Creative Space was engaged by DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners to guide the transformation of the historic Joannes Brothers Company Building into a singe- or multi-tenant creative office complex with retail and restaurant uses. In the process of designing and planning the project, we were tasked with considering two paths seeing the project through to full build-out and completion; and preparing the asset for redevelopment while positioning it for an off-market sale.

With planning started before the pandemic, this project gave us a remarkable opportunity to see how nimble and flexible we and our partners could be. We adapted quickly and seamlessly to both the way in which we approached the project, and in how we visualized its future. Our goal was to retain the live/work ambiance of the original buildings while upgrading the structure and the interiors. In pursuit of that goal, we also had to acknowledge the new realities of a post-COVID world. Working together with DTLA-based architecture and design firm Omgivning, we emphasized the building's existing qualities, such as the spectacular historic windows that add rhythmic syncopation to the corner building's two street-side facades, and improving the interior so as to both bring the office spaces up to Title 24 building efficiency standards and introduce a light, airy, and well-conceived bank of rentable offices to this fast-developing neighborhood. We worked with Hot Cactus LA to plan a secret garden surrounding a shared outdoor common lounge, along with a multitude of elevated indoor/outdoor moments including a rooftop deck.

In September 2021, the property sold to New York-based developer LIVWRK.