28th Street Apartments

28th Street Apartments

The former 28th St. YMCA, designed by Paul Williams, FAIA in 1926, served as affordable housing for many young African American men who migrated to Los Angeles during the mid-1900s. More recently the facility has fallen into disrepair and its housing portion abandoned. With the proposed restoration and addition, the new 28th Street Apartments intends to expand on the building’s legacy by providing improved housing, as well as integrated supportive services and wellness programs directed to youth transitioning from foster care, the homeless, and mentally ill individuals. Additionally, the building will expand ground floor services to the community including restoration of the gymnasium.

Relying on old photos, field review, and original documents the historic building spaces and detail will be revived. Within this framework key features like wood windows, doors and millwork, cast stone ornament, and “Batchelder” tile will be restored. All public spaces are preserved although some, like the indoor pool, will be encapsulated—filled with sand to protect the original pool tile and capped with a new floor to adapt to current program needs. The former pool room will be adapted to a new social space with kitchen and lounge for residents.

A savvy planning entitlement strategy retains the original unit count (49). Units triple in size to include a small bathroom and kitchen. Increasing unit size while retaining unit count necessitated building additional units on land to the south. The new building is seismically separated and cantilevers two additional units from the steel elevator tower. Since the unit count and use remained unchanged, the project’s parking requirement remains per 1926 standards —zero. Five stalls were included for service, staff and disabled access. Since the resident population served does not own cars, money saved on parking is redirected into restoration amenity.

The new units are stacked in a thin cross-ventilated building which includes a laundry, roof deck, parking, services, and elevator. The building is targeted for LEED Gold with a south facing photovoltaic array, sunshades, and solar hot water panels on the roof.

Rooftop mechanical equipment is inventively strung across an interior light well to allow for a rooftop garden and circulation that links old and new. To avoid new plumbing penetrating the original board formed concrete ceilings of the ground floor public spaces, a raised “interstitial floor” was created on top of the second floor allowing plumbing, electrical, and fire service lines be transitioned and organized in hidden shafts.

Work required navigating current codes and the interpretation of the California Historic Building Code with city engineering, fire, and disabled access officials. Over a dozen code modifications were needed to preserve the integrity of the original structure while linking up with the new building.

The extent of the original building is kept clear and distinct and the new wing is wrapped in a mix of modulated perforated screens and cladding that give a nod to the history of taste in finishes—moving from bronze to clear aluminum. The result is a collection of built forms and places that create a cohesive whole and return an active building to the community.

Paul Williams, FAIA

HISTORY

E. AD AM SA VE .

I-10 FWY & DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

PA LO MA ST .

28 TH ST .

ET RE

32 ND ST .

N

ST

E.

EY

PR NO OJE RT CT H

A

I-110 FWY

ALL

OM

SITE

AL LE Y

PA L

E.

S. C ENT RAL AVE .

29 TH ST .

GR IFF ITH

E.

AV E.

ST AN FO RD AV E.

E.

25 TH ST .

E. 2

8 TH

ST R

EE T

AERIAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH

OVERALL VIEW

The approach to sustainability and infrastructure was guided by opportunities to strenthen informal social interaction and reinforce the historic architecture. The thin addition uses texture and transparency to distinguish between old and new.

SUSTAINABILITY

Daylighting to units New insulation

Exterior walkway Roof deck garden Updated HVAC

Solar hot water panels

Photovoltaic panels shade windows and wall

Cross ventilation Permeable paving

INFRASTRUCTURE New mechanical service platform hung over light well releases roof for use as garden space. Required structure extends to create trellis.

New structure cantilevers over existing to avoid loading exisiting structure Elevator

Circulation between existing and new building

Seismic separation Interstitial floor above existing floor to transition Encapsulate Former pool plumbing and eliminate penetrations in ground floor public spaces SOUTH

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Solar hot Awater panels

Solar photovoltaic panels

modulated perforated screens

Elevator tower and cantilevered residential units

Unit

Mechanical service platform

Roof deck

Trellis

Unit

Unit

Unit

ALLEY

Unit

Unit

Parking

Reception

NE W

E XISITIN

G

Existing pool filled

Unit

Commons room

Unit

Interstitial floor

Unit

Unit

Unit

Unit

Unit

Unit

Community center 28TH STREET

SECTION

E. 28TH STREET

COMMUNITY ENTRY

COMMUNITY HALL COMMUNITY CENTER

DN

OFFICE

PALOMA STREET

CONFERENCE ROOM OFFICE

OFFICE

UP

COMMONS ROOM COURTYARD

ELEV.

EXISTING

ACTIVITY ROOM

RECEPTION

LOBBY NEW

RESIDENTIAL ENTRY

ELEC.

TRASH

PARKING

N

ALLEY

1F FLOOR PLAN

UNIT

UNIT

UNIT

UNIT

DN

OPEN TO ROOF BELOW ROOF DECK ROOF

MECH PLATFORM

UNIT ELEV.

ELEV. DN

UP

UP

DN UP

DN

LAUNDRY UNIT

UNIT

4F

3F N

SELECTED UPPER FLOOR PLANS

NEW UNIT

HISTORIC BUILDING (IMPROVED)

TYPICAL UNIT PLANS

VIEW FROM PALOMA STREET

LOOKING UP: PALOMA STREET ENTRY

3F ROOF DECK

VIEW FROM ALLEY