Plans emerge for redevelopment of San Pedro’s historic Harbor View House

Plans are coming together for the redevelopment of San Pedro’s historic Harbor View House, a longtime mental healthcare center overlooking the Port of Los Angeles.

Built in 1925 as a YMCA for Army and Navy personnel, the building began offering temporary housing to residents suffering from mental health issues and dementia in the 1960s. It was named a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 1982.

The property came up for sale last year, advertised on LoopNet as a “prime waterfront location” that could be converted to housing or a hotel. On Wednesday, a developer filed plans with the city to convert the building into a residential complex with 100 apartments.

Eight of those units would be set aside for extremely low-income residents, qualifying the project for incentives reserved for developments near transit lines (the building is roughly a half-mile from a Metro Silver Line express bus stop).

In addition to housing, the project would also include 14,717 square feet of commercial space, including a pair of restaurants.

That would certainly help the project fit right in with other new developments reshaping the San Pedro waterfront. Located on Beacon Street, the project is just above the hill from the $150 million San Pedro Public Market project, now in development at the neighborhood’s former Ports O’Call complex.

Listed in planning documents as Harbor House, LLC, the developer of the new housing complex will have to approach the project with a preservation-oriented mindset, given the building’s status as a Los Angeles landmark. Any major alterations will have to be cleared with the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission.

Architecture firm Omgivning, which is designing the project, will have some interesting features to work with. The LoopNet listing indicates that the building’s original track, gym, and lobbies are still intact after more than 90 years of use. A representative of Omgivning confirms that the dining hall, lobbies, and gym will be preserved as part of the makeover.