Mackey Apartments
1939
Mackey Apartments
1137 S Cochran Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019
The Mackey Apartments are the home to the MAK Center’s residency program designed for visiting artists, architects, and students of architecture. The Artists and Architects-in-Residence Program at the Mackey Apartments is a six-month residency hosted twice annually.
ABOUT The MACKEY APARTMENTS
Located on a flat lot in a residential neighborhood, the originally four-unit (since converted to five) apartment building is one of a series of residential projects built in the 1930s. Unlike international-style architects, Schindler seldom designed identical apartment units; his apartments are as complex, individual, and innovative as his houses. The Mackey possesses typical Schindler characteristics: compact apartment layout, exceptional incorporation of natural light, built-in furniture, variable ceiling heights, and private outdoor gardens or mini-balconies.
The building was purchased by the Republic of Austria in 1995 and made available for the activities of the MAK Center. Restoration work began in 1995 by the Central Office of Architecture, and continued with architects Space International in 2001 and 2004, thanks to funding by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labor. In all phases of renovation, the objective was to recreate the room layout, complex lighting, and the use of materials for surfaces and color schemes in keeping with the architect’s original intentions. Ultimately, the renovation has created a refreshing building that testifies to Schindler’s love of open spaces, airiness, and versatility.
MACKEY Apartments GARAGE TOP
The Mackey Apartments Garage Top is a contemporary exhibition space situated in the back courtyard of the Mackey Apartments. The last phase of renovation and construction took place in 2009/10, thanks to funding from the Buildings Program of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labor. The Garage Top, designed by Space International, resembles a black box cantilevered above the five renovated ground floor garages at the rear of the lot. Clad in Wetsuit, a dark industrial material used for waterproofing, and fronted by a wall of translucent, sliding window panels, the new addition stands distinct from the original Mackey Apartments. The interior provides a single uninterrupted space flooded with natural light. Designed for flexibility, the Garage Top is well suited for a variety of MAK Center programming, including: performances, seminars, the exhibition series Garage Exchange Vienna – Los Angeles, and MAK Center Residents’ activities.
MACKEY PENTHOUSE DESIGNER-IN-RESIDENCE
The Mackey Penthouse Designer-in-Residence program was created around the belief that artistic experimentation requires deep engagement and reflection, with the explicit purpose of supporting and investing in individuals at the cutting edge of their fields whose work will impact the cultural landscape at large. The program invites emergent designers across interdisciplinary fields to engage with Los Angeles as a site of research and dialogue in order to heighten their work to the next level of exploration and experimentation. Situated in the quiet residence of the Mackey Penthouse, the residency program presents designers with the opportunity to develop new projects linked to Schindler’s experimental work but also to the histories and context of Los Angeles.
Lindsey Adelman Studio will occupy the Mackey Penthouse through November 2022. The project will act as the studio’s lighting showroom in Los Angeles with all their collections on view. Drawing from Schindler’s ideology of redefining notions of space, Lindsey Adelman Studio explores the boundaries of an exhibition space, showroom, and residency, blurring the lines between domestic space and art installation.