In Downtown Los Angeles, there are many large interior spaces subdivided into smaller properties. At times, these properties within properties read almost like buildings within buildings. The idea of an interiorized urban condition with storefronts for consumer activities is not new. Still, in Downtown Los Angeles these coexisting structures under one roof have very special design articulations. The Spring Arcade Building, for example, is an instance where there is a massive influx of well-designed bars and restaurants through an “interiorized exterior.” The Jewelers Mall is another example where each booth feels more like a mini-golf round with interiorized architectural specialties.
In the case of Grand Central Market, these buildings within buildings behave more like an archipelago of designed structures, facilitating tight gaps between the shops to achieve high density. Through artificial light, signage, graphic design, and architectural features, there is an urban quality about the interior of the Grand Central Market.
Like a motherboard with intricate parts, Grand Central Market has a system of shops that compete with one another not only through the quality of food but quality of architectural design.
Typologically, there are a few consistent strategies from which the buildings within buildings organize the shopping experience.
Within Grand Central Market, we can find design wonders that are as old as China Cafe (1959) or as new as the Oyster Gourmet (2013).
The Spring Arcade Building, like a donut, cuts a hole through the massing around it. The passage of Spring Arcade is neither truly interior, nor is it completely exterior. As such, the small inward-facing shops take on qualities of both architecture and interior conditions.
The Jewelers Mall, as a series of interiorized urban blocks, read like the miniature versions of the Barcelona example. Except this time, the courtyard conditions are visibly public and functionally private.
There are more of these interiorized urban conditions throughout DTLA. These three examples– Grand Central Market, Spring Arcade Building, and Jewelers Mall– each represent slightly different takes on a similar condition. Still, further study could allow for future adoptions of this thinking to other large interiors.
