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About MacArthur Park Apartments
Location: Los Angeles, California
Developer: McCormack Baron Salazar, Los Angeles Housing Partnership
Designer: Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
Size: 68,848 square feet
MacArthur Park Apartments brings affordable housing within footsteps of the subway station at Los Angeles’s iconic MacArthur Park in one of the city’s densest neighborhoods. Inextricably linked to its urban context, the project provides a vital and safe public realm and a sense of place that will encourage ridership and promote a more pedestrian-friendly community.
Building above an existing and very shallow subway tunnel and station required that all new replacement parking be constructed in an above-ground podium. In response, new retail spaces line the podium along Seventh Street and Westlake Avenue to enliven the streetscape; a grand staircase creates a visible pedestrian sequence from the station portal to the courtyard spaces above the podium.
The courtyards pay homage to an iconic California housing typology while providing access to the new family units. Even at a density of 60 units per acre, every residence is provided with natural ventilation and direct access to courtyard space. Each family has its own front door and shares outdoor playgrounds and indoor recreation rooms.