ARCHITECT:
wHY Architecture + Planning
Kulapat Yantrasast and Yo Hakomori

DATES:
Start October 2009
Completion; August 2010

PROJECT SIZE:
3,400 square feet

Cost:
$1,000,000

DESCRIPTION:
One of the oldest buildings in Venice, this Edison Power Transfer Station is now part of a new major art gallery, L&M Arts. Long neglected and covered with graffiti we have restored the exterior of the existing building and are inserting display walls on the interior along with offices. We have also provided for all new mechanical and lighting systems.

Adjacent to this existing building are the new gallery building and support offices with a private showing spaces. The new building will maintain a similar architectural vocabulary of masonry walls, including reclaimed brick walls and exposed concrete slab floors. Both galleries are sensitively lit with natural light from skylights with diffusing scrims.
The new gallery with the remodeled industrial building beyond.
         
   
The existing building at 660 Venice was originally and Edison Electric Transformer station used to reduce electrical current for Venice. It has seen many lives lastly home to the Venice Blueprint Shop. The brick structure was left largely untouched on the exterior.
The interior was extensively remodeled.
This is the interior with the non-structural metal framing. We use metal in galleries and residential ceiling for with straightness.
This is the interior with the non-structural metal framing. We use metal in galleries and residential ceiling for with straightness.
The skim coat plaster is almost complete; we are checking wall finishes with the actual lighting to be used in the gallery. We use ‘Level 5 Gallery Finish’ on all residential and commercial work.
 
Here we are just a few weeks into the project, having completed the removal and recompaction of the soil to provide proper bearing capacity for the structural loads we are now excavating for the foundations.
 
The exterior shell with the red brick veneer is complete.
The main entrance viewed from Venice Boulevard.
Main entrance with new gallery and support offices.
Existing building with entry beyond.
Support offices with gallery to the left.
Exposed roof structure and skylight in the new gallery.
The view from the remodeled building through to the new gallery entrance.