The adaptive reuse and historic restoration of Desmond’s is a story of flexibility and design within a modern historic interpretation. The project first started as a core and shell renovation. Knowing that workplace tenants would be drawn to the richness of the building’s exterior, our design team also wanted to maximize daylight and views of the outside on every floor. New windows in the south brought in much-needed daylight and they were designed to match existing window details.

The ground floor retail had lost its Streamline Moderne storefront during previous tenant renovations. When a new ground floor tenant was secured during construction, a contemporary window design was introduced that met historic requirements, along with the branding elements of the new tenant, Skechers.

The building is now a mixed-use building with retail at the ground + basement level and offices.The roof area has been dramatically transformed with the addition of two new stories that have the potential to hold a restaurant on the 7th floor and restaurant/bar on the 8th floor with downtown skyline views.

The building’s location in the heart of downtown presented an opportunity to create a unique rooftop experience. A 1930's penthouse addition in the rear half of the roof was rebuilt and extended to within 20 feet of Broadway. The remaining roof area became a patio for the 7th floor. The extension became a platform for a partial 8th-floor addition, set back from the street-facing edges of the building by large outdoor areas. The setbacks make the modern steel and glass addition nearly invisible from the street, satisfying the requirements for alterations to a historic structure, and allowing the project to qualify for the Mills Act incentive program. The addition design was finalized, and reviewed by the city, during construction.

Listen here for an interview with A Martinez, host of KPCC's Take Two, and Sarah Cahill, the project manager for Desmond's, about our design process.

National co-working group Bond Collective selected Desmond’s as their new Los Angeles location. Bond Collective, occupying floors two through six, quickly sought to interpret their co-working space to highlight and feature Desmond’s unique interior design features. The Omgivning team executed on Bond Collective’s interior design and the resulting lounges, workspaces, gourmet kitchens, and conference rooms reinforce elements of sophistication and polish.