First Look at the Mixed-Use Makeover For the Arts District's 1913 Ford Factory

The stretch of Santa Fe Avenue in the southern Arts District where the old Ford Factory sits has already changed a lot since developer Shorenstein Properties bought the property and announced that they were converting it into creative offices and retail storefronts. Since we last heard from the lovely 1913 factory, SoHo House has revealed plans to open a location a few blocks to the south and announcements have been made about a to-be-decided development on a SoHo-adjacent site and live/work lofts just a block away from that. A fitting gateway to all that action, the buffed-up former factory (for cars, then toys) will soon be showing off a stunning brick façade instead of that old blue paint, plus a rooftop with Downtown views and outdoor spaces with fire pits and basketball hoops.

Figuring prominently in the renderings from architecture firm Shubin + Donaldson are a rooftop hangout zone with decorative water tower, some space for coworkers to show of their basketball skills, and tree-lined pedestrian walkways between the buildings. (One of the buildings in the complex is supposed to be razed for a parking garage, probably that one that says "The Factory" on it in the images.) The project is still aiming for completion in early 2016, according to the developer's website.

· Beautiful Old Ford Factory in the Toy District Becoming Mixed-Use Office Complex [Curbed LA]
· Touring the 1913 Ford Plant Where American Apparel Keeps Its Sexy Mannequin Army [Curbed LA]
· Fancy SoHo House Already Attracting More Development to Southern Arts District [Curbed LA]