Reusing an old structure doesn\u2019t come without potential setbacks, however, and these projects give designers an opportunity to showcase their flair for problem-solving. Supply-chain issues; surprise details and damage; and insufficient natural lighting are some of the problems that architects have learned how to overcome. Today, more architects are advocating for adaptive reuse as opposed to new construction, and investors are in tune with this trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur clients always want to hear about value-adds for their projects, and adaptive reuse has that ability to improve their return on investment,\u201d said Joshua Zinder, managing partner of integrated design firm JZA+D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following projects are stellar examples of turning old bones into new and higher uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/20Mass2_CreditRonBluntPhotography.jpg?w=1024\")
20 Mass is a LEED Gold and WELL-certified property, featuring a new glass curtain wall fa\u00e7ade and 10-story atrium cut into the existing structure. Image by Ron Blunt Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/20Mass3_CreditRonBluntPhotography.jpg?w=1024\")
The property has integrated drought-resistant planting with a shaded streetscape. Image by Ron Blunt Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/20Mass1_CreditRonBluntPhotography.jpg?w=1024\")
20 Mass in Washington, D.C., includes 13,800 square feet of retail, a 274-key luxury Royal Sonesta hotel, 183,000 square feet of office space and a 14,500-square-foot penthouse amenity space. Image by Ron Blunt Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nA Makeover Steps From the US Capitol Building<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
20 Mass<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BEFORE<\/strong>: D.C. government office building completed in 1973
AFTER<\/strong>: Class A office and hotel mixed-use destination
ARCHITECT<\/strong>: Leo A. Daly<\/p>\n\n\n\nOccupied by a government agency for most of its 50-year life, the trapezoidal structure at 20 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C., wasn\u2019t unique in any way. Most locals perceived it as just another blunt, federal building. But after Office Properties Income Trust and The RMR Group poured $200 million into its renovation, not only did they infuse new life into this old structure but they also gave it a new purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A team of architects from Leo A. Daly completely changed the building\u2019s vibe and its relationship with the surrounding area. Under the management of MGAC, the original seven-story structure was converted into a 10-story, 427,690-square-foot mixed-use property known as 20 Mass. Designed to harmonize with the historic avenues of D.C., the project rejuvenated the streetscape with retail spaces, a four-star Royal Sonesta hotel and Class A office accommodations, all tied together with shared amenities and crowned with a green roof and penthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEnsuring a viable return on investment for the owner was a challenge,\u201d said Irena Savakova, vice president at design firm Leo A. Daly. \u201cThe key was creating the correct ratio of office-to-hotel space, paired with perfectly planned amenities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original floorplate was shaped as a deep trapezoid that wasn’t appropriate for modern workplace and hospitality needs because it made it difficult for natural light to reach the interior. In response, the design team introduced a new skylight that illuminates most of the building, with a secondary atrium space providing simulated sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though challenging, such adaptive-reuse projects come with a lot of benefits. \u201cThe most sustainable buildings are the ones that exist,\u201d noted Savakova. In many urban centers across the country, more than half the office buildings are currently empty or unattractive to prospective tenants, so the potential for more office conversions is immense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see transformative placemaking conversions, where the utilization of these structures becomes more and more popular, especially in those cities with abundant empty building stock,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We see adaptive reuse as a more efficient use of economic and material resources.<\/p>\n\u2014Joel Fuoss, Principal, Trivers<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
![\"St.](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/St.Clare_CreditPatrikArgast.jpg?w=1024\")
Today, the former hotel serves as permanent housing for those transitioning out of homelessness. Image by Patrik Argast<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/St.Clare_CreditBruceDamonte.jpg?w=1024\")
The black and white tile floor and the double-volume lobby on the main level were among the original elements retained at the redeveloped St. Clare at Capitol Park Image by Bruce Damonte<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"Black-and-white](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/StClareHotel_CreditCAStateLibrary.jpg?w=630\")
Originally constructed as a pair of hotels in the 1910s and later connected, Capitol Park Hotel also served as a women\u2019s college and a furniture store. Image courtesy of California State Library<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nHousing Sacramento\u2019s Unhoused<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
St. Clare at Capitol Park, Sacramento<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BEFORE<\/strong>: 180-key hotel in Sacramento, Calif.
AFTER<\/strong>: Affordable and permanent supportive housing
ARCHITECT<\/strong>: Page & Turnbull<\/p>\n\n\n\nCompleted in the early 1900s, Capitol Park Hotel at 1125 Ninth St. in downtown Sacramento, Calif., has served multiple purposes over the years\u2014from a business college to a furniture store and, more recently, a hotel. In fact, it was Sacramento\u2019s largest historic downtown single-room occupancy residential hotel. Following a comprehensive restoration process led by Page & Turnbull architects, the property reopened as permanent housing for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRecycling these buildings can help with our housing crisis,\u201d said Peter Birkholz, president & principal of Page & Turnbull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make this complex project a reality, more than a dozen different grants and tax credits, including historic tax credits, were put together by Mercy Housing California and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and their partners. The city of Sacramento contributed $20.3 million to the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Capitol Park Hotel\u2019s 180 rooms were converted into 134 studios, all with bathrooms and kitchens, with 64 units set aside for unhoused residents living with a serious mental illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, the refurbished building now includes ground-floor retail space, a shared dining hall, bike storage, laundry facilities, management offices and spaces reserved for individual counseling, all less than a block away from the State Capitol. The first-floor lobby\u2014a double-height space that features the original black-and-white restored tile floor\u2014acts as a popular gathering space for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rehabilitation preserved the exterior walls of the former hotel and its interior structure. Reusing original structures has undeniable benefits, particularly when factoring in environmental and financial aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAdaptive reuse\u2014whether for residential or other uses\u2014helps us meet climate change goals by preserving the embodied energy of the structures,\u201d believes Birkholz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, the conversions maintain cultural connectivity by retaining elements of the past so that buildings can tell their stories to future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Exterior](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/TheVictor1_CreditSamFentress.jpg?w=1024\")
Comprising 735,000 square feet, The Victor is just two blocks north of St. Louis Union Station, which was one of the busiest rail hubs in the country in the 1900s. Image by Sam Fentress<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"Interior](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/TheTriversHQ_CreditTrivers.jpg?w=1024\")
Serving as lead architect, historic architect and interior designer on The Victor redevelopment project, Trivers moved its headquarters within the building shortly after its opening in 2024. Image courtesy of Trivers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/TheVictor2_CreditSamFentress.jpg?w=1024\")
The original courtyard was designed to provide natural lighting, but some sections of the building were still too deep for feasible residential conversion, so the courtyard was expanded with two more bays to the east. Image by Sam Fentress<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/02\/TheVictor3_CreditTrivers.jpg?w=1024\")
Constructed in 1906 as a warehouse in the historic Washington Avenue garment district, a major source of fashion goods back then, The Victor is now a modern mixed-use destination. Image courtesy of Trivers<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>