City may seek buyer for Arts District pickle works

Los Angeles City Council is deciding whether it should sell the James K. Hill and Sons pickle works building at 1001 E. 1st Street in the Arts District.

Officials plan to vote Friday on issuing a request for proposal on the building, Urbanize reported.

The property is owned by the city and the California Department of Transportation, which purchased the site from KOR Group for $11 million in 2007. They demolished the southern bay of the building in order to complete the 1st Street Viaduct.

The two-story building sits on a 27,684-square-foot lot and is considered a strong candidate for adaptive reuse, according to city documents.

However, the building faces several challenges, including structural deficiencies. A buyer would need to rebuild the southern façade and bring the the building into code compliance. Potential buyers would also be required to include some community space in their revamp of the building, according to the terms of the RFP.

If approved, the RFP will be sent this spring to developers with expertise in historic renovation and adaptive reuse, with responses due by mid-summer. [Urbanize] — Subrina Hudson