Several years ago, filmmaker Dan Abrams was in his office above Primitivo Wine Bistro on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, an ex–New Yorker thinking about how much he loved Venice.


L.A.'s housing bubble meant beloved bungalows were being converted into high-design mansions and condos, transforming once-charming pocket neighborhoods as land speculation gripped the city. But Abrams had some money, and realized that if he bought the quirky property where he rented his office, he could preserve the place he loved, which also encompassed iconic Joe's Restaurant and a third eatery, plus the popular local Sculpture Gardens Nursery, the community's famed melaleuca tree and back parking lots along Electric Avenue. He figured he could develop the site based on environmentally sustainable ideals imbued with a Venice vibe, going up in height but not too hi ... Читать дальше »