The classic image of artists in NYC in the 1940s and 1950s was that they converted abandoned or “discarded” commercial spaces into artistic studios. The Loft in San Pedro is a current example of a reconfigured warehouse that is currently being used by a dozen or so artists for studios or for exhibitions. Michael Stearns’ Gallery, which is on the second floor, has shown such artists as Maggie Tennesen and Cody Lusby.
In recent years, the Loft served as a shipping company warehouse, but an earlier designation was as a “customs warehouse.” Here is some of the surviving, publicly visible evidence of that use.
About Bill Mohr