The striking, multi-level architectural wonder of concrete, wood and glass has 8 to 10 foot ceilings and was one of the first artist loft buildings built in Venice Beach—fabled mecca of the L.A. art scene, the avart-garde, the colorful, and sometimes the wacky.
Designed by LOC Architects with offices in Downtown LA, the lofts function as studio workspaces much like the Venice studios of artists such as Ed Ruscha and Laddie Dill who converted supermarket warehouses only blocks away into indoor/outdoor studios.
The 1,167 square foot one bed one bath space has three levels plus a two-car garage on the ground floor. All units have exposed wood beams, cement floors and are flooded with natural light but #12 is special with its “crow’s nest”—a small balcony on the front of the building off the upstairs bedroom with spectacular views.
Spacious balcony Crow’s Nest
Crow’s Nest top right balcony
Designers Poonam Sharma and Ali Jeevanjee—the principals of LOC Architecture—bring not only impressive architecture credentials to their work—Ali with a Master’s from Harvard and Poonam, a Master’s from SCI-Arc—but also parallel design experience. Prior to founding LOC, Poonam worked with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston as an Exhibition Designer and Ali worked in several architectural office including notable positions in the office of Frank Gehry and Ellerbe Becket.
Poonam Sharma and Ali Jeevangee
Venice Beach was founded in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it merged with Los Angeles. Today, Venice is known for its canals, beaches, and the circus-like Ocean Front Walk—a two-and-a-half-mile pedestrian promenade that features performers, mystics, artists and vendors.
The Venice canals
The Venice pier
The Venice Boardwalk
Boardwalk entertainer
The boardwalk at sunset
But Venice has more than just colorful street life and ocean waves. Some of the most remarkable and unconventional buildings ever created are in the Venice area—many designed by local architect, Frank Gehry.
Gehry’s Spiller House Photo courtesy Michael Locke
Gehry’s Venice Beach House
The Chiat/Day binoccular building
Up the stairs to the second level and you’ll find a cook’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a dining area that overlooks the first floor living room.
The spacious bedroom on the third floor—light-filled and floating above the treetops—manages to be simultaneously cozy and open.
Light filters into the double-sinked bathroom through frosted glass bricks.
So, like the song says, rock down to Electric Avenue where we’ll take you higher—for some of the most spectacular views on the Westside.
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