Best Integration of a Building's Integrity

LOS ANGELES – Within the overall transformation category of GlobeSt.com’s 2019 ADAPT awards, we chose to award The Trust Building in Los Angeles for the best integration of a buildings integrity. The project was honored at our awards ceremony earlier this week in Baltimore.

Originally constructed in 1928 by the Title Insurance and Trust Company for its headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles, The Trust Building was built by Parkinson and Parkinson architects and designed by John and Donald Parkinson, showcasing a distinct Art Deco design. Located at 433 S. Spring St., the building has long established itself as a historic, cultural monument on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 12-story building was purchased in 2016 by Rising Realty Partners and Lionstone Investments to conceptualize a 340,000-square-foot office space project. Initially planning to create a multifamily development, the owners decided to capitalize on the buildings distinct features for a creative office project.

➤➤ The GlobeSt.com ADAPT: Opportunity Zones awards were held on September 16th in Baltimore, MD, where we put a spotlight on the achievements of those who have had a hand in adaptive reuse solutions across the country. To view the full list of winners, click here.

The lengthy restoration process consisted of essentially reconstructing a new building inside the old one. In order to bring the building back up to code, each system underwent extensive upgrades and ground-up developments. The teams had difficulty in maintaining the structure’s original features, styled in marble, bronze and wood. Due to the historic nature of certain aspects, many items needed to remain completely untouched in order to preserve historic significance; posing a serious challenge during the significant surrounding renovations. Aside from light clean-up efforts, the building’s entire lobby was left untampered with, boasting its original unaltered design.

Recognizing the rarity of outdoor space in Downtown Los Angeles’ historic neighborhood, the development teams were able to benefit from the building’s numerous outdoor patios and decks on various floors, to offer private, customizable amenity space for its future tenants. The development teams were able to conserve “a relic of the golden age” while adding open floor plan office space, ground-floor retail space and a rooftop restaurant. Prioritizing tenants’ desire for an authentic, unique office space, the leasing team has found a great advantage in being able to leverage The Trust Building’s prominent historic features as a substantial selling point. The Trust Building has been under renovations for the past two and a half years and recently opened in June 2019.