Market Research…History, Architecture, and Foodies

Source: uncoverla.com, Wonho Frank Lee

Market Research…History, Architecture, and Foodies

by SweisKloss
February 11, 2020

Adaptive reuse. We all know the term. We all appreciate the concept. As designers, we see the significance of adaptive reuse, and when done well, the results can be the perfect blend of historic preservation, art, design and sustainability. One SweisKloss staffer recently went to the new Citizen Public Market, a food hall in a Culver City building that originally housed the Citizen Publishing Company. She was impressed with the thoughtful design and layout. The Citizen Publishing Company Building, a historic landmark, opened in 1929 by The Citizen newspaper publisher Eugene Donovan who commissioned architect Orville Clark to create the design. Here’s a bit of trivia, The Citizen not only published a city newspaper for the time, but they also printed many of the “dummy” newspapers—sometimes in foreign languages and vintage fonts—that were used in films by studios such as RKO and MGM. Clark designed the building to marry elements of Beaux Arts and Art Deco, incorporating tiered setbacks, a two-story arched entryway, and subtle ornamentation. Today, stepping inside the foyer, one will see the carefully restored original wrought iron railings and marble-tiled flooring. Communal tables constructed from salvaged printing equipment fill the space along with modern touches. Regarding the interior design, Creative Director Jonathan Sample said, “If we were unable to source an original artifact from the newspaper or building, the painstaking effort was put into using era-specific methods, materials, processes, and craftspeople to recreate it. There are lots of little kernels of history and inspiration throughout.” The pandemic affected the pace of getting all the food stalls in the market, but for you foodies out there, it is still worth the trip to dine on offerings from Nancy Silverton’s Pizzette, gourmet oysters from Jolly Oyster’s, and brunch/coffee from Goodboybob café. And don’t even get us started on the spiced french fries at WeHo Sausage Co. Food can then be enjoyed al fresco on the rooftop terrace or back patio. In short, sign us up for more adaptive reuse places in LA where we can get great food and drink. For more info about Citizen Public Market, click here.