Last Year, a nonprofit completed an adaptive reuse of the property, transforming it into a 58-unit affordable housing project
The Santa Monica Conservancy announced that the Laurel Apartments and Santa Monica Nikkei Hall will be honored at the upcoming 2025 Preservation Awards for their exemplary integration of historic preservation and affordable housing.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 13, recognizing local efforts that preserve the city’s architectural and cultural heritage. The Laurel Apartments, located at 1413 Michigan Ave., are being recognized for maintaining the architectural integrity and historical significance of Santa Monica Nikkei Hall, a landmark deeply rooted in the city’s Japanese American community.
Nikkei Hall was originally built in 1957 by Santa Monica Nikkei Hall, Inc., a social organization founded in 1951 by Japanese-born immigrants, or Issei, and their American-born children, Nisei. The hall served as a gathering place where Japanese American families celebrated holidays, held funerals, and maintained community ties in the postwar years.
The building was designed by Yoshimi Tom Makino, a Berkeley native and USC-trained architect who was incarcerated during World War II at the Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas, where he worked as an architect for the War Relocation Authority before reestablishing his practice in Los Angeles in 1956.
In 2024, nonprofit developer EAH Housing completed an adaptive reuse of the property, transforming it into The Laurel, a 58-unit affordable housing project designed by KFA Architecture. The redevelopment preserved and repurposed Nikkei Hall as a community room and property manager’s office, blending historical preservation with modern design and addressing Santa Monica’s growing need for affordable housing.
The Conservancy said the project exemplifies “a commitment to blending historical preservation with contemporary affordable housing, addressing the community’s urgent need for supportive living spaces.”
