This 40-unit apartment building is located on a sloping 40,000 sf site in the Lake Cliff Historic District, a collection of primarily one and two-story single-family homes, duplexes, and quads. However, DSGN’s research indicated that there was a historic 5-story apartment building (demolished in the 90s) on the site, during the period of significance for the historic district.

DSGN thus developed a design for a new 5-story apartment building that would be compatible with the historic character of the neighborhood, providing badly-needed rental units at moderate rental rates. The proposed design was clad in clay brick to match the predominant material of the neighborhood, and care was taken to break down the massing, with balconies and facade offsets. The site plan honored the existing setback established along the block face, all parking was located in the rear of the site (not visible from the main frontage) and all existing and mature trees were preserved.