New Look for Market
The Intersection just got more connected. The crosswalks that link the four corners of the California Market Center, the Gerry Building, The New Mart and the Cooper Design Space have gotten a new look to tie the design and showroom buildings together.
Gone are the plain asphalt crosswalks, replaced instead with a colorful wheel design that lends a European flair to the Fashion District.
The city installed the new crosswalks, made of decorative thermoplastic inlay, just in time for Los Angeles Market Week Oct. 31–Nov. 4.
“It looks great,” said Steve Hirsh of the Cooper Design Space, who instigated the crosswalk change. “I had seen these crosswalks in a bunch of places downtown and thought it would be wonderful for this intersection.”
Hirsh and others approached Los Angeles Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district encompasses the Fashion District, about the crosswalks. She then talked to the city this summer.
Hirsh and Perry selected a final wheel design that is different from other downtown crosswalk designs, which normally have a brick pattern.
“We did a pilot program in Chinatown about three months ago to try out the material,” said Dennis Weber, division manager for the special projects division of the city’s Bureau of Street Services. “But we did it in white.”
The Fashion District’s new crosswalk is a mixture of terra cotta, tan and white designs. It cost $38,000, which was paid by the city, Weber said.
The Intersection is a marketing concept that was launched in March to promote the four buildings and the Designers & Agents trade show, all located at the hub of Ninth and Los Angeles streets.
In addition, the Cooper Design Space will have a special lounge for buyers during Los Angeles Market Week. Called the Intersection Oasis, it will be a place to relax with beverages or work on the lounge’s computers. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Nov. 4. —D.B.
