ROW DTLA incorporates 100 years of Los Angeles history into an ambitious commercial district linking downtown to the burgeoning arts district. A century ago, this site was the terminus of the Southern Pacific Railroad, where goods were unloaded and loaded onto trucks to be delivered across California. The 30-acre ROW DTLA campus was reenvisioned by embracing this historic character and through the use of industrial materials and raw utilitarian details.

A light touch highlights the area’s authentic industrial details and gives an authentic posture to the evolving nature of this place. Market Row is the district’s high-end shopping street, punctuated by gardens for relaxing and people-watching. Dock Street remains open to deliveries in the early morning, but during the rest of the day, its dock-height sidewalks become a dining terrace while casual grandstand seating encourages lingering. The existing Produce Market, where L.A.’s bodegas have long sourced their fruits and vegetables, remains largely unchanged in this new urban area, serving as a vivid reminder of the area’s origins.

A cascading rooftop garden adorns a more recent addition: a 10-story parking garage. The garage is wrapped with greenery and the ground floor is laminated with retail to bring a pedestrian scale to the entire structure. This is emblematic of the landscape approach to the entire site, which encourages nature to encroach upon the industrial history, harkening back to an even earlier era.

Project name: ROW DTLA: Refined Grit

Role of your office in the project: Architect, Landscape Architect, Interior Designer, Environmental Graphics, Urban Design

Website: www.rios.com/projects/row-dtla/

Project location: 777 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA

Design year: 2014

Year Built: 2017