One of the most cherished monuments in Los Angeles is the Helms Bakery complex.A thriving bakery in the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, the enormous bakery fell on hard times in the late 60’s and closed for good. What appeared to be a massive white elephant has, through the subsequent years been transformed by the owner, Walter N Marks, collaborating with Oakes Architects, into a vibrant mixed use market place of furniture and accessory stores, design studios, offices, restaurants, a theater, fencing studio, and a world famous jazz club.
Oakes Architects has provided for over 30 years, and continues to provide master planning, historic re-use, exterior remodel and renovations, zone changes, interior design and restoration for this ever evolving 11 acre site.As tenant mixes change, we continue our role in maintaining the historical integrity of a vital campus of historic structures, important to the fabric of the two Cities it straddles – Los Angeles, and Culver City.