Location: Los Angeles, California
Client: Private Owner
1850 Industrial Street, unit 101 is the remodel & modernization of an interior within the former Nabisco Biscuit Company building of 1925. Located in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, the project converts a historic ground floor bakery space into an urban live-work loft for two busy downtown professionals. This project exemplifies how much can be done in the re-conception and adaptive re-use of the vast amount of under-utilized industrial building that exists in and around Los Angeles. The most outstanding feature is that it supports a burgeoning neighborhood in and around the LA Produce District which is quickly becoming a mixed-use area for artists, professionals and other urban residents who require specialized space in proximity to public transportation and a growing array of services. This level of design commitment to an area which is very much transitional shines a bright light on the potential for rejuvenation in such under-utilized urban areas.
The most significant contribution this project makes to the neighborhood and the quality of life here is that it re-occupies a historic and landmark building, the Nabisco Biscuit Company west coast headquarters of 1925. The building was designed by EJ Eckel of Eckel & Aldrich, a distinguished firm who produced substantial and historic buildings. The modernization and interior design of #101 exemplifies how the period craftsmanship and historic integrity of a structure like the Biscuit Building can be paired and made relevant again with a strikingly contemporary design sensitive to the original.