Construction officially began today for The Curve @ West Angeles, a $24-million senior affordable housing development on Crenshaw Boulevard.

The project, a joint venture between Related California and West Angeles Community Development Corporation, replaces a small commercial building at the intersection of 54th Street and Crenshaw with a five-story structure featuring 70 residential units and 2,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Plans call for a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments, reserved for seniors making between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income.  Rents will be set between $473 and $1,014 per month.

The low-rise structure will incorporate a number of common amenities for residents, including a community room, a laundry facility, bike lockers, and a linear courtyard open on both ends.

The design by Santa Monica-based KFA Architecture is inspired by Art Deco architecture along the Crenshaw Corridor from the 1930s and 1940s, most notably the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping mall and the Vision Theater.