Orange Grove
West Hollywood, Calif.
PUGH + SCARPA

PUGH + SCARPA creates a modern landmark in the eclectic and often unconventional neighborhood of West Hollywood

© Marvin Rand

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By Allison Milionis

“There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles,” says Los Angeles developer Chris DeBolt of Orange Grove, a 6,700-square-foot complex tucked into a densely populated West Hollywood neighborhood in the heart of the Los Angeles metropolis. “We wanted to allow people to come in and create their own thing.” A former developer of commercial properties, DeBolt had a change of heart when he made a rare find in West Hollywood, a vacant lot in a residential neighborhood teeming with eclectic low-rise apartments. Concerned that Los Angeles lacked enough “decent loft space,” DeBolt hired Pugh + Scarpa to design a complex to appeal to a growing niche of buyers who seek flexible, open spaces. “I like the work of Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler, but I’m not trying to recreate that model,” says DeBolt. “I’m interested in applying the minimal elements of Modernism to create urban environments with an edge.”

Rising above 1960s- and 1970s-era apartment buildings that face away from the street to shield residents from public gaze, Orange Grove’s demonstrative street facade speaks volumes of the evolving notion of urban living in Los Angeles. Two balconies in the front—one completely open, the other shielded by rusted-steel louvers—create a physical and psychological relationship to the street. A steel window box offers an unobstructed view of the private life within.

An extremely tight budget dictated the materials palette, including the structural system—a conventional wood frame that is ideal for a tall, narrow building. The exterior materials include stucco, which speaks to the neighborhood’s character, and steel and corrugated metal, which enclose the second-story balconies on the east and north facades.

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Formal name of Project:
Orange Grove

Location:
West Hollywood, Calif.

Gross square footage:
6,700 sq. ft. Housing; 3,800 sq. ft. Parking.

Total construction cost:
$1.25 Million

Owner:
Urban Enviornments
6565 Sunset Blvd., Suite 419
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Wk: (310) 469-0100
Fx: (310) 469-0111
www.urbanenvironmentsla.com

Architect:
PUGH + SCARPA
Bergamot Station,
2525 Michigan Ave, F1
Santa Monica, Ca 90404
Wk: 310--828-0226
Fx: (310) 453-9606
www.pugh-scarpa.com