Salazar

As the city’s most influential urban renewal plan takes flight, we lead the redevelopment of this once industrial zone to bring the banks of the LA River back to life.

Littered with rusty cars on greasy asphalt for over 50 years, Salazar operated an auto body shop just off the river in Frogtown. Our challenge was to transform the site along one of LA’s industrial corridors into a welcoming, 150-seat open air eatery and beer garden.

Taking neighborhood concerns to heart, we preserved the original structure to anchor the new restaurant in its historical context.

We added a shade canopy on the patio and designed a separate building to create an al fresco campus connected by native greenscape. We designed a welcoming entry gate facing the river; Salazar’s drought tolerant trees, cacti and succulents connect to the city’s redevelopment plan, weaving the river’s green banding into the urban fabric on its banks. We also created 26 new bike racks along the river bike path to encourage pedestrian and bike traffic to this community-oriented, outdoor oasis.