Peace. Community. Family. Love. A Sneak Peek at the Inspirational Art Centerpiece OTL is Delivering to Jordan Downs Redevelopment

One of the largest urban renewal projects in the United States is currently underway in Los Angeles – the revitalization of Jordan Downs, a multi-phase residential redevelopment which will ultimately include 700 new homes along with a brand-new 9.5-acre retail center in Watts, California.

With the shared goal to create an aspirational and family-oriented center that will serve as the catalyst of its community, Watts’ local stakeholders, municipalities and investors – along with project developer, Primestor Development Inc., and OTL –  worked closely together to deliver this cultural landmark, which is positioned to serve as the top destination for local residents and visitors. 

Situated within the prominent new center is Instill – an inspiring artistic water feature designed and constructed by OTL.

Art Moves People

The City of Los Angeles requires owners of private development fee projects to fund public are through the Private Arts Development Fee Program which requires 1% of the cost of the project to be set aside for an art component. This program infuses beauty and culture into central gathering spaces, which in turn elevates these spaces for stakeholders and the local community.

For the Jordan Downs redevelopment, OTL’s director of creative design, Chris Roy, personally crafted an artistic series of typography and drawings called Instill that are etched into the fountain’s natural stone columns, which were fabricated by Southwest Boulder.

Phrases such as “Peace,” “Resilient & Unique,” “Community,” “Family & Love,” and “Watts – We are Taught to Survive” adorn the dark-grey polished basalt columns. With water and fountains long serving as cultural gathering places, these water features were the perfect canvas for a community-centric art piece.

Beyond fulfilling the city’s ordinance, Instill expresses the sentiments of the people of Watts, a town that is undergoing a renaissance after years of urban blight.

Freedom Plaza is the centerpiece of Jordan Downs, a 700-unit public housing apartment complex that was recently transformed by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) from aging public housing into a sustainable mixed-use master-planned village. Several of the redevelopment’s new retailers are already open for business, with additional retailers opening throughout 2020. The project will offer guests 114,431 square feet of landscaped promenades, community gathering areas, and retail space comprised of stores and restaurants.

The property is located at 9901 S. Alameda St. in Los Angeles, California.