Architects to rent floor in old L.A. Chinatown industrial building

A century-old industrial building in Chinatown that is being converted to offices will soon house an architecture firm on its third floor.

The entire 13,000-square-foot space will serve as the new Los Angeles office for two firms that merged in August: NAC Architecture and Osborn Architects. The combined firm, which will operate as NAC Architecture, will bring more than 40 architects and staff members to 837 N. Spring St.

Redcar Properties is renovating the three-story brick building completed in 1912 that previously served as a retail center housing multiple small-format shops selling primarily inexpensive imported goods. It stands near the Chinatown station of the Metro Gold Line light rail system.

By opening a new office together, the firms have an opportunity to create a new space oriented toward collaboration, they said.

“We wanted our new headquarters to allow us to take full advantage of the new set of activities and opportunities that the merger has created for us,� said Michael Pinto, a former principal of Glendale-based Osborn who is now a principal of NAC.

“The building is a blank slate and our in-house team of architects and designers are working closely with Redcar to create a custom turn-key build that will foster innovation and enhance our ability to deliver sustainable and responsible architecture,� Pinto said.

Redcar Properties, a Los Angeles real estate investment firm, is working on a detailed interior and exterior rehabilitation of the building that includes exposing old bricks and wooden supports.

“Much of the building’s original brick and timber features and operable wood windows had been plastered over in previous renovations,� President Tom Majich said. “This is one of Los Angeles’ very early industrial buildings and we are going to uncover and underscore its historic architecture and character.�

The architects’ long-term lease with Redcar is valued at $3.3 million, real estate brokerage Industry Partners said. They are expected to move to Chinatown early next year.

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