Workmen cleaning out the long-abandoned, 19th century Douglas Building in downtown Los Angeles expected to find asbestos, lead and fire damage. What they didn't expect was a flood.
The repair team found 4 feet of cold water sloshing around in the basement next to a warren of tunnels. After workers pumped it out, a 30-foot-long, cast-iron steam engine emerged from the darkness. This workhorse of Victorian technology -- with its hulking 100-horsepower tubular boilers, brass fittings and original green paint still intact -- long ago heated the Douglas offices and the nearby Bradbury Building through the underground tunnels.
The steam engine was one of many surprises -- good and bad -- that developers have encountered during the rush to convert many of the city's oldest commercial buildings into lofts, apartments and condominiums. Amid this rubble of rehabs in downtown Los Angeles, a major challenge for builders is how to take advantage of century-old architectural finds while bringing the battered buildings up to current safety codes.
As demand for downtown lofts and condos continues to heat up, with some units selling for more than $1 million, small armies of construction workers are racing to restore some of the oldest buildings in the city. They are also uncovering immeasurable examples of the city's history, including forgotten designs from great architects, mementos from the once-thriving banking and theater districts, and even a hidden treasure trove of Batchelder tiles.
In the case of the Douglas Building, more than 30 years ago the fire department ordered the place closed, except for ground floor shops. A previous owner wanted to demolish it. But as the loft and condominium market heated up, developer Goodwin Gaw decided to turn the five-story structure, built in 1898, into 50 condos with underground parking and fancy new stores.
Architect Rocky Rockefeller was hired to transform the place. His first impression: "It had been run by pigeons and rats."
First, they sealed off the underground spring. The original builders created a cistern in the subbasement to collect water for the steam engine, but as Gaw's workers tried to reinforce the foundation it triggered even more flooding. The solution was to install permanent pumps, an unanticipated $100,000 expense, and to waterproof the basement with a polymer membrane so it could stay dry and become a garage.
