The Art Walk Homes

This project consists of five homes utilizing the Los Angeles Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance. The Ave 57 Art Walk Homes take their inspiration from the Arroyo Arts and Crafts movement that was historically prevalent in this Highland Park Neighborhood of Los Angeles Angeles.  To help preserve the traditional local population of artists and writers in this neighborhood while encouraging opportunities for homeownership in proximity to the Metro Gold Line Station, the City of Los Angeles Angeles implemented the Avenue 57 Transit Oriented District Specific Plan in 2002. These homes are located within the “Art Walk” subarea of the specific plan, which encourages art craft uses and live/work homes. These homes embrace Highland Park and are a positive example of the opportunity to create viable joint living and work quarters for creative living.

In providing viable workspaces for artists it was critical to provide amenities common to art studios such as plentiful natural light, tall ceilings, and flexible space. The workspace is provided at ground level—a primary goal of the specific plan—encouraging community interaction and opportunities for outdoor art craft activities. In order to free up enough ground-level space for an artist’s studio in the inherently tiny footprint of a small lot home, each home utilizes a car lift to stack the required two-car parking. The high ceiling, which is needed to accommodate a car lift, creates an ideal expansive, light-filled space for the ground-level art studio. This arrangement deemphasizes the car while providing more space for art and community interaction.