CS GARDENS REPORT:
What was a vacant building and an old asphalt lot in Melrose Hill, Los Angeles is now a coffee shop, restaurant, and creative office. We wanted to create the relaxed feeling of an old ranch morphed into something new: desert to coastal native ecosystems, all handmade.
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We had so much fun designing this one: gardens, gates, benches, hardscape, raised planters, and furniture. Can’t wait to watch these plants grow!
📍 725 N Western Ave | The Western Returns
Once a hidden sanctuary for LA-based artists, The Western has been revived—preserving its artistic legacy while reintroducing a new wave of independent merchants, artists, and designers.
Originally built in 1925 to house Paramount Studios workers, The Western became a magnet for countercultural figures. As chronicled in LA Weekly, it was home to legendary artists, experimental musicians, and Hollywood’s creative misfits. Over time, it fell into disrepair—but its spirit never faded.
We are proud to have been entrusted by the building’s owner to guide the restoration and reprogramming of The Western, ensuring its next chapter honors its past while defining its future. With a thoughtful selection of contemporary art galleries, fashion labels, artisans and designers, the building has once again become a place for artists of all types to live and work in Melrose Hill.
Swipe through to see how this historic space has been reimagined. ✨ #TheWestern #HistoricRestoration #AdaptiveReuse #MelroseHill #LosAngelesHistory #BeforeAfter
📸: @mattcorreia__
The Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927 and 1929. The home was originally built for the physician and naturopath Philip Lovell and is considered a major monument in architectural history. It is often described as the first steel frame house in the United States, and also an early example of the use of gunite. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and as a City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument (#123) in 1974. Creative Space, having previously worked with the current owners on multiple art gallery projects, was tasked to oversee the historic restoration and modernization project currently under construction with an estimated completion of year-end 2024. The project team includes the esteemed architectural restoration firm Escher Gunewardena, architectural historian Barbara Lamprecht, interior designer Luis Laplace, general contractor OM Construction, structural engineer Nous Engineering, MEP designer Buro Happold, landscape designer Terremoto and wood restorer Andrew Gray Studio.
In 2020, Creative Space was tasked by David Zwirner to identify the right location for their first west coast gallery and subsequently brought on to develop the project on their behalf. At the same time, Creative Space was working with an existing client on programming and leasing a collection of historic buildings along Melrose Ave and N Western Ave between Hollywood and Koreatown.
After a market search focused on north central LA, David Zwirner was struck by the opportunity to purchase the building at 600-608 N Western Ave. The freestanding building was originally constructed to house a classic corner gas station in the 1920s and has since been adapted for a variety of uses over the years; most recently as a furniture showroom. The 15,000 square foot building has an unobstructed southwest orientation that floods the space with natural light, a private attached parking lot, and a highly adaptable structure, which perfectly suits David Zwirner’s unique needs. Furthermore, the site is easily accessible to key surrounding neighborhoods and close to their ever-growing Los Angeles audience.
To further enhance the gallery’s offerings, we assisted David Zwirner in leasing the two adjacent one-story buildings: 612 and 616 North Western Ave. The two 1930s structures originally operated as Hollywood prop shops and later as furniture shops before being restored and renovated by Selldorf Architects in 2023. Together, they add approximately 10,000 square feet of exhibition space to the gallery program. There is also 3,000 square feet of outdoor space and a garden.
Today is the official public debut of David Zwirner’s flagship Los Angeles gallery.
Photography by Elon Schoenhholz
Thanks to @eater_la for the feature on Melrose Hill and our on-going work with Zach Lasry to restore a pocket of our beautiful city into a “food and cultural hub”. See the link in our bio to read the story.
Creative Space welcomes the opening of @lunaluna at Ace & Mission Studios. When Luna Luna first approached us with their vision to restore the world’s first art amusement park, they needed a warehouse to gather, unpack and restore all the forgotten attractions from the leading artists of the time. Once restored, they needed a place expansive enough to open the art amusement park to the world. Both of these needs aligned with the range of creative, production, and industrial spaces at Ace & Mission Studios—including two large-scale sound stages most recently occupied by Apple Studios.
If you haven’t already, come visit the fantastical art carnival at Ace & Mission Studios located immediately adjacent to the 6th Street Bridge in the industrial flats of Boyle Heights.
Following Luna Luna, the campus will be available once again for lease in Summer 2024.
We are thrilled to welcome @cafetelegrama to Melrose Hill at Western & Melrose. Conceived, built and operated by our sister hospitality company the Western Group, Café Telegrama is a dreamy experience rooted in high design, extraordinary coffee by @canyoncoffee , and simply delicious food. Come enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious meal in the beautiful garden patio.
LA-based women’s fashion label @co has opened their first flagship store along with their new headquarters at 622 N Western Ave. We’re thrilled to welcome CO to the growing and dynamic community of galleries, restaurants and shops along N Western and Melrose Avenues. Photo by @co .
There’s a lot happening at Western & Melrose. See Vanity Fair’s recent article about this “once desolate stretch of Western Ave” and the people making it into one of LA’s most exciting neighborhoods. Graphic by @vanityfair .
David Zwirner Los Angeles opens today in Melrose Hill. From acquisition to development, we’re proud to have worked with David Zwirner to establish this stunning flagship. Photo credit to @davidzwirner
