Located at the intersection of Melrose Place and Melrose Avenue, this project participates
in forging a sophisticated urban relationship with a rapidly changing
neighborhood. Together with four other spaces anchoring the intersection - a
Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs Men’s store, and two stock facilities - this
store is part of a dynamic spatial relationship that bridges the intersection and
encourages participation in an urban context, going beyond the realm of
traditional retail architecture. The connections between these sites, and the
contrasting nature of the retail brands within, effectively capture the
contrasts inherent in West Hollywood’s urban
fabric.
The Marc Jacobs Collection store draws in the delicate scale
of the surrounding community even as it occupies a prominent position within
it. Its unique triangular form negotiates two distinct conditions: the intimate
architectural vocabulary of the residences, shops, and boutiques along Melrose Place, and
the desire to announce itself as an understated monument whose rooftop billboard,
grand apse, and interior columns can be seen from a distance by approaching
traffic along Melrose Avenue.
The result is an architectural response to both site and neighborhood that augments
the social vitality of the urban landscape.
The structure was stripped to its shell with only the
existing climbing fig envelope remaining, then retrofitted with new steel
windows and doors. The sales floor and ceiling were raised and restructured, and
the entrance relocated to a more prominent position to take advantage of the
unique building shape. A layered interiority characterizes the design strategy
for the interior: sycamore shelving was placed in front of the windows to
maximize the available display area, in turn permitting a pocket of space to be
oriented outward to address the street.
Layers of silk-and-velvet curtain separate these displays
from the interior and provide a double-sided backdrop when closed. Cladding
interior wall surfaces in antique mirror reduced their presence and visually
expanded the space, effectively creating an inverse relationship whereby the
window areas are portrayed as solid and wall spaces as void, both maximizing
area for product and creating a backdrop for display.
View Original