Reuse of Old Buildings Wins Honors : Preservation: As part of weeklong observance, L.A. Conservancy to present awards for restoration, updating.

Preservation solutions ranging from innovative adaptive reuse to museum-quality restoration will be saluted Wednesday at the Los Angeles Conservancy’s fourth annual Preservation Awards Luncheon.

The event, part of National Preservation Week, will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Top awards this year single out four examples of how new uses can be found for old buildings, said Conservancy director Gregg Davidson.

“Among the winners we have an 1898 residence that is now a thriving restaurant, a railroad station that serves as a customer service center, warehouses that provide multiuse residential and commercial spaces and a courtyard complex upgraded to accommodate new businesses.”

“In each case,” Davidson said, “these buildings, instead of being discarded, have been updated for the 1990s. The owners and architects have been innovative and imaginative, not only in preserving the architectural integrity of the buildings, but in helping revitalize the communities they’re in.”

The Southern View Limited Building at 923 E. 3rd St., formerly two warehouses built in 1909, has been converted to provide 32,000 square feet of leasable commercial space on the ground floor and 21 residential artists’ studios.

The architects for this project were Appleton, Mechur & Associates; the owner is Southern View Limited.

The Granada Buildings at 672 E. 3rd St. were originally developed in 1927 as the Granada Shoppes and Studios. The Spanish-style complex consists of four courtyard-connected buildings. It was purchased and restored by the Shidler Group, owner, and Kenneth G. Livadas, president.

The Pacific Electric Railway Watts Passenger Station at 1686 E. 103rd St. is a one-story Victorian wood-frame structure built in 1904 by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

It served as the Watts train station until the end of World War II and reopened in 1989 as a customer service center for the Department of Water and Power and small museum. Owner/developer is the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city of Los Angeles.

The Salisbury Manor restaurant, a prime example of adaptive reuse of the 1898 Ecung-Ibbetson House by owner/operators Kathleen Salisbury and William Washington, was one of the four Preservation Award winners. The historic residence at 1190 W. Adams Blvd., was converted to a restaurant without alteration to the original floor plan.

Heritage Square Museum, established 20 years ago at 3800 Homer St., just off the Avenue 43 exit of the Pasadena (110) Freeway, is the winner of the 1990 President’s Award for its role in preserving and restoring important structures representing Southern California’s Victorian heritage.

Recipient of the new Royce Neuschatz Award for preservation of open space is the Veterans Park Preserve at the VA Medical Center in Westwood. The award was established in memory of the late Royce Neuschatz, environmentalist and a strong advocate for open space in the urban environment.

Special awards will be given to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) for its exhibit titled “Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses,” and the SRO (Single Residence Occupancy) Corp. for rehabilitating old buildings for low-income housing.

SRO, founded six years ago, owns 13 buildings containing 1,200 units in the Central City area of Los Angeles.

A third special award winner is the West Adams Heritage Assn. for exemplary work in neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation.

Recipients of certificates of merit include Chapman Market Place, Los Angeles; The Grand House & Cottages and Mavar Professional Building in San Pedro, three properties on West Adams Boulevard and the Rindge Estate in Los Angeles.

1990 Preservation Awards

Southern View Limited Building

923 E. 3rd St.

Los Angeles

Granada Buildings

672 S. LaFayette Park Place

Los Angeles

Pacific Electric Railway Watts

Passenger Station

1686 E. 103rd St.

Los Angeles

Salisbury Manor Restaurant

1190 W. Adams Blvd.

Los Angeles

President’s Award

Heritage Square Museum

3800 Homer St.

Los Angeles

Royce Neuschatz Award

The Veterans Park Preserve

VA Medical Center

Wilshire and Sawtelle Boulevards

Los Angeles

Special Awards

Museum of Contemporary Art

SRO Housing Corp.

West Adams Heritage Assn.

Certificates of Merit

Chapman Market Place

3465 W. 6th St.

Los Angeles

The Grand House & Cottages

809 S. Grand Ave.

San Pedro

Mavar Professional Building

1010 S. Cabrillo Ave.

San Pedro

Three properties in West Adams

2621 Van Buren Place

2102 W. 24th St.

2289 W. 25th St.

Rindge Estate

2263 S. Harvard Blvd.

Los Angeles