Arts District Warehouse / Sheft Farrace

Architects: Sheft Farrace
Area: 6600 ft²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Mike Kelley
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Miele, Bold Lighting, Corian, Elkay, Forms + Surfaces, Kohler, Lumenwerx, McNichols, Schalge, Sloan Valve Company, Summit Appliances
Lead Architects: Alexander Sheft; John Farrace
Structural Engineering: Polon & Lewis Structural Engineering
MEP Engineering: AJ Design
Program / Use / Building Function: Event Space / Mixed Use
Waterproofing Consulting: Hendrix Consulting LLC
General Contractor: Western Built Construction
City: Los Angeles
Country: United States

The Arts District Office Conversion, a multi-purpose building designed by Sheft Farrace in Los Angeles’ Arts District, exemplifies adaptive reuse in architecture post-COVID-19. Started in 2021, this project transformed a 1920s warehouse, maintaining its historic bow-truss design while reconfiguring it into a flexible space for work, events, and creative endeavors. The design preserves the original aesthetic while incorporating significant structural updates for a modern, versatile use.

In Los Angeles’ Arts District, a neighborhood characterized by its industrial past transforming into dynamic new spaces, challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated adjustments in how spaces are used.

In 2021, the architecture and design studio Sheft Farrace took on a project to repurpose an old warehouse into an office space.

This warehouse, dating back to the 1920s and exemplifying LA’s bow-truss architecture, symbolizes the city’s industrial heritage. The team respected this historical architecture, preserving the building’s external shell while modernizing the interior.

During the renovation, it became clear that traditional office use might not resume post-pandemic. The owners and architects shifted their approach, aiming to develop a multi-purpose facility that could function variably as a workplace, event space, and creativity studio.

To achieve this, Sheft Farrace emphasized broad structural changes over typical small-scale office fit-outs. They reconfigured the layout by altering the ground level, which involved excavations at both the front and back of the warehouse. This allowed for an indoor/outdoor area at the front and a spacious mezzanine under the existing roof at the back, accommodating diverse activities.

Further, the architects carefully updated the building’s exterior—altering openings, installing a new entrance, and refurbishing the facades—while preserving its original look. This choice reflects a common theme in Los Angeles architecture: modest exteriors hiding rich, renovated interiors.

As the future of physical office spaces remains uncertain, adaptive reuse projects like this one are likely to become more prevalent, particularly in revitalizing areas like the Arts District, where old buildings frequently undergo innovative transformations.