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The Santa Monica Air Line was a Pacifica Electric streetcar from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles which ran from 1909 to 1963. Built in 1875 as the steam-powered Los Angeles and Independence railroad, it was intended to bring mining ore to ships in Santa Monica harbor's Long Wharf and as a passenger excursion to the beach.

Located on a wedge-shaped lot in Downtown Santa Monica whose diagonal edge was formed by the path of the old Santa Monica Air Line, the Junction at Lincoln draws from this history for its inspiration. Although no longer in use, the spirit of this line has been revived through the opening in May 2016 of the Expo Line extension a few blocks away. The path of this historic railroad still informs the layout of the City through the grid shift it created, and is acknowledged here by the shifted massing of the architecture along the diagonal edge of the site.

Architecturally, the form of the facade and massing seeks to express the shear caused by passing trains: the flicker of the light of passing windows, the sporatic glimpses of the passing landscape, the layering of boxcars, the shift between foreground and background, the blur of speed, the stillness of the station. Elongated rectangular "boxcars" glide past each other along the facade, suggesting the speed and linearity of train cars. Shifting against each other in plan, these boxcars intersect the wood clad facade at acute angles creating forced perspectives that echo that of a train receding in the distance.

Materially, the project seeks to evoke the low-key glamour of the vintage streetcar as well as its industrial origins. Wood tile and dark metal suggest both the rail itself and the texture of bygone rail stations. Metal panels recollect the boxcars transporting goods to the Long Wharf. Desaturated blue accents recall faded industrial paint and the hazy promise of the Pacific.

A two-level interior courtyard creates a unique indoor-outdoor experience at the first two floors, while multiple roof decks above provide additional views and amenities for tenants to enjoy.

CLIENT: CYPRESS EQUITY INVESTMENTS

PROGRAM: 5-STORY MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT WITH 66 RESIDENTIAL UNITS, 5,300 SF RETAIL AND 2 LEVELS OF SUBTERANNEAN PARKING WITH 91 PARKING STALLS

YEAR: COMPLETED 2020

TEAM: KILLEFER FLAMMANG ARCHITECTS (MISTY KAPLAN / FIFTH WALL - PROJECT DESIGN, PROJECT MANAGER)

The Santa Monica Air Line was a Pacifica Electric streetcar from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles which ran from 1909 to 1963. Built in 1875 as the steam-powered Los Angeles and Independence railroad, it was intended to bring mining ore to ships in Santa Monica harbor's Long Wharf and as a passenger excursion to the beach.

Located on a wedge-shaped lot in Downtown Santa Monica whose diagonal edge was formed by the path of the old Santa Monica Air Line, the Junction at Lincoln draws from this history for its inspiration. Although no longer in use, the spirit of this line has been revived through the opening in May 2016 of the Expo Line extension a few blocks away. The path of this historic railroad still informs the layout of the City through the grid shift it created, and is acknowledged here by the shifted massing of the architecture along the diagonal edge of the site.

Architecturally, the form of the facade and massing seeks to express the shear caused by passing trains: the flicker of the light of passing windows, the sporatic glimpses of the passing landscape, the layering of boxcars, the shift between foreground and background, the blur of speed, the stillness of the station. Elongated rectangular "boxcars" glide past each other along the facade, suggesting the speed and linearity of train cars. Shifting against each other in plan, these boxcars intersect the wood clad facade at acute angles creating forced perspectives that echo that of a train receding in the distance.

Materially, the project seeks to evoke the low-key glamour of the vintage streetcar as well as its industrial origins. Wood tile and dark metal suggest both the rail itself and the texture of bygone rail stations. Metal panels recollect the boxcars transporting goods to the Long Wharf. Desaturated blue accents recall faded industrial paint and the hazy promise of the Pacific.

A two-level interior courtyard creates a unique indoor-outdoor experience at the first two floors, while multiple roof decks above provide additional views and amenities for tenants to enjoy.