Yabu Pushelberg has completed the redesign of the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Originally designed by late American architect Minoru Yamasaki, the midcentury icon returns to reclaim its status as a cultural landmark as the centerpiece of a $2.5 billion mixed-use development.
The redesign accentuates the property’s modernist ethos, while also invoking Fairmont’s panache for grandeur through a distinctively California lens. “LA is full of icing, so we chose the route of tailored and refined,” says Yabu Pushelberg cofounding partner Glenn Pushelberg. “We wanted to cut the noise and create a hotel rooted in simplicity, leaving room for the informed guests to find peace and beauty in the serene and natural. When you take away the bows and ribbons and allow an environment to share who it is and what it stands for through subtle, gentle nuances, you create a retreat for the soul.”
An airy extension of the outdoors, the lobby heralds the hotel’s rebirth with an inviting presence enforced by a water feature, floating fireplace, and a living green wall. The Bar at Century Plaza also occupies the lobby, where floor-to-ceiling windows are equipped to retract into the ground. “We accentuated historical elements of the building by obliterating the binary of indoor and outdoor so the hotel can feel open, engaging, and serene,” adds cofounding partner George Yabu.
Crafted by EDG Design, the French-inspired brasserie Lumière transports guests to 1920s Paris via bohemian glamour reinterpreted from a West Coast perspective. Crowning the hotel, the Pool Bar rounds out the onsite F&B lineup alongside the pool, cabanas, and expansive views of LA.
Included among the 400 guestrooms are 49 suites and 70 accommodations designated as part of the exclusive Fairmont Gold experience. Nearly 24,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and a 13,000-square-foot ballroom is also housed onsite.
Furthermore, the 14,000-square-foot Fairmont Spa Century Plaza serves as a key fixture of the property, complete with nine treatment room, sanariums, aromatherapy steam rooms, a hammam, and a Himalayan salt room. “We sourced a beautiful grey-green stone used throughout the spa, bathing its curving forms and seeping a sense of serenity into the space,” Pushelberg adds.
More from HD:
4 Urban Development Projects Focus on the Future
Arlo Midtown Is an Ode to Manhattan’s Garment District
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Sells for $5.56 Billion
