Crews have started work on the seismic upgrade of a 1920s office building at the corner of 8th and Spring Streets in Downtown Los Angeles, the first step toward converting the structure into housing.
The 12-story structure, completed in 1923 as the Lane Mortgage Building, is being converted by the Delijani family into 110 residential units - some as small as 380 square feet - with street-level commercial space. Plans also call for activating the building's rooftop as a tenant amenity space.
Downtown-based architecture firm Omgivning is designing the project, building off of original work by architect Lester Loy Smith. The restoration will also retain tilework in the Lane Building's entry lobby which was created by Ernest Batchelder.
While this project will create housing in a vintage office building, the intersection of 8th and Spring has recently seen the addition of two modern high-rise towers - the Grace and the Griffin - which contain a combined 575 apartments.
The Lane Building also abuts the historic Tower Theatre - also owned by the Delijani family - which is being converted by Apple into a unique retail store.
