Discarded Building Shell Becomes Seniors Housing in Southern California

A half-built nine-story structure stood as an eyesore for more than a decade in Garden Grove, California. Known as the “rusty skeleton,” it was intended to be condominiums, but the project was abandoned in 2011 before it could be completed.

The blight has finally been replaced with the new Garden Brook Senior Village, a 394-unit affordable housing community with 25,000 square feet of recreational amenities and 13,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.

The development achieves multiple goals, including erasing the reminder of a failed project and providing needed affordable homes for elderly residents earning below 60% of the area median income.

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Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

Dustin Bailey

AO, a full-service architecture firm, and developer AMG & Associates utilized the existing structural steel frames and added a new wing to create Garden Brook Senior Village. Located in the city’s Koreatown neighborhood, the development offers studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with modern kitchens, full-size bathrooms, and open floor plans.

“California is experiencing a demand for affordable senior housing, and this was a perfect opportunity for us to respond,” says Ed Cadavona, managing partner at AO.

Significant collaboration with government and community officials was required to make the development a reality. One key aspect was the involvement of city officials in amending the general plan designation and creating a Planned Unit Development zoning district for the project site. This allowed the team to increase the project density.

Residents have easy access to nearby restaurants, shops, and services. In addition, a neighboring Boys and Girls Club has presented an opportunity to foster intergenerational connections by facilitating programming that brings together seniors and adolescents.

“Garden Brook represents to me how architecture and place making can influence the surrounding environment and create a nice statement for the community,” Cadavona says. “It was once a negative ‘rusty skeleton,’ and it continues to transform into something iconic architecturally.”