First tenant set to settle into Plaza Almeria

Eron Ben-Yehuda

Signaling a major step in the continuing transformation of Downtown,

the first tenant is scheduled to move into Plaza Almeria this week.

Astra Oil Co. will move its oil trading business from Long Beach on

Saturday, said Kari Burke, the company’s chief financial officer.

The $23-million Mediterranean-style construction project began in

April 1998. It stands three stories tall and covers an entire city block.

In addition to the usual collection of shops, restaurants and offices,

the complex also features 42 two-bedroom townhomes, ranging anywhere

between $300,000 and $400,000, developer John Tillotson Jr. said.

To Tillotson, the project doesn’t stand out because of its size.

“Like so many things in life, it’s in the details,” he said.

In the design, he spent a little more time and money bringing to life

the distinctive spirit of Spain’s Costa del Sol, he said. Visitors

strolling through the main entrance will pass wrought-iron gates, bronze

sculptures and fountains, he said.

The terra cotta floors were created by the same company that worked on

the ultra-luxurious Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, he said.

Instead of cheaper materials, he ordered the window frames and doors

made out of mahogany wood, he said.

“Who does that anymore?” he asked.

With the “basic facilities” completed, only “finishing touches”

remain, he said. The grand opening is expected in October or early

November, he said.

City officials hail the project, bordered by Main and Fifth streets

and Orange and Olive avenues, as a smooth transition from the heavy

commercial buildings near the pier into the quieter, tree-lined

neighborhoods north of Downtown.

But not everyone’s enamored with Plaza Almeria. Downtown property

owner Jim Lane likens the look to a “fortress.” He jokes that city

officials approved the project after they hopped aboard the “Pirates of

the Caribbean” ride at Disneyland.

“The theme song will be ‘Ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum,’ ” he said.