It's the sadly abandoned building that attempted to be M.C. Escher-like but ended up looking more like a forrest green and maroon mess. And the property that is 245 W Broadway--what was once filled with offices and last occupied, at least in one of them, with a strange artist collective known as 245 West Broadway Productions--has been surrounded by fencing for what seems like forever.
Enter Parc Broadway, which adds even more good news to downtowners following the formal announcement of The Edison lofts.
This mixed-use development will revitalize a deadened strip on Broadway that will finally open up the avenue from Magnolia--where the new courthouse is soon to be finished and the Gallery 421 Lofts sit--to Pine, creating an essential need for more retail and pedestrian access.
Ground-floor space will house the retail while 219 apartment units will sit above. Accessible to both residents and the public will be a bike kitchen, a cafe, and an art gallery; residents will also have the luxury of a private fitness center and dog grooming facility.
The fourth floor will provide residents a pool, outdoor fireplace, and cabanas with a southside view of the waterfront.
Aesthetically, the building intriguingly uses laser-cut metal sheets that read as shadows by the day but alter in lighted color at night. The creme brick, two-story lofts--the massing's lowest point along Cedar Avenue--is a welcome bow towards the First Congregational Church across the street clad almost entirely in classic red brick.
The main organization of the building massing revolves around a west-facing podium courtyard--named the Sunset Terrace--with a community fire table and seating to watch passers by during sundown hours (or any time of the day really). The building is interconnected by exterior multi-level pedestrian passages, including the private alley that runs through the property acting as landscaped lane to access the lofts.
Most prominent is the 100-foot-plus tower at Pacific and Broadway, which will help the building feel less dwarfed next to the easterly corporate 111 Ocean building.
The project is moving through the entitlement process with an anticipated approval in early fall.
