THE GROVE WELCOMES ITS EYE-CATCHING 100-FOOT CHRISTMAS TREE ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1

The beautifully decorated Christmas tree will debut during the annual public tree lighting and holiday show at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 21

On Monday, November 1The Grove will welcome a majestic 100-foot, white fir Christmas tree to its holiday home where it will be visible throughout the region. The tree will arrive on a flatbed truck, driven the length of the main street starting at the historic Farmers Market, to The Park. The tree will be hoisted by a giant crane soaring above the buildings and installed in the center of The Grove. The white fir from Northern California will be elaborately decorated with more than 10,000 lights and 15,000 ornaments in time for the holiday tree lighting show at The Grove on Sunday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m.

http://www.thegrovela.com/

June Wayne Tapestries Open New Textile Galleries at Art Institute of Chicago

An exhibit of Los Angeles artist June Wayne’s Narrative Tapestries “Tidal Waves, DNA, and the Cosmos” will open the newly refurbished Textile Galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago on November 3, 2010.

A pioneer in the revival of lithography during the early 1960s, Wayne has been a major figure in the national and international art scene for decades. This exhibit brings together 11 dynamic tapestries inspired by Wayne’s innovative graphic designs and woven between 1970 and 1974. These works showcase not only Wayne’s unique vision but also the rich possibilities of uniting contemporary ideas with a centuries-old medium.

Known as the founder of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, Wayne turned to tapestry in the early 1970s after a friend and leading tapestry scholar introduced her to some of Paris’s most revered weaving Ateliers. Wayne embarked on her four-year tapestry project, involving herself intimately with each and every aspect of the process. From adapting and reworking full-scale cartoons of her lithographs to selecting the precise shading of colors and thickness of the yarns to checking the weavers’ progress weekly, Wayne took a very hands-on approach to seeing that her designs were carried out precisely to her wishes. On December 4, 1974, her tapestries were unveiled to great success at the noted Galerie la Demeure in Paris. Eleven of these works are reunited in this exhibition at the Art Institute.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/junewayne

http://www.junewayne.com/

ARRIVAL OF THE MAGNIFICENT 100-FOOT WHITE FIR CHRISTMAS TREE

On Wednesday, October 27 at The Americana at Brand the region’s first Christmas tree, a more than 100-foot, white fir, will be installed symbolizing the start of a joy-filled holiday season.

The tree will arrive on a flatbed truck and will be suspended above The Americana at Brand by a giant crane that will hoist the tree into place where it will be visible throughout the entire area.

The tree will be decorated over the next couple of weeks with 10,000 lights and 15,000 ornaments in time for its grand debut at the holiday Christmas show at The Americana at Brand on Thursday, November 18.

"SPIRIT OF AMERICAN YOUTH” STATUE AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND GETS A NEW SHEEN

The “Spirit of American Youth” statue – a centerpiece of The Americana at Brand – is getting a new sheen in Rosa Noble Italian manufactured 23-carat gold leaf applied by master gilder William Adair and his team of experts.

The delicate gold leaf gilding process will take place over two days, beginning Wednesday, October 13 at 7 a.m. and continuing through Thursday, October 14 at 5 p.m. Standing more than 18 feet tall and weighing more than 2,500 pounds, the bronze statue is a replica of one that was created in 1949 by American sculptor Donald Harcourt De Lue for The Omaha Beach Memorial in France to commemorate D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, which was a turning point in WWII.

Seems like a really interesting process and they will do it on-site at The Americana at Brand. It's a unique experience to watch! Don't miss it!!

http://www.americanaatbrand.com/

9900 WILSHIRE, ACQUIRED BY TROPHY PROPERTY INVESTORS FROM HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE

One of the highest profile real estate properties in the U.S. – 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills – has been acquired by major trophy property investors from Hong Kong and Singapore for US$148.3 million. The investors plan to create a landmark development on the eight-acre site which sits at the prominent intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards.

Purchased for a record breaking $500 million in 2007 by jet-setting British developers Nicholas and Christian Candy and their CPC Group, the property fell into foreclosure early this year and was acquired by Carlos Slim ’s Banco Inbursa, one of the lenders. Banco Inbursa set up a private bidding auction that was won by Joint Treasure International Ltd., a Hong Kong-based private equity firm specializing in global real estate that represents major family investors.

“This is an incomparable site that cannot be replicated and we intend to build a superb project offering world class luxury residences,” said Daniel Yiu, Senior Advisor to Joint Treasure.

PRE-WORLD WAR II CARS ON DISPLAY AT THE AMERICANA AT BRAND

On Sunday, October 10, Caruso Affiliated will host the Concours d’Elegance presented by the renowned Petersen Automotive Museum at The Americana at Brand in downtown Glendale from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will take a ride through the pages of history as they get a rare first-hand look at some of the finest classic automobiles ever built prior to World War II.


Showstoppers on display include Fred Astaire’s 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I, a 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Custom Coupe owned by Clark Gable and Carol Lombard and the 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Berline by Rollston owned by Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and more additional cars that you can't miss!!!

Sunday, October 10- 11a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Americana!! and ITS FREE!!

http://www.americanaatbrand.com/

CITI, HIGHRIDGE AND COSTA Form National Affordable Housing Venture

Citi, Highridge Partners, a privately held, real estate investment company, and Michael Costa, a leader in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) industry, have agreed to form a new company operating as Highridge Costa Housing Partners (HCHP) to own General Partnership interests in and manage an existing $3.4 billion LIHTC portfolio of 275 affordable, multifamily housing communities which were built over the last 15 years and to pursue new opportunities.

Citi is contributing a previously foreclosed portfolio of which Costa was a partner. Highridge Partners, a contrarian strategy investor with roots in residential real estate, is providing required new equity capital, global capital markets relationships and strategic financial management perspective, while Costa brings a highly-regarded business operations and strategic planning background and unparalleled experience in the tax credit syndication and affordable housing development industry.

The Highridge Costa portfolio of 275 properties is comprised of family and senior apartment communities, housing 80,000 residents in 34 states and Puerto Rico, with almost 50 percent of the properties in California. All were developed using federal low-income housing tax credits.

http://www.citigroup.com/

http://www.highridgepartners.com/