Hulu has added 25 million subscribers and created dozens of streaming shows since it moved to Santa Monica in 2013.
But Colorado Center, the office park it occupies in Mid-City near the Expo Line’s Bergamot Station, hadn’t kept up with the company’s growth — until this week.
Real estate giant Boston Properties bought half of Colorado Center in 2016 as its first overture into the Los Angeles market and unveiled Wednesday a new $40 million plaza and a food hall to serve both the public and tenants such as Bird and Kite Pharma. The company also recently completed streetscape improvements to the Santa Monica Business Park, which houses Snap and Activision Blizzard, after acquiring it last summer.
“Colorado Center was a nice office park that offered some open areas and gathering space in the center of six buildings,” said Jonathan Lange, vice president of Boston Properties’ Los Angeles office. “The problem is it wasn’t at all inviting. Our goal was to make it an activated space for both our tenants and the public.”
While Colorado Center has lost some large tech companies to Los Angeles and Culver City in recent years, including Yahoo, eharmony and most recently HBO, Boston Properties putting down permanent roots in two Santa Monica office parks indicates confidence in the city’s ability to capture a significant share of Silicon Beach’s continued ascent — and the new plaza and food hall should make Colorado Center a desirable launchpad for those young, rising companies.
“We do everything with a long-term perspective,” said Douglas Linde, president and director of Boston Properties.
The new plaza and food court will also help the business park’s tenants win over workers, said Sara Escobar, director of workplace experience and facilities at Hulu.
“Colorado Center has been a great partner to Hulu for the past seven years and we are grateful for the continued improvements to the public spaces as that helps us to attract and retain the best talent,” Escobar said.
Both the office park’s employees and the public will be able to enjoy upgraded outdoor areas with a fire pit, a shaded wooden deck and seating equipped with power outlets. The community can also visit the Colorado Center’s park, basketball and tennis courts and community center, which is available for local non-profits at no charge.
Boston Properties is looking into hosting events in the park, such as Oktoberfest, said West Coast marketing director Helen Han.
“We really want to engage the community in the surrounding area,” Han said.
Colorado Kitchen, which is operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, will house three food outlets: The Bread, The Greens and The Grill in addition to 17,000 square feet of common area space with arcade games and a ping pong table. Items like sandwiches and salads average about $12.
Lange said the food court at Colorado Center used to be underutilized by both workers and the public.
“The space was tired,” he said. “Now, it’s a $10 million facility with a state-of-the-art kitchen and three food outlets with curated menus at a price point for workers to afford lunch every day.”
Rick Cole, Santa Monica’s city manager, said the upgrades to Colorado Center and the Water Garden, an office campus across the street that recently underwent a similar, multi-million dollar transformation, will help the city position itself as a major player in Silicon Beach.
“Companies like Hulu, Kite and Bird are inventing the world we’re going to live in tomorrow and Boston Properties has created the environment where they can thrive,” he said. This isn't just a place where people come to work. This is where the future is being invented.”
Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly stated Hulu has gained 24 million subscribers. In fact, it has gained 25 million.
madeleine@smdp.com
