Historic McClintock Warehouse completely redeveloped into hip, spacious living spaces | Grand opening July 27 & 28

By Morgan M. Hurley | Editor Downtown News

Living Downtown is generally considered trendy, upscale and hip, but realistically, it’s almost impossible for most people to imagine in their lifetimes.

Lofts are a much more affordable way to go, especially for those who are in business for themselves and need additional, low cost work space. Unfortunately, live/work lofts are usually akin to living in a big empty box; they just don’t have a lot of character.

However, a brand new development in the historic McClintock Warehouse building, adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown on Kettner Boulevard at B Street, changes all that.

According to historians, the “Mission Revival” style building was built in 1925 and instrumental in San Diego’s early commercial development and it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Used for various storage and warehouse purposes up into the 1980s, the building was then redeveloped with over $ 8 million dollars worth of upgrades and converted to mixed use.  At that time, windows were added on the south, west and north, balconies were added, and an atrium with a circular stairway was built in the center of the building that spans three floors.  The front-facing windows remain the same iron and glass originals.

In 1997 Trilogy Real Estate Management took over the building.  Trilogy has made lots of dreams come true the last few decades by creating live/work lofts in seven other of Downtown San Diego’s historic buildings and they were responsible for the city’s Live/Work ordinance. This will be their eighth, but most artistic, property to date. Since 1997 they have used the building for a number of purposes, most notably as the home for Rainwater’s.

After this current redevelopment into live/work lofts, the second floor has five unique units, while the third floor has eight, and the fourth through the ninth floors have nine units each.

Every loft has its own unique character, many with an L-shape and all with various nooks and crannies, stunning and in some cases sweeping views of the harbor and Downtown, as well as the randomly positioned “mushroom” columns, which add even more personality to the layout.

An attached parking garage gives respite from the on-street parking crazies and managing parking time limitations. There is even a couple of murals on the side of the parking structur, one, the well-known OBEY giant, is by controversial pop-artist Shepard Fairey.

Each loft includes IKEA cabinets, brand new appliances, solid core countertops and windows with high sound transmission class (STC) ratings for noise.  Trilogy has removed all the drop ceilings, ripped out all the carpet, sandblasted the cement floors and exposed all the original elements, including all the piping. Bathrooms all come with a raised sink and an oversized tub with a slanted wall for lounging while you bathe.

A common washer and dryer area will be available on every floor. All pets are also welcome, with the exception of certain breeds that are legally excluded from enclosed, community living spaces.

They invite young business people, artists, the self-employed, and even collaborative and progressive businesses to tour their lofts and consider a move Downtown, and they are hoping to attract a culture of service-oriented retail shops for both their Galleria and entry street-level floors.

Another attractive aspect of the building is its proximity to everything Downtown.  The McClintock is just steps away from the waterfront, various harbor excursions, water taxis and the Coronado Ferry, and is located right next door to the Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the Amtrak, trolley and bus stations.  Also within walking distance are the Little Italy Farmers’ Market, Anthology, Karl Strauss Brewery and the Indigo Grill.

Grand Opening

Sizes for the McClintock Warehouse live/work lofts range from 1,100 square feet and rental prices vary from $1,675 to $2,400 per month.

The property’s grand opening will be held Friday and Saturday July 27 & 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All the lofts will be vacant and ready for people to move in, so Trilogy encourages everyone who has ever been interested in loft living to come down and feel free to wander through the entire building.

Refreshments will be served.

The leasing office will be located on-site at 1202 Kettner Blvd., while Trilogy Management’s main office is located in the ground floor of the Pioneer Lofts, at 311 Fourth Ave.

For more information, visit trilogymanagement.com or call their office at 619-231-1505.  You can also visit their blog at http://mcclintockwarehouselofts.wordpress.com