From The Chronic to co-working: Cross Campus’ LA expansion now includes former Death Row Records HQ

For Cross Campus’ latest location in Los Angeles, the co-working firm had to do some unusual remodeling. How unusual?

It had to remove the hot tub that belonged to Death Row Records founder Suge Knight from the roof of a Beverly Hills office building. Cross Campus replaced it with landscaping, shaded seating areas and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The co-working company will open its fifth L.A. location at the former Death Row Records headquarters next month, the latest example of the co-working boom that’s now pushing into the prime 90210 ZIP code.

A rendering of the rooftop lounge

The firm is occupying the entire 30,000-square-foot building at 8200 Wilshire Boulevard, which is owned by Freemont Capital Group. While the main co-working space and offices are ready for move-in, the roof deck renovations are still ongoing. Ronen Olshansky, founder of Cross Campus, said he expects it will be completed by next summer.

Rates at the Beverly Hills location will start at $350 a month for a “hot desk” in a shared common area and range up to $4,300 for a seven-person private office, according to its website. That’s a bit more expensive than its other locations, which typically start at $300 per desk.

Cross Campus is also gearing up to open another location in the Arts District, where WeWork recently inked a deal for roughly 90,000 square feet. Though details on that location are scant, Olshansky said its size will be comparable to the Beverly Hills spot.

A rendering of the penthouse bar

It also has locations in Downtown L.A., Pasadena, Santa Monica, South Bay, as well as in San Diego and Scottsdale, Arizona.

In recent months, several niche co-working firms have been expanding in the city as they seek to differentiate themselves from the growing number of companies that offer flexible office space. Culver City’s Blackbird, which is geared to women of color, will be opening a location in the fall; while Paragon in Hollywood caters to the cannabis industry.”

Olshansky said the “large-footprint locations can support entrepreneurs and companies as they grow in scale, but also host daily social hours and events.”

Cross Campus now has 3,000 members throughout the “Western Region,” Olshansky said. By comparison, WeWork — which on Wednesday filed paperwork for its initial public offering — has 527,000 members across 528 locations in 111 cities worldwide.