Another public park will be coming to downtown Los Angeles, and this one will be built on the site of the old earthquake-damaged State Building at First Street and Broadway.

A $28 million project to build the two-acre park near City Hall and Grand Park will be designed by a team led by the architectural firm Mia Lehrer + Associates, Councilman Jose Huizar announced.

“Mia Lehrer has an exemplary record of public-space design and has assembled an exceptional team to work toward a final design for First and Broadway Park that will serve the city’s and the public’s need in downtown Los Angeles for years to come,” Huizar said.

The team, chosen out of four finalists, includes architecture firm OMA, design company IDEO, civil engineering firm Psomas and public art curator Marc Pally. Their design for the project includes a grove of trees and a restaurant.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to design this destination park, providing Los Angeles with a new place to experience nature and culture,” Lehrer said.

The park at First Street and Broadway will be built on the former site of a state building that was razed after it was damaged in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, and is expected to be completed in 2019.

The project will be funded with “Quimby fees” paid by developers to build and improve nearby parks.

Recreation and Parks General Manager Mike Shull said the long-vacant site “will soon become an iconic Los Angeles landmark featuring a park that will increase green space and bring new recreational opportunities to the downtown Los Angeles community.”

—City News Service

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