In the two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, civic leaders and landlords pushed to elevate the financial district that Sischo recalled as a "doughnut hole" between Bunker Hill — with its highbrow cultural scene — and the booming new neighborhood of South Park near Crypto.com Arena and L.A. Live, where sports and entertainment ruled.

Thousands of apartments and condominiums were added to the financial district — followed by bars, restaurants and stores that thrived on the residents and office workers whose bosses took advantage of comparatively low rents in gleaming towers that were being upgraded by their owners.

The drop in street life from workers staying at home during the pandemic and continuing to work remotely has been a drain on the vibrancy and sense of security in the financial district, which is depressing office leasing and hampering the neighborhood's comeback, Sischo said.

Falling office values have led to foreclosures on some prominent office towers, including 444 S. Flower St., which was owned by Sischo's company, Coretrust Capital Partners.

"Pre-COVID, it was really jelling," he said of the financial district.

The most transformative addition to Bunker Hill in recent years was the Grand, a $1-billion hotel, apartment and retail complex designed by Gehry that stands across Grand Avenue from Walt Disney Concert Hall, which he also designed.

"Now Disney has context," Gehry said in 2022 on a balcony at the Grand overlooking the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. "For me, it all fits now. Disney Hall doesn't look like an outlier."

In the nearly two years since the Grand opened, its 45-story apartment tower has been nearly fully leased, owner Related Cos. said.

The Conrad Los Angeles hotel there is "outperforming the market," said Nicholas Vanderboom, chief operating officer of Related California, in part by "catering to growing interest in L.A'.s arts institutions."

Spanish chef José Andrés operates restaurants at the Grand and more places to eat are coming in a part of the complex that has been dark since it opened, to the dismay of neighbors who have been waiting for long-promised retail venues on Grand Avenue. One of the features Gehry designed was space for stores and restaurants on the avenue and on terraces above that overlook the Disney Concert Hall, but it's still mostly unoccupied.

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