HB Mixed-Use

Over a century old, this building in Hermosa Beach is one of the community’s earliest commercial structures. Once a car dealership, it has housed a range of uses over the decades, from retail to photo studio to personal storage. Though it never qualified for the historic register, its crenellated façade made it a recognizable local landmark. The client’s intent was not to expand square footage, which was already maxed out, but to rearrange and elevate the spaces in a way that would breathe new life into the building while keeping its familiar presence intact.

The project preserves the street-facing façade and openings, rebuilding them to their original proportions, while the interiors were stripped back and reimagined as flexible shells for future tenants. The ground floor will support commercial rental spaces alongside individual offices, with opportunities for uses such as a wine bar or movement studio. The second floor contains additional private offices, while the rear half of the building retains its existing use as self-storage.

The most visible intervention is the third-floor addition: a glassy penthouse wrapped in dark bronzed aluminum and carved with planted courtyards. More than an expansion, it creates a new quality of space, an elevated office environment that feels grounded in nature. With limited ocean views available, the design emphasizes alternative ways to connect to the outdoors: courtyards, planted edges, and an abundance of natural light. The bronze detailing extends down into the stairwell and toward the entry along the south side, creating material continuity from street to rooftop.

Simple in form but layered in experience, the project is designed to stitch together the past and present. The preserved façade keeps the building recognizable to the community, while the penthouse establishes a contemporary identity that is both distinct and deferential. The contrast between the restored stucco façade and bronze framed glass signals a new chapter without erasing the building’s familiar presence.

Hermosa Beach has grown rapidly in recent decades, with most of its historic structures lost to demolition and replacement. This project resists that pattern. By preserving and adapting a building that might otherwise have been replaced, the design reaffirms the value of continuity in a changing city. It offers not a wholly new construction, but an insertion — a way of elevating the everyday fabric while keeping its history legible for the future.

Architect & Interior Design: Laney LA
Structural/Civil Engineer: Labib Funk + Associates
MEP Engineer: National Engineering & Consulting