The Next Generation of "Skid Row Housing"

This week I attended a panel discussion by Skid Row Housing Trust (SRHT), the United Way, and four well-known architects who have designed permanent supportive housing projects for SRHT. About a hundred people gathered in the basement auditorium of the amazing Walt Disney Concert Hall to hear about the latest and greatest projects being designed as permanent living quarters for some of LA's most down and out residents. One of the projects, in particular, was so eye-popping that I had to dig deeper.

First, some background: The mission of SRHT, which is celebrating 20 years of existence, has been to take existing run-down "single room occupancy" or SRO hotels, rehab them, and provide on-site services (mental health, job training, etc.) to formerly homeless individuals. Their geographic focus has been the 50-block downtown LA Skid Row area. They do great work and their properties stand out as among the most beautiful and best-run in the neighborhood.

But it seems that the available stock of appropriate SRO hotels, which were built around the turn of the last century as dorm-style living (i.e., tiny rooms and bathroom-down-the-hall set-up), had been mostly picked-over, and in recent years they have started doing ground-up/new construction projects. But who knew they would be willing to take architectural risks? Their newest project, set to open in November, is called the The New Carver.



Readers who know me will not be surprised to learn that I went to the site the day after learning of it at the panel discussion, and talked my way into the construction zone. The neighborhood is dominated by California Hospital, and the street is actually very quiet because it is essentially a cul-de-sac.

The New Carver sits on an undesirable piece of land at Hope Street and 17th in Downtown's South Park neighborhood, near the Staples Center, but also abutting the 10 Freeway. And when I say "abutting," I mean the structure comes within feet of the raised interstate and all the zillion cars that pass each day. In order to minimize the building's frontage to the freeway, the architect had the genius idea to make the building round (a circular saw-tooth footprint, actually), with a courtyard in the middle. The design is essentially a five-story motel, but wrapped into a circle.

The best part, though, is that this project can show those thousands of cars that pass by on the 10 fwy each day what "affordable housing" can mean. This is not a half-way house, a "homeless shelter," nor "the Projects" of the NIMBY's fears. This is a well-run and uber-attractive project that happens to be doing a ton of good for the people who call it home. This Wall Street Journal article describes good architecture as a "wedge" in the fight to get neighborhoods to accept these kinds of projects, and I think the New Carver Apartments hit a home run.






The aluminum fins that encircle the five story courtyard not only create a powerful visual, they are functional, as well. Some act as drainage, some as ventilation, etc. They also act as a partial visual screen, so that residents have a bit of privacy when coming in and out of their units.

A minimal number of the 89 units will be freeway-close. Instead, the architect put some of the communal spaces- TV lounge, community room, etc.- at eye level to the freeway. Imagine the curiosity of commuters stuck in traffic, looking in at the New Carver. They will think it's Downtown LA's latest hot condo/loft project!