Architect Takes Downtown Space to Lofty New Heights
In most building renovations, the sight of bare concrete floors, chipped columns and exposed heating ducts means that work is far from over. But to architect Wade Killefer, it’s almost time to put up the “For Rent” sign.
The raw, stripped-down interiors of apartments in the Old Bank District of Los Angeles’ historic core are part of the chic, urban aesthetic that has made Killefer the current king of downtown loft design. Killefer and the staff of his small, Santa Monica-based architectural firm have finished or are working on plans for an estimated 1,000 loft-style residences carved from the husks of historical but long-empty downtown commercial buildings.
Killefer is riding the loft conversion boom that swept most of the nation’s big cities in the 1990s and is only now making itself felt in Los Angeles. Working on a tight budget, the 52-year-old architect has demonstrated skill and flair in transforming the shells of old office buildings into dramatic, open living space. Many of the 180 apartments completed so far in the Old Bank District have been rented as soon as they are completed, according to company officials.
The loft conversions popping up across the central city, along with new residential construction, will inject some badly needed energy into downtown, urban planning observers say.
The residences Killefer creates feature the large, light-filled, flowing spaces and industrial character that attracted working artists to the former factories and warehouses of New York and many other urban centers.
“Wade’s designs have been very creative yet practical in adapting historic commercial buildings to housing,” said Kenneth Bernstein, who oversees preservation issues for the Los Angeles Conservancy.
But the newest lofts are often too small or expensive for artists. Most of the loft-style apartments in the Old Bank District project rent for more than $1,000 a month. Some go for much more.
“Artists like lots of square footage and cheap space,” said Killefer, a Santa Monica resident who lived in a loft during his college days. “These are a bit different. We are not renting to artists.”
Although too small and expensive for most working artists, the new generation of loft housing has found a broad audience among young and affluent singles and couples. Loft-style residences enjoyed a burst of popularity during the 1990s as developers in cities from Boston to Portland, Ore., converted old office buildings into chic apartments and condominiums.
The spacious, open feel of lofts is being duplicated in new residential construction. In North Hollywood, a large commercial and residential project by developer J.H. Snyder Co. will include loft-style units in addition to traditionally designed apartments, said architect Johannes Van Tilburg.
“It gives you really a chance to have a more exiting space. That’s what people are really attracted to,” said Van Tilburg, who also is working on two loft projects in downtown Los Angeles. “More people are attracted to the urban lifestyle that the loft brings to mind.”
Unlike the 1980s, when numerous downtown Los Angeles warehouses and factories were converted into lofts, interest now focuses on the once-grand office buildings constructed in the early part of the 20th century.
In a survey commissioned by the Los Angeles Conservancy, Killefer’s firm, Killefer Flammang Purtill Architects, and partner Degenkolb Engineers identified 50 buildings in the historic core that were promising candidates for loft conversions. Each building could accommodate an average of 100 apartments, according to the study.
After lagging behind other major urban centers during the 1990s, downtown Los Angeles began playing catch-up on loft conversions after the city adopted new building and zoning codes in 1998 to encourage such development.
Killefer was involved in downtown housing well before he developed a niche in loft conversions. In addition to renovating single-room-occupancy hotels on skid row, Killefer’s firm also converted several older office building in the central city into low-income housing. But the units were far more traditional in appearance and layout and would certainly never be confused with lofts.
In the late 1990s, a college mate of Killefer’s introduced him to Tom Gilmore as the former New York developer was drumming up interest and financing for his Old Bank District project at 4th and Main streets, one of downtown’s most dismal intersections.
“We were looking for an architect that was really open-minded and flexible and capable of working within the constraints of the Old Bank District project,” Gilmore said.
With the exception of cleaning and new paint, Killefer leaves the ornate exteriors of the buildings pretty much alone. Inside, much of the interiors are gutted, with the exception of such prominent architectural features as marble wainscoting, operable wood windows and decorative tile.
“He really managed to come up with a style that was not too fussy and reflected the raw quality that our lofts had to have,” Gilmore said. “He has hit on something that we can do again and again and again.”
The only major modern additions to each unit are a bathroom and kitchen that are clustered together to divide the large open space, where ceilings can soar 20 feet above the floor. Walls inside the space stop well short of the ceiling. The only doors are those that seal off the bathroom and closets.
The open space “allows people more options as to how they want to live,” Killefer said. “You know how people use a dining room for a lot of different things besides dining? Well, this makes it easier.”
Killefer has been impressed with how loft residents have adapted to their new homes. Some feature antique French Empire-style furniture. Other residents have installed hammocks.
“Everything works,” Killefer said. “Nothing looks out of place.”
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Loft, Sweet Loft
Numerous old commercial buildings in downtown Los Angeles are designated to be transformed into loft-style residential projects:
*
*--*
Loft-Conversion Projects Units Flower Street Lofts 72 Higgins Building 150 Old Bank District 240 Pacific Electric Building 200 Premier Towers 37 Rowan Building 209 Former Sanwa Bank headquarters NA Security Building 153 Subway Terminal Building 250 Toy Warehouse Lofts 40 Victor Clothing Building 24
*--*
*
NA: Not available
Sources: Times research, Los Angeles Downtown Center District
