The Metro @ Chinatown Senior Lofts
Project Type:
Senior Housing
Transportation Oriented Development
Address:
808 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Year Completed:
2013
Units:
123
High-rise commercial buildings convert into transit-adjacent lofts for seniors in Chinatown.
Located a block away from the Metro Chinatown Station in Los Angeles, two high-rise commercial buildings built in the 1920s sat vacant for nearly a decade. In 2011, Meta Housing began breathing new life into these historic structures by redesigning them for residential use. The result of this adaptive redevelopment is a modern senior housing community composed of two integrated buildings with sweeping views over downtown Los Angeles, Elysian Park, and the San Gabriel mountains.
Meta Housing overcame challenges for the redevelopment of these historic buildings.
As is common for adaptive reuse of commercial buildings, structural constraints such as the building envelope, column grid, elevator core, and stairwells posed significant design challenges. In addition, the site had a grade change: The building frontage on Spring Street is one story higher than the building frontage on Alameda Street. To overcome these challenges, Meta Housing molded the project’s program elements to the existing conditions. The resident lofts fit within the constraints of the column grid, elevator core, and stairwells, necessitating distinct floor plans for each story. To accommodate the grade change, the project has dedicated entrances and lobbies from both Spring and Alameda Street, connected by a grand stairway.
The resident lofts feature high ceilings with concrete floors and brick walls. Community-oriented programming, such as the manager’s office, fitness center, art-makers space, and screening room, are located off the lower lobby, while a game room sits adjacent to the upper lobby. A large community room on the seventh floor connects to an extensive roof deck atop the neighboring six-story building. This open space contains steel frames of “living trees,” where flowering vines provide shade and residents can enjoy outdoor community amenities such as a barbecue, fire pit, and lounge area.
Financial Partners:
Bank of America
City of Los Angeles/HUD (Neighborhood Stabilization Program)
Housing & Community Development Dept. of CA (TOD)
Federal Home Loan Bank San Francisco (Affordable Housing Program Grant)
California Community Reinvestment Corporation
Western Community Housing
California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC)
California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC)
Architect:
The Architect's Collective
General Contractor:
Taisei Construction
