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Fashion District Building Gets a $6 Million Transformation
  
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Fashion District Building Gets a $6 Million Transformation
by Richard Guzmán
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - If you are not specifically looking for it, it is easy to miss the entrance to the Emil Brown Lofts. The brown door almost blends in to the surrounding cityscape, the huge spools of fabric and other materials from adjacent businesses dominating the busy sidewalks of the Fashion District.
Up until a few years ago, the edifice at 308 E. Ninth St., near Santee Street, was a clothing manufacturing facility feeding product to many of the stores below. Although the façade has not changed much since then, the interior has been transformed into 38 lofts that are leasing quickly. After a Jan. 10 opening, 27 units have been reserved.
“I think the product sells itself because it’s a true loft,” said Jack Ravan, president of the South Park Group, the developer of the project. “We’ve got the ceiling heights, the industrial feel; it’s a true loft versus a lot of the other projects that I think are more similar to an apartment.”
Units in the $6 million project range from 750-1,700 square feet, with rents from $1,200-$3,000. Kat Pytka, a leasing agent at the building (and a tenant), said full occupancy is expected in about a month.
Residences in the 1922, five-story building boast concrete floors, original windows, Italian blue glass tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms and high ceilings. Most of the lofts have what Ravan calls a “mezzanine” level, a raised portion in the main living space that can serve as an office or bedroom.
Penthouses on the fifth floor have a “pop up” level, a second-floor room that leads to a private rooftop patio. There is also a rooftop dog run, a community area with a gas grill and a fitness center.
The Emil Brown Lofts is the first Downtown development for Ravan’s Los Angeles-based company. Previously, Ravan, who had two partners for this project, had focused on real estate services such as property management and consulting. He had also worked on other developments mostly in Hollywood and West Hollywood.
Ravan’s group bought the Fashion District building in 2001 for $5 million. The transformation took two years.
“I would say our biggest challenge was going through the city process, the permitting,” Ravan said. “It took a long time to go through getting city inspections and approvals.”
Although the transformation took place as the recession was in full swing, and numerous Downtown housing projects tumbled into bankruptcy, Ravan said the Emil Brown Lofts was able to push through thanks to help from its lender.
“We were lucky we had a good relationship with Manufacturers Bank, who has been a great supporter of all of our projects and extended our construction loan and didn’t put any pressure on us, which was a tremendous positive,” he said.
New Block
The project includes 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. A Subway restaurant and Starbucks already fill 3,000 square feet, with the remainder occupied by garment businesses.
But Ravan said that is likely to change soon, as he will jump on the opportunity to begin to transform the block that is now a bustling fashion hub into a more resident friendly space.
“We’re exploring the replacement of some fabric stores when their leases come up with more service-oriented businesses, like a salon, tanning spa or wine bar,” he said.
The project was designed by David Gray, a Santa Monica-based architect with extensive experience in Downtown Los Angeles, including transformations of the Tomahawk Building and the Orpheum lofts.
Gray said the Emil Brown Lofts, named after the original developer of the building, stands out even among his list of projects.
“We’ve done 400 lofts Downtown and this is far and away the most interesting because of the way we treated the depth and the raised platforms and the view out over the top,” he said, referring to the mezzanines, which were built to take advantage of the light.
The project does not include any onsite parking. However, there is a parking lot attached to the edifice that is managed by an outside company. Residents can reserve a space for $125 a month.
Deal and Design
Although the interiors underwent extensive renovation, relatively little was done to the outside portions of the property.
“We didn’t find any real need to change the exterior. We cleaned it up, reinforced the architecture that was there,” Gray said. “It has its own character, so why mess with it?”
They also haven’t messed around when it comes to leasing the lofts. Ravan said there has been little advertising, with just an open house in January, a few online postings and a rent sign on the roof.
“I think our prices, compared to what I’ve seen, are good and make a good combination with the ceiling heights and the style of the lofts,” Ravan said.
Indeed, it was the bang for the buck, along with the design, that steered 38-year-old Ben Blair away from other Downtown buildings in favor of a 950-square-foot unit at the Emil Brown building.
He was one of the first tenants to move in, arriving in January.
“What I found in this particular space, besides the style, which is just fantastic, was more space for the money than I could find in the Valley or Hollywood area,” he said.
Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.
page 1, 03/08/2010
©Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Up until a few years ago, the edifice at 308 E. Ninth St., near Santee Street, was a clothing manufacturing facility feeding product to many of the stores below. Although the façade has not changed much since then, the interior has been transformed into 38 lofts that are leasing quickly. After a Jan. 10 opening, 27 units have been reserved.
“I think the product sells itself because it’s a true loft,” said Jack Ravan, president of the South Park Group, the developer of the project. “We’ve got the ceiling heights, the industrial feel; it’s a true loft versus a lot of the other projects that I think are more similar to an apartment.”
Units in the $6 million project range from 750-1,700 square feet, with rents from $1,200-$3,000. Kat Pytka, a leasing agent at the building (and a tenant), said full occupancy is expected in about a month.
Residences in the 1922, five-story building boast concrete floors, original windows, Italian blue glass tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms and high ceilings. Most of the lofts have what Ravan calls a “mezzanine” level, a raised portion in the main living space that can serve as an office or bedroom.
Penthouses on the fifth floor have a “pop up” level, a second-floor room that leads to a private rooftop patio. There is also a rooftop dog run, a community area with a gas grill and a fitness center.
The Emil Brown Lofts is the first Downtown development for Ravan’s Los Angeles-based company. Previously, Ravan, who had two partners for this project, had focused on real estate services such as property management and consulting. He had also worked on other developments mostly in Hollywood and West Hollywood.
Ravan’s group bought the Fashion District building in 2001 for $5 million. The transformation took two years.
“I would say our biggest challenge was going through the city process, the permitting,” Ravan said. “It took a long time to go through getting city inspections and approvals.”
Although the transformation took place as the recession was in full swing, and numerous Downtown housing projects tumbled into bankruptcy, Ravan said the Emil Brown Lofts was able to push through thanks to help from its lender.
“We were lucky we had a good relationship with Manufacturers Bank, who has been a great supporter of all of our projects and extended our construction loan and didn’t put any pressure on us, which was a tremendous positive,” he said.
The project includes 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. A Subway restaurant and Starbucks already fill 3,000 square feet, with the remainder occupied by garment businesses.
But Ravan said that is likely to change soon, as he will jump on the opportunity to begin to transform the block that is now a bustling fashion hub into a more resident friendly space.
“We’re exploring the replacement of some fabric stores when their leases come up with more service-oriented businesses, like a salon, tanning spa or wine bar,” he said.
The project was designed by David Gray, a Santa Monica-based architect with extensive experience in Downtown Los Angeles, including transformations of the Tomahawk Building and the Orpheum lofts.
Gray said the Emil Brown Lofts, named after the original developer of the building, stands out even among his list of projects.
“We’ve done 400 lofts Downtown and this is far and away the most interesting because of the way we treated the depth and the raised platforms and the view out over the top,” he said, referring to the mezzanines, which were built to take advantage of the light.
The project does not include any onsite parking. However, there is a parking lot attached to the edifice that is managed by an outside company. Residents can reserve a space for $125 a month.
Although the interiors underwent extensive renovation, relatively little was done to the outside portions of the property.
“We didn’t find any real need to change the exterior. We cleaned it up, reinforced the architecture that was there,” Gray said. “It has its own character, so why mess with it?”
They also haven’t messed around when it comes to leasing the lofts. Ravan said there has been little advertising, with just an open house in January, a few online postings and a rent sign on the roof.
“I think our prices, compared to what I’ve seen, are good and make a good combination with the ceiling heights and the style of the lofts,” Ravan said.
Indeed, it was the bang for the buck, along with the design, that steered 38-year-old Ben Blair away from other Downtown buildings in favor of a 950-square-foot unit at the Emil Brown building.
He was one of the first tenants to move in, arriving in January.
“What I found in this particular space, besides the style, which is just fantastic, was more space for the money than I could find in the Valley or Hollywood area,” he said.
Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.
page 1, 03/08/2010
©Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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DAMIAN PELLICCIONE wrote on Mar 9, 2010 2:57 PM: