Project Data:

Completion Date:     6/1/2025

Square Footage:      18600

Building Use:           An adaptive reuse project that supports local food economies and community connection through a mix of uses including commercial kitchens, a pop-up restaurant, garden bar, dining hall, and market.

Project Description:

Partake Collective at Glassell Park is a restaurant concept that provides a comprehensive support system to small, local, crafted businesses in need of kitchen space. This is the second facility with the original location in downtown Long Beach. Customers have the option to support businesses while dining onsite in a communal food hall or outdoor patio that promotes social engagement and community building.

Located six miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, nestled between the 2 and 5 freeways, the site is located at a prominent corner at the intersection of Eagle Rock and Verdugo. The landscaped median on Eagle Rock once accommodated the tracks for the Los Angeles Railway, a system of streetcars linking first ring suburbs to downtown. The surrounding neighborhood is diverse and dynamic with an eclectic mix of buildings ranging from craftsman bungalows to midcentury buildings housing a mix of retail, office and residential uses.

Sited on two parcels the adaptive reuse of four existing buildings comprising 18,600 square feet integrates 14 kitchens (4 short term rentals), a pop-up restaurant, garden bar, dining hall, and market for snacks and drinks. The first structure, built in the 1920’s as a brick commercial building fronting Eagle Rock Boulevard, will now house public spaces such as the dining hall and market. Fronting Verdugo is a two-story Streamline Moderne building that originally served as an office building and now holds most kitchens and back-of-house functions including office, meeting and break rooms, dry and cold storage, and a trash room. The second parcel located at the intersection of Eagle Rock and Verdugo, comprises two buildings completed in the 1960’s for auto-related uses. These now house a communal kitchen, bar, pop-up restaurant, and private patio. Between the buildings is a garden bar providing beverages for the shared dining patio. The parking lot, finished with fully permeable paving to support stormwater infiltration and reduce heat island effect, can be closed off for various outdoor events such as live music, film screenings, and farmers’ markets.

Creating over one hundred jobs, Partake is designed to promote a healthy work environment, in contrast to the typical windowless ghost kitchen model. The development offers generous natural light and air, as well as employee amenities such as break rooms, bike storage, lockers, and showers. A sustainable approach to reusing the buildings lowers the embodied carbon by over 70% compared to new construction. Skylights have been added to all buildings resulting in lower lighting demand and cooling loads. The site design integrates flow-through planters and native landscaping to support on-site stormwater management, biodiversity, and long-term water efficiency.

The project embraces both old and new building features. The existing heavy timber with brick infill and concrete block structures will be retained and exposed in public areas. Due to its prominent location at the corner, a serrated perforated metal roof screen provides additional presence for signage and lighting opportunities. Murals and graphics produced by local designers are incorporated throughout the site to support and reflect the surrounding arts community.

Design for Integration, Design for Equitable Communities, Design for Resources 

Partake Collective: Design for Community, Climate, and Culinary Culture
Partake Collective reimagines a collection of underutilized buildings in Los Angeles’ Glassell Park neighborhood into a vibrant culinary incubator and community gathering place. This adaptive reuse project transforms four existing structures into a cohesive, inviting campus that supports small food entrepreneurs while embodying principles of environmental stewardship, economic equity, and cultural celebration.

Design for Integration
Nestled within an eclectic prewar streetcar suburb, the project unites four underutilized and architecturally distinct buildings that include a 1920s commercial brick structure, a 1940’s Streamline Modern office building and two 1970’s structures previously supporting a motorcycle repair shop. The vision was to adaptively reuse the buildings to support culinary incubators with commercial kitchens while providing a neighborhood gathering place.
Preserving each structure included introducing a new vocabulary of materials such as Corten steel and poured-in-place concrete to create a unified identity. Further tying the development together is consistent landscape and hardscape that embrace sustainable practices. Designed to support over one hundred jobs, the business model provides dignified, accessible infrastructure for small and emerging culinary businesses.
By preserving and reusing the existing structures, the project reduced embodied carbon compared to new construction. The result is a cohesive, inviting campus reflective of the neighborhood, which supports small food entrepreneurs.

Design for Equitable Communities
The surrounding neighborhood is diverse and dynamic with an eclectic mix of buildings ranging from craftsman bungalows to midcentury buildings housing a mix of retail, office, and residential uses. During neighborhood outreach, the community was pleased that the development chose to preserve and adaptively reuse the four existing buildings. In addition, a neighborhood survey on preferred food venues empowered residents on food choice selection. A site that once had only two street trees and no site permeability now has six new shade trees and 35% site porosity.
In contrast to the typical ghost kitchen model, which often isolates workers in windowless, unconditioned, back-of-house spaces, this project emphasizes openness, wellness, and community. All kitchens have either operable skylights or windows for natural light and ventilation. Windows have views of either treetops, a park, or nearby hills. The project includes dedicated spaces for employee wellness, including a break room, bike storage, lockers, and showers. In addition to local hiring practices during construction to ensure supporting neighborhood workers, over one hundred permanent jobs will exist at full lease out.

Of the fourteen kitchens, four are short-term rentals, allowing start-ups with limited resources to rent facilities on a daily or hourly basis. The corner pop-up kitchen allows a business to operate a brick-and-mortar location on a short-term trial basis. The broad community will be welcome with a variety of selections at various price points.

Design for Ecosystems
The project reuses 100% of the existing buildings and only adds 165 square feet of new construction that accommodates a garden bar. Through adaptive reuse, over ten million pounds of demolition material avoided the waste stream, and the project reduced embodied carbon by 70% compared to new construction.

Landscape design plays a significant role in environmental performance. Previously, other than the two street trees fronting Verdugo Road, the 21,360 square foot site had no landscaping or permeability. The two street trees remain, and the design incorporates six additional trees to provide shade. Exterior light fixtures direct light downward to avoid adjacent structures and support dark sky guidelines.

Permeable paving and gravel at outdoor spaces, bioswales, and native drought-tolerant plantings manage and filter stormwater on site and reduce heat gain. These measures result in the site being now 35% permeable. The permeable pavers have a “solar reflectance indexceed35 while the building roofs exceeds 100, resulting in lower indoor and outdoor temperatures leading to reduced cooling needs. Purington pavers, specified for the Pop-Up Plaza, were originally produced in Illinois’ renowned Purington Brickyards in the 1940s. Reclaimed by Gavin Historical Bricks from historic streets across the Midwest, these vintage bricks not only add character and authenticity, but also contribute to sustainability as bricks naturally absorb carbon over time, serving as long-term carbon sinks.
These features not only support ecological resilience but also foster a welcoming atmosphere for outdoor dining and events, reinforcing the project’s connection to its Southern California climate and context.

Design for Economy
By reusing 100% of the existing buildings, the project avoided demolition waste and reduced embodied carbon compared to new construction. Existing concrete floors, red clay brick, concrete masonry block and poured-in-place concrete walls and wood roofs all remained exposed. This cost-efficient strategy preserved the site’s historical context consistent with the neighborhood character.

Investment was directed toward impactful improvements such as daylight access, ventilation, views towards nature, and amenities that directly serve employees and guests ensuring positive environments. These strategies supported both lower construction and operational costs.

Opening a restaurant in a brick-and-mortar shop can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Meanwhile, Partake Kitchen can be rented monthly, daily, or hourly providing a cost-effective option for entrepreneurs with limited financial capabilities.

Landscape water demand is 36% less than baseline with over 80% of the plants classified as low or extremely low water use. The reason the percentage of water reduction is not higher is due to the need for water tolerant species planted in storm water planters as part of the stormwater management design.
Two high frequency bus lines within two minutes walking time to the development serve both customers and employees. Considered a transit-oriented development eliminated the need for code required parking. Nine convenience stalls were provided, greatly reducing the cost of constructing parking.
Local hiring occurred during construction and upon project completion including artists for murals. In addition, internships with local high schools have been established further supporting the local economy.

Design for Well-being
The concept is to provide dignified, accessible infrastructure for small and emerging culinary businesses. In contrast to the typical ghost kitchen model, which often isolates workers in windowless, unconditioned, back-of-house spaces, this project emphasizes openness, wellness, and community.
Existing buildings were retrofitted with large operable windows, skylights, and efficient LED lighting systems to maximize daylighting and cross-ventilation. Kitchens with windows have direct views of trees, a park, or nearby hilltops connecting employees to nature. These interventions enhance comfort for occupants, particularly kitchen staff who often endure challenging working conditions.
Employee amenities include a break room, showers, bike storage, and indoor and outdoor communal areas that promote worker health, rest, and mobility. The inclusion of murals by local artists, and community-facing spaces further enhances mental and cultural well-being. Located in an area where most buildings are 75-100 years old, this structure is one of few seismically up to code providing significant occupant safety if an earthquake occurs.
Original building materials that had been covered in drywall and dropped ceilings are now exposed. For instance, the dining hall exposes new concrete and original clay brick walls and wood bowstring trusses. The auto repair shop exposes concrete masonry block, and wood ceilings with new natural materials including poured in place concrete and natural rusting Corten steel at roof screens and garden walls. Roman shades and new trees provide comfort and encourage outdoor use.

Design for Discovery
As this was the second Partake Collective location, insights gained from the flagship project were leveraged to further refine the brand's operational, design, and sustainability objectives, with both projects rated LEED and WELL equivalent. Collaboration with the client and maintenance teams facilitated the adaptation of building systems established at the first site for use in the new location. This approach enabled consistent operational management across both locations.

The team learned from the flagship project that even with no parking stalls, other than curbside parking, the development could be successful. With only nine parking stalls for Partake Glassell, the lack of convenient parking was never considered a significant issue due to abundant curbside parking, a customer base that walks and bikes, employees using transit, and many meals prepared for delivery.

At the outset, there was no notable street life at this location. The outdoor areas are designed to offer refuge away from surrounding busy streets, and they accommodate uses such as farmers’ markets and special events that can encourage community interaction. Drawing on lessons learned from the flagship location; a pop-up venue was established for emerging entrepreneurs in the culinary field to test menus and build public awareness.

The addition of a bar overlooking a garden was a modification to the flagship completed in Long Beach. The ability to sell beer and wine to patrons to enjoy together with their meals is a significant economic boost to the bottom line and provides a competitive advantage, attracting tenants interested in leasing kitchens.

Completion Date:     6/1/2025

Square Footage:      18600

Building Use:           An adaptive reuse project that supports local food economies and community connection through a mix of uses including commercial kitchens, a pop-up restaurant, garden bar, dining hall, and market.

Location:                 Los Angeles, CA