Rising Realty Partners has tapped Andrew Lev as VP of asset management and development, where he will be at the helm of the Trust Building renovation and the ongoing CalEdison project. Lev has led the redevelopment of several other historic sites in Downtown Los Angeles, including retail center The Row. He joins the firm from The Ratkovich Co.

“There are two parts to joining the company: the real estate that you are working on and the people that you are working with,” Lev tells GlobeSt.com. “From both of those perspectives, this is an ideal company for me. We work on creative office, and Chris and Nelson [Rising] emphasize that we need to lead from the front, and so the culture is focused on teamwork and we have open offices. A lot of people talk about that, but the first day that I walked in, Chris Rising himself was sitting in the middle of the open desks in the front office area. That, to me, said it all.”

The CalEdison and Trust Building projects will follow the same general model as the successful PacMutual Building. Both historic buildings will be restored to their original grandeur and updated to accommodate modern tenants. While Lev wasn't part of the PacMutual project, he is no strange to historic redevelopments. “I have worked on a lot of historic repositioning projects with office and retail,” he says. “To be able to come over here and work on the CalEdison Building and the Trust Building, and from day one be able to form that development, is really exciting. This is historic, and I have worked on assets like this in the Financial District and other areas of Downtown L.A.”

The CalEdison Building is already near completion. The project is 80% occupied, and two more patio units will open this fall. “We think that will be the catalyst to push us past 90% occupancy,” says Lev. For the Trust Building, he we lead the full development of the project. “The Trust Building's location on Spring Street is the most exciting place to be doing a project like this because it has the flair and creativity of the Arts District while also have access to the Financial District and some of the more traditional tenants downtown,” explains Lev. “It is also exciting that this is an Art Deco building. That term is thrown around a lot in L.A., but the Art Deco era and period is the most exciting era in history.”

Instant Insights /

Rising Plucks New Lead for Redevelopment Projects

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