Abode Communities | Architecture + Developer Skid Row Housing Trust Break Ground on 649 Lofts & Joshua House Health Center
Abode Communities | Architecture joined developer Skid Row Housing Trust, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and Councilmember José Huizar for the groundbreaking of 649 Lofts & Joshua House Health Center. Designed to create dignified housing combined with health services for homeless populations in Skid Row, this innovative Permanent Supportive Housing development features 55 efficiency units combined with a 25,000 square foot health center operated by Los Angeles Christian Health Centers.
Six Four Nine Lofts and Joshua House Health Center emphasizes spatial community connectivity via exaggerated ceiling heights that extend to two floors, situated at the junction of 7th & Wall symbolizing a gateway to the community. The narrow footprint of the site guided the development’s programmatic elements resulting in health services that span up to three levels. The ground-floor main entry connects visitors to both residential and health programming, serving as a critical element to encourage resident participation in on-site health services. From the ground level, which boasts the health center’s main reception/intake area, visitors are guided to primary care service areas, social service offices, and a chapel accessed via a grand staircase (or elevator) to the second floor. Third floor visitors experience additional health and social services including optometry, mental health and dental. A multipurpose room and landscaped outdoor open areas overlook the community, providing ample space for staff training and events. The third level courtyard overlooks the intersection of 7th and Wall providing a gathering space for healthcare providers extending available space of the adjacent multipurpose room.
A ground-floor resident lobby leads to dwellings on the fourth through seventh floors, which are complemented with support spaces and outdoor areas including landscaped courtyards, community gardens, and rooftop terraces that deepen the resident experience and promote visual connectivity via city and streetscape views.
