Harbor View House
Client
/
Hillcrest Company
Area
/
San Pedro
Status
/
In Progress
Type
/
Mixed Use, Housing, Restaurant/Bar
Awards
2025 Los Angeles Conservancy Project Award
2025 California Preservation Foundation (CPF) Award
2025 Structural Engineers Association of Southern California (SEAOSC) Award
Located in between Downtown San Pedro and the Main Harbor Channel, the historic Harbor House has panoramic, water-front views of the Port of Los Angeles. This five-story Mediterranean Revival building was constructed in 1925, originally as an Army and Navy YMCA.
Omgivning was tasked with the adaptive reuse of the 107,000 square-foot structure — comprising five stories and a basement — into a mixed-use building with residential units, a restaurant, lobby/lounge, basketball court, and a new pool. Work also included a seismic retrofit of the non-ductile concrete structure, as well as the installation of all new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
History
Built to support the nearby Naval Base San Pedro, the original YMCA building was designed by Jay, Rogers & Stevenson Architects, who were responsible for popular structures across Los Angeles and San Diego in the early decades of the 20th century. It originally housed a gym, pool, coffee shop, cafeteria, dormitory with 410 beds, and open-air handball courts, which were enclosed in 1944. In the 1940s, the building was converted from military to civilian use as a nursing home. The YMCA’s pool was filled in and a large portion of the ground floor became administration and back-of-house.
Harbor House was designated as a historic landmark in 1982 and even with this significant change of use, Omgivning met the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation and the Owner was able to obtain National historic tax credits. Throughout the building, the team preserved many of the original features, including painted beams in the grand lobby, tilework, artistic trim painting, and the existing basketball court with a running track above.
Contact
About Omgivning
Founded in 2009, Omgivning has worked on over 700 buildings, shaping Los Angeles through adaptive reuse, revitalization, and community-centered design. From boutique hotels to housing, workplaces to cultural spaces, Omgivning’s work strengthens communities by honoring the past and designing for the future.
Historic and Pre-construction
The building's historic images with what the building looked like pre-construction.
About Omgivning
Founded in 2009, Omgivning has worked on over 700 buildings, shaping Los Angeles through adaptive reuse, revitalization, and community-centered design. From boutique hotels to housing, workplaces to cultural spaces, Omgivning’s work strengthens communities by honoring the past and designing for the future.
Historic and Pre-construction
The building's historic images with what the building looked like pre-construction.
