Downtown LA vs Arts District

Median prices: Redfin Data Center, zip codes 90015 and 90013, March to May 2026. Zip codes don't match neighborhood borders exactly.

The homes

Nearly every home in Downtown LA is a condo or loft. The City's 1999 Adaptive Reuse Ordinance turned the early 1900s commercial buildings of the Historic Core and Old Bank District into lofts with high ceilings, big windows, exposed brick and original terrazzo or marble lobbies. The other half of Downtown is vertical: Bunker Hill towers from the 1960s on, and South Park's newer glass high-rises around Crypto.com Arena, including hotel-branded residences with doormen, pools and gyms.

The Arts District is a grid of old rail yards, factories and produce warehouses between Alameda Street and the LA River. Most homes are lofts carved from those buildings, with brick or concrete shells, timber or steel trusses, ceilings of 12 feet or more and big industrial windows. Some are formal condos and some are live/work units that began as artist studios. Newer mid-rise buildings, mostly rentals with some condos, fill former parking lots and often have rooftop decks and ground-floor shops.

Prices

The price figures on this page use 90015 for Downtown, which covers South Park and the area around Crypto.com Arena, and 90013 for the Arts District, which also takes in Little Tokyo and parts of Downtown east of Main Street. Both are almost entirely condo and loft sales, so the condo median and price per square foot are the useful lines. Building age, amenities, HOA dues, views and parking move prices as much as size in either.

The feel

Downtown has the big civic landmarks. Grand Avenue lines up Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, MOCA and Frank Gehry's Grand LA, with Grand Park running down to City Hall. The Historic Core has Broadway's old movie palaces, the Bradbury Building and Angels Flight, and South Park centers on Crypto.com Arena, the Convention Center and LA Live. Little Tokyo and the 1939 Union Station sit on the east side.

The Arts District is lower and more industrial. The 2022 Sixth Street Viaduct, with its row of lit arches, is its best-known view, Hauser & Wirth fills a former flour mill with free galleries and a courtyard garden, and Row DTLA turned early 1900s produce market buildings into shops and restaurants, with Smorgasburg LA on Sundays for much of the year. Murals cover whole buildings, and taprooms sit in old warehouses.

Getting around

Downtown is the hub of the system. The 110, 101, 10 and 5 meet here, Union Station connects Metro, Metrolink and Amtrak, and since the Regional Connector opened in 2023, A and E Line trains run straight through, with one train ride to Santa Monica, Pasadena or Long Beach. The Arts District has the Little Tokyo/Arts District station at its northwest corner, and the 101, 10, 5 and 60 meet just across the river. By car, Hollywood is often 15 to 20 minutes from Downtown and 20 to 25 from the Arts District, and LAX is 25 to 40 from either. Most Downtown condos come with garage spaces, while some Arts District lofts have limited or no assigned parking.

City and rules

Both are in the City of Los Angeles. Much of the Arts District is zoned for industrial use, and many lofts were permitted as live/work or artist-in-residence units, so read the certificate of occupancy and any recorded covenants, and verify with the City. In both, many loft conversions are older brick or concrete buildings, so ask whether required seismic retrofits are complete. For any condo, review the HOA budget, reserve study, recent minutes and planned special assessments, and ask your lender early whether the building is warrantable.

Weather

The weather is the same. Both sit in the basin about 15 miles from the ocean, with warm, dry summers, mild winters and plenty of sun. Upper floors of Downtown towers can catch more breeze and afternoon sun, so ask about window ratings and AC.