A 1960s three-story building in Fernandina Beach, converted into nine condominiums — planned around the chases, the stairs, and a review board.
Lofts on 5th is an adaptive reuse project in Fernandina Beach, Florida, converting a historic three-story building into nine luxury condominiums. The existing structure set the terms: where risers could run, where a stair would fit, and how much of the exterior could change at all.
I presented the project to the Fernandina Beach Historic District Committee and secured approval — the body whose function is to refuse changes to buildings like this one. Scope included designing floor plans, specifying furniture, fixtures, and equipment, and creating shared amenities like a rooftop terrace with panoramic views. Each unit features premium finishes — marble countertops, Marvin French doors and windows, and heated bathroom floors.
Designing for Preservation and Innovation: Balancing historic preservation with modern design meant respecting the building's 1960s-era character while incorporating contemporary functionality — adapting designs to fit both stakeholder needs and regulatory requirements.
Refining Luxury Residential Design: Developing expertise in high-end residential spaces — floor plans, premium materials, and details like a Fry Reglet wall reveal, custom range hood design, and Italian porcelain tile — sharpened my ability to craft spaces that blend luxury with practicality.
An approval is a design problem. A historic district committee is not an audience you present to at the end; it is a constraint you draw against from the first sketch. Learning to design for the people whose job is to say no changed how I start a project.
Everything interesting on this project happened inside walls someone else built.
Everything interesting on this project happened inside walls someone else built.
Everything interesting on this project happened inside walls someone else built.
A 1960s building is old enough to be protected and new enough that nobody romanticizes it. That gap is where the work happened.
A 1960s building is old enough to be protected and new enough that nobody romanticizes it. That gap is where the work happened.
A 1960s building is old enough to be protected and new enough that nobody romanticizes it. That gap is where the work happened.
Luxury here was a schedule, not a mood — a reveal detail, a tile, a valve, each one named and specified.
Luxury here was a schedule, not a mood — a reveal detail, a tile, a valve, each one named and specified.
Luxury here was a schedule, not a mood — a reveal detail, a tile, a valve, each one named and specified.
We photographed the colors surrounding the site and extracted a palette — a contextual reference that guided the project’s material choices.
We photographed the colors surrounding the site and extracted a palette — a contextual reference that guided the project’s material choices.
We photographed the colors surrounding the site and extracted a palette — a contextual reference that guided the project’s material choices.
A chase study — mapping the vertical shafts that carry plumbing, electrical, and mechanical risers through the stacked units. Chases land at the corner units, in furred-out wall sections, and in a central core absorbed into the demising walls.
A chase study — mapping the vertical shafts that carry plumbing, electrical, and mechanical risers through the stacked units. Chases land at the corner units, in furred-out wall sections, and in a central core absorbed into the demising walls.
A chase study — mapping the vertical shafts that carry plumbing, electrical, and mechanical risers through the stacked units. Chases land at the corner units, in furred-out wall sections, and in a central core absorbed into the demising walls.
An alternating-tread stair — half-treads permit a much steeper climb than a conventional run, fitting vertical access into a footprint too tight for a full stair.
An alternating-tread stair — half-treads permit a much steeper climb than a conventional run, fitting vertical access into a footprint too tight for a full stair.
An alternating-tread stair — half-treads permit a much steeper climb than a conventional run, fitting vertical access into a footprint too tight for a full stair.
The unit bathroom kit, specified — Speakman shower fittings and pressure-balance valves, California Faucets and Graff at wall and basin, a Waterworks cross-handle lavatory set, and tub alternates in steel enamel and TOTO cast iron.
The unit bathroom kit, specified — Speakman shower fittings and pressure-balance valves, California Faucets and Graff at wall and basin, a Waterworks cross-handle lavatory set, and tub alternates in steel enamel and TOTO cast iron.
The unit bathroom kit, specified — Speakman shower fittings and pressure-balance valves, California Faucets and Graff at wall and basin, a Waterworks cross-handle lavatory set, and tub alternates in steel enamel and TOTO cast iron.
