St. Elmo Village

St. Elmo Village is an African-American multi-cultural artist’s village founded after the 1965 Watts civil disturbance. They offer programs for youth, after-school and evening art classes, short- and long-term residencies for artists, and gathering spaces for annual and local events.

Set within a complex of ten historic 1920s bungalows, the Village was in poor repair and required major upgrades after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. John Kaliski, as a principal at AIJK, designed the rehabilitation of the ten-car stable into art classrooms and studios, coordinated seismic improvements, and developed an approach to restoration of the on-site housing that met the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, permitting the funding of the project by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In addition to the Federal funds that were secured, John assisted the Village in grant writing efforts to secure funding from the City of Los Angeles Housing Department for code compliance improvements to the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems as well as green improvements such as enhanced insulation to lower operating costs for the non-profit ownership entity.

Throughout the design process, John collaborated with both the resident artists as well as students taking classes at St. Elmo to ensure and facilitate their unique approach to color, murals, landscape, to both retain the existing and historic architectural character of the bungalows and out-buildings as well as the artistic legacy and vision of the Village’s founders.