1545 Park

Location: Emeryville, CA

1545 Park Avenue is a 25,500 sq ft existing brick and steel warehouse building on the corner of Park Avenue and Halleck Street. Originally constructed in 1912 for manufacturing use, the building is notable for its original full height wood double-hung windows that run continuously across all four facades of the building, as well as its original interior brick walls, steel trusses, and wood roof sheathing that remain exposed on the interior. Looking towards the future, the owner wanted to modernize the building to be a warm shell for future office and/or research and design tenants while maintaining the original industrial character of the space.

The existing building required full seismic upgrades to the existing wood and steel structure in order to keep the exterior vintage brick shell intact. Our design includes a new support system of steel braces, beams and columns around the perimeter interior. This structural upgrade also allows for the addition of a mezzanine level to create more usable floor area and the flexibility for future single or multiple tenancies.

The mezzanine is pulled back from the exterior wall along Park Avenue to create a new dramatic double height main entrance which features the original full height wood windows framed by the new steel braces. At the mezzanine level above, a band of new windows has been added to keep the space as light and airy as possible. Care was taken to ensure all new additions do not conflict with the original character of the building. Finally, a new amenity space was created by capturing unused roof area for a roof deck for tenants. Purposefully located on the west side of the building, the roof deck has expansive views out towards San Francisco and daily sunsets.