| The architect's connection to downtown Los Angeles is a fundamental part of the firm’s DNA. Over the past century the firm has been and integral part of the Los Angeles community. The architect has developed a thorough understanding of the social, economic and cultural forces that have shaped downtown LA. This long-standing relationship with the City has delivered some of the region’s iconic projects, such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Headquarters Building, a modernist masterpiece; Los Angeles City Hall (originally in 1928, and again as a rehabilitation and seismic retrofit in 2001) and, more recently, the award-winning Hollenbeck Replacement Police Station.
Hall of Justice (HOJ) was originally built in 1925 as the centerpiece of the county's justice system. The historic building was featured on television shows, including Dragnet, Perry Mason and Get Smart, and in Clint Eastwood’s feature movie Absolute Power. The building also housed infamous residents, Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. HOJ remained in uses until it was damaged in 1994 by the Northridge earthquake.
Flash forward to 2010 when the architect was selected to artfully restore this civic jewel. This 335,000 SF restoration/reuse project involved clearing the damaged interior spaces, and replacing the outdated and inefficient MEP systems taking great care to keep as many of the historic elements intact. The restored facility has 308,000 SF of new office space equipped with entirely updated MEP systems, a new 1000-car parking structure and draught-tolerant landscaping.
Historical renovation included extensive cleaning of the exterior granite, the restoration of the marble clad grand lobby and loggia, and reorienting the building’s entrance back to Spring Street by way of the monumental granite steps. Other elements were painstakingly matched and updated to help the building perform day-to-day functions as if it were a modern structure.
The Hall of Justice joins downtown in an unprecedented transformation. Historic structures in the City Center are being re-purposed to create a lively mix of residential, retail, hospitality and entertainment uses that is attracting new residents and visitors locally and internationally. the architect has actively shaped the City for the past 109 years, as well as restoring many of its civic gems, including the newly finished Hall of Justice.
|
