.

[@RichTapestry]

@@tomrogers9467 That makes no sense. Graffiti artists can still respect one another within their community even if there's a lack of respect for private property.

[@annekeener4119]

@@tomrogers9467They don’t tend to respect private property, especially stuff that is viewed as abandoned or just there. The artists do tend to respect each other and not paint over another person’s art.

[@cheebs1315]

There was a guy who hilariously dressed up as one of the Oceanwide Plaza towers for Halloween this year, graffiti meticulously painted on it and everything. It was admittedly really well done, with a metal shopping basket on top to represent the unfinished top parts. As he walked around, some folks asked if they could tag on his costume. Can't remember his name, but he posted a tiktok about it.

[@hrvstmn31]

That's amazing, reminds me of the marriott camos for some reason.

[@iturnedintoamartian-cm6nd]

Was that in LA ?

[@coolchar418]

@@iturnedintoamartian-cm6nd yes

[@obrien6320]

Im sitting on my balcony looking at these eyesores right now. The city can't give them away.

[@JenJen-veritas1111]

Watching from Melbourne, Australia. These are so interesting! China has bought a lot of land down under, too! The government would sell their souls to China if they could. The Chinese buy houses and leave them vacant, which pushes the value of properties so high that most folks can't afford to buy a home anymore, just disgusting!! Thanks for the detailed vids, keep it up! 😊

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

That has happened in my Southern California community. When the housing development started, the developers offered new homes for sale in blocks of up to eight homes and then sold the homes to "foreign concerns." This drove up the price of the homes to the extent where few locals could afford to buy.

[@JenJen-veritas1111]

@user-mv9tt4st9k it's outrageous! It's totally unacceptable and biased! The Chinese were even given land in the Northern Territory for their aircraft!

[@andrewbuhman1066]

The buildings are really symbolic of LA, imo. Big, unfriendly, filthy and dirty.

[@fakeologist1]

Another awesome video. I think the chances are high that this complex will be demolished before anyone bothers to rebuild it.

[@phamlexander95]

I was so excited for Oceanwide Center* in San Francisco. The design by Fosters+Partners was so beautiful

[@mariusfacktor3597]

It's rich that city council blames this failed building for the housing crisis, when it's actually them who are preserving exclusionary zoning in the entire rest of the city. With a stroke of a pen they could solve the housing crisis but every day they wake up and choose not to.

[@qwerty112311]

lmfao the level of ignorance to say they could solve the issue with the stroke of a pen is unfathomable. It doesn’t even take a room temp iq to know that isn’t how it works. That’s step one of many and in itself does nothing. It requires efficient permitting and financially viable projects. And even then, it’s still a decade or more before there is enough stock to make any difference. Get a clue dude.

[@mariusfacktor3597]

@@qwerty112311 Apartments are banned on 74% of LA's land area. That is something the city council controls directly and lifting that ban would create millions of new homes. It would make a huge difference. Yes we are 50 years behind on housing production. So why would the solution be to wait even longer to act?

[@CC-xn5xi]

Rude attitude.​@@qwerty112311

[@johanalejandrocazadordepin7225]

​@@qwerty112311 you are a r3t4rd

[@JollyGiant19]

@@qwerty112311 That is how it works, the city controls the zoning. Zoning is changed with bylaws that they hold the levers for.

[@ronaldmiller2740]

THE TARGET STORE ON SUNSET BLVD. AND WESTERN AVE. YEARS AGO WAS ABANDONED ALSO,, AS A CEMMET SHELL WITH FLOORS IT WAS AWFUL.. NOW TO THIS DAY THEY GOT IT TOGETHER AND FINISHED IT.. THANK YOU..

[@5veRodriguez]

I remember that like it was yesterday

[@VelvetTeacake]

Bright Sun Films (and Travels) never fail to brighten my day ❤

[@bluegryphon]

I remember seeing construction start when I was attending anime expo prior to covid. Seeing the state it was in this year is actually nuts

[@senatorbarkbark4388]

Best way to end a friday!

[@nathan_615]

In 2016, I remember going to this acting school in downtown LA every Sunday and passing these buildings, it was my favorite thing to watch the progress over each drive there

[@sodapone]

I saw these towers when I was at Anime Expo this year. I had never been to DTLA before, and being from Vancouver meant I was out of the loop on the news about it, so I assumed they had always been that way, especially when I picked up a postcard from a nearby cafe that had a close-up of some of the graffiti. I thought it actually kinda added to the vibe of the general area LMAO. Now that I know that this was a recent development, it makes me wanna really hold onto the postcard as a piece of LA history.

[@newsman9539]

Great job on this episode of Abandoned. I never miss any of your videos. What is the next episode of Bankrupt going to be on?

[@BrightSunFilms]

Bankrupt is actually going to be the last episode of the year, but I’m going to keep it a secret for now

[@newsman9539]

@BrightSunFilms sounds good. If I may take a wild guess, is it going to be on Hollywood Video?

[@jordanerling]

I’ve been waiting for this one!

[@tvforeverus]

After you did One Seaport in NYC I was wondering when Oceanwide Plaza was going to be covered, I’m from SF and there’s a big hole in the ground when the same developer had plans to do the same thing…

[@xenostim]

13:37 SORAK is risking it all walking out on those tiny ledges for that 6-story vertical throw!

[@ericsmith4813]

Thanks for another awesome video and making my Friday night ....keep up the great work, Jake.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Appreciate it!

[@JennNofficial]

they are huge in person!!! I live here and see them a lot! thanks for covering this !!!! hugs

[@BobSmith-rf3ph]

There really should be some form of law to ensure that a developers are forced to hand back a development at no cost to a municipality if they fail to complete in a timely manner. I can just about get over the poor timing of the early part of the development, but the stuff that's built, that's a monument to the malaise of governments the world over to fully control the Chinese investment, because I can almost guarantee that if that's Beijing & a US developer, the Chinese would have hunted the developer & taken ownership of the project.

[@Nicholas-f5]

Agreed

[@carlamoss89]

Totally agree. Then the city could sell again and make money. This is really ridiculous - this kind of a location sitting abandoned and a scar on downtown of a major city like this.

[@basillah7650]

they can do that with taxes if not paid they can seize the land/property

[@shelbynamels7948]

that would mean the city is now responsible for whatever happens with, to and at the property, and believe me, that's the last thing they want/

[@yuzusauce]

I can see the Oceanwide Plaza buildings from my building in DTLA and let me say it has always been an eyesore. Ironically, the graffiti made the unfinished construction look so much cooler and it makes a great conversation piece whenever I have friends over chilling on my rooftop patio

[@bartlester591]

This is what gets me about LA and California in general. You have all of these abandoned buildings office buildings in condo fails and all of that and California has one of the largest homeless populations and they refuse to do anything about it. It seems to me the logical thing to do would be to take over these abandoned properties and then turn them into low income housing.

[@michaelellringer5600]

Per capita, CA does NOT have the largest homeless population. Per capita, Washington and Hawaii have more homeless per capita. With 39 million people I'm very surprised there aren't more homeless.

[@bigbabado8296]

​@michaelellringer5600 Washington is kind of surprising but that makes sense. If you are homeless its easier in warmer, less variable climates, hence why some are bussed out west.

[@michaelellringer5600]

@@bigbabado8296 Per capita, the homeless population should actually be double what is.

[@DavidWRyan]

I lived a few blocks from there from 2003-2008. My wife and I had a booth at an outdoor craft market that was in the parking lot where this building is now. I remember the "coming soon" sign for the original project. Downtown LA was an exciting place to be then. I saw LA Live get built and opened and lots of old buildings were being converted to loft apartments, there were so many green lit projects. We moved out of California for our own reasons but on the way back east, the market crashed. Our timing could not have been better!

[@ScareFestTTV]

Love this content!!

[@glennelliott708]

Really educational video with a real person voice over

[@lexfromthenet3882]

93……. I been watching since the third episode 😨

[@TheWhitneyuk]

Absolutely the BEST content on KZbin!

[@nmgg6928]

Ok but the level of hold my beer on those graffiti tags is rather impressive lol

[@dalecs47]

Thank you for putting your "In-house ad" at the end of the video. I actually watched the ad. (INCOGNI) Thank you.

[@TheHuskyK9]

I've visited the Graffiti Towers since I live close by, it's now turned into a pseudo tourist spot. Of course with LA Live and Staples Center right across the street (never calling it Crypto Arena), people come by and take photos or pose in front of it. LAPD are still camped nearby to make sure taggers don't get in

[@janette2691]

As someone who lives in Los Ángeles, I too refuse to call it the crypto arena. To me it will always be the staples center, same with the blue, red, gold lines on metro and the home depot center 😂

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

That area around the Staples Center/Crypto Arena was a pit before the Staples Center went in. Staples Center created a sort of oasis in the midst of a really depressed area. It is sad that the tower project failed, though not surprising.

[@Paul_Wetor]

Usually urban blight is seen as old, decrepit buildings. Here urban blight is made with a brand new, super-tall building complex. Ah, progress.

[@cristinagarcia1652]

Oh snap!! My backyard!!

[@user-kc9rs8ew4x]

Cities could require mega projects to post bonds that are tied to the projects and their completion. Don't finish? Forfeit the bond which would be transferred to a buyer or used for clean up. They should also consider basing property taxes on occupancy, the longer it sits unoccupied the more you have to pay.

[@kingofthecloudz42o]

So glad you did this video, I’m close to LA and was constantly hearing about this on the news. As always, such a great watch! 🙏🏼👏🏼

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thanks so much!

[@NGMonocrom]

What type of intelligent businessman pays $1B for a property worth $400M? Not a single one! That's who. They'd be lucky to get any offers north of $200M.

[@hhueter]

I walk by this a lot. I originally was curious what the eventual prices would be there. Now I’m honestly curious if they’ll eventually just tear it down.

[@davesmilie3082]

It's a symbolic representation of Los Angeles.

[@michaelellringer5600]

Why do you say that? What's your point? They stopped construction on the Fountainbleu in Las Vegas over 12 years ago, and they finally finished it.

[@MetropolisKid]

i’m from LA and work in dtla .. love seeing these buildings everyday 😎

[@RoundSeal]

The graffiti goes hard, if only they ended up turning that otherwise wretched eyesore into an art gallery, community centre, etc. Never happen, but would be cool.

[@Libertaro-i2u]

It would be cool to put it to some usage. Though I don't see downtown Los Angeles as a desirable place anytime soon.

[@Delta_NWAB747fan]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@Libertaro-i2u Well I think the graffiti adds to that undesirable-ness. I think it’s pretty impossible to go a block in LA or any major California City for that matter without seeing any, especially when I was there in ‘19. I’m not against graffiti and I find it funny they were competing to get their tag higher up, but tagging all those terribly expensive windows and concrete doesn’t help anything but your own ego. I’ve seen windows be salvaged from skyscrapers before, but now there is no hope. Cool ideas and you’re right that it couldn’t happen because I doubt all of those floors could be filled with art and keep the building running.

[@johanalejandrocazadordepin7225]

how do you oay for that?

[@forzanerazzurri2339]

That's such a California thing to say

[@RoundSeal]

@@forzanerazzurri2339 I'm not from California lol. Not even American.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Awesome video!! Can't wait for the next Travel video, love the travel channel!!

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

2007. That's all we needed to know xD

[@MyTwoCents2]

Go woke go broke

[@shelbynamels7948]

Notice that the project right next door to the south of Oceanwide Plaza was started AFTER construction began on Oceanwide and has already been completed.

[@j.e.albert230]

Great work! I was a Project Manager for the Chinese owner and even I haven’t seen half this media, and your information was very accurate. Bravo!

[@Eric_Garrison]

Did you work on the EB5 aspect of it?

[@shelbynamels7948]

do a video on your experience with it, beginning to end.

[@j.e.albert230]

@@Eric_Garrison no I was there for construction until the end of

[@j.e.albert230]

@@shelbynamels7948 it was a surreal experience let’s just say

[@shelbynamels7948]

@@j.e.albert230 C'mon now, you're being a tease now.

[@zzulm]

10:40 "Who did it?" And they graffitied their names/surnames 😂😂😂

[@positrondesign6514]

I'm an architectural engineer and I would love if they kept the Graffiti. It is a work of Spontaneous Group Art that should be preserved.

[@laurat1129]

Might as well, and I think it makes them look alive. The only real concern is for crime and safety in the towers or on the streets below, much like what's happening w/abandoned mansions in the Hollywood Hills. Not an architect or engineer myself, but I used to live in LA and work for a couple big AEC firms, incl. the one that built Staples (it will never be Crypto to me).

[@cheesecake4648]

no thanks.

[@MsMassiel11]

I use to live in the metropolitan building that it’s a few blocks away from the construction. It was supposed to revitalize downtown Los Angeles. They keep saying it would turn downtown LA into Time Square. As a New Yorker it was skeptical

[@TheVoyger1234]

Because this building is situated close to the Los Angeles Convention Center (and next to the arena as well), I actually saw this in person during my trip to the Downtown LA area for Anime Expo 2024. The fact this is just here, very clearly unfinished and vandalized is a sight to behold... but mostly as an enigma.

[@sewdclass10]

hey another AX goer. I live in LA and have seen the towers a few times. I even brought a friend from france to AX this year and she honestly loved seeing the towers. I do like the take of it almost being its own art piece at this point. Its crazy to think it got to this state but still fun to see the community making it their own even if it is through illegal means. I dont doubt that next AX it will still be there, along with new construction to the convention center making next years event full of construction.

[@k-ozdragon]

Been going to AX since it was in Anaheim. It's way too packed now & mismanaged. Which is sad, as I love going.

[@AWDfreak]

​@@k-ozdragonLine Expo or LineCon; the event is a mix of dread and excitement. Anime Expo Chibi and Anime Los Angeles are more reasonable to deal with.

[@TheVoyger1234]

@@sewdclass10 Yeah i couldn't find any other words to describe it lol. if i return next year i might get some pics.

[@jetfan925]

Thank you for mentioning my suggestion earlier this year. 😘

[@StevenScott12153]

I live an hour from LA and remember when all the graffiti was taking place. I technically love the artwork it's a building meant for rich people. So many people here can't afford to live anywhere let alone in this building when it's complete. Let the rich people deal with fixing the art if they really wanna get rich while everyone below suffers.

[@--_DJ_--]

Wouldn't moving to somewhere you can afford be a better option than being bitter to people who have done nothing to you?

[@randomexploring541]

@@--_DJ_-- how do you know they haven’t done anything to you? What if you were violated by one of them but didn’t know you were cause they knocked you out and you didn’t know who; could you still say the same thing?

[@randomexploring541]

@@StevenScott12153 pay no mind to the sexist guy who replied to you, his comment is automatically void for that due to hypocrisy, double standards, and ignorance. You are completely right in your thinking of all the city of hells angels there?! I mean why can’t the city just buy it and make it subsidized housing?! Oh right cause it’s city of hells angles not heavens angels?!

[@--_DJ_--]

@@randomexploring541 I hope you didn't hurt yourself reaching that far.

[@carlamoss89]

I can agree to this point, but this also makes the city look bad. It's not just a fuck you to the rich people, but to every Angeleno when our city looks like shit.

[@TheMikielopez]

It would make a great setting for a dystopian post apocalyptic movie!

[@matthewdekker6064]

Personally, I think they look really cool with all the graffiti.

[@dvader3263]

Perhaps U would like a group of fine graffiti vandals to work on your home and automobile. Should that be arranged?

[@matthewdekker6064]

@@dvader3263 I don't have a car, but yeah, pretty much anything would make my red brick townhouse look better than it does now. The neighbors might not like it though. If all of these windows were instead painted with some colorful, "meaningful" artwork, I think it would look equally cool. The colors just make it much more interesting-looking than it otherwise would be. And I think it's kind of a cool achievement for all of these different graffiti artists (at least some of whom presumedly hail from various different gangs in the area) to be able to "come together" and tag virtually every single window on a high-rise like this. It's not something you see very often, especially with it being done in such a short timespan.

[@SupermanHopkins]

"In 2007" is the last decade's version of "in 2019." Lord have mercy, we've been through a lot. 😣

[@MikeOxlong-mo8oh]

Weirdly enough, the towers with the graffiti on them looks kinda cool.

[@user-mv9tt4st9k]

I thought so, too. Graffiti generally has two extremes: Really kind of crappy or astoundingly artistic. 😂😂

[@MikeOxlong-mo8oh]

@ Most of the graffiti I’ve seen has been really good. Only issue with it is that it is illegal. It’s only good if done with permission by the property owners.

[@Foreststrike]

Hell yeah. Those towers look awesome now. I don't think you could say the same for others, but that one's putting color in the skylines.

[@LouisPassau]

Excellent artwork by taggers actually improves the appearance of what would otherwise be total eyesores.

[@LadyLakeMusic]

Always enjoy your videos Jake!

[@AnotherH8er]

I’m not usually a fan of graffiti, but the effort and effect it adds to the overall aesthetic is actually pretty cool.

[@Nicholas-f5]

Felony level property destruction

[@wishmaker]

WOW, I remember seeing that building everytime i visited Anime expo but I never seen this magnitude of grafiti on the building.

[@GFalconDX]

I really hope that a developer will be able to salvage the Oceanwide Plaza and finish it one day. It’s sad seeing the property in such a sorry state whenever I went to the area.

[@randomexploring541]

@@GFalconDX I really hope they make it subsidized housing one day

[@GFalconDX]

@ I don’t know if they would do that for this property since it is right next to both the convention center, Staples Center and LA Live, but I do hope they will do so, if not at Oceanwide.

[@janette2691]

​@@randomexploring541they won't

[@Crosbie85]

I love the way it looks tbh