Long Beach-based Studio One Eleven has announced plans to convert a former medical office designed by midcentury modern architect Edward Killingsworth into an "essential service center" that will provide services for needy families as well as food for area residents experiencing food insecurity. 

The facility will comprise the new home of St. Francis Center, a group of Secular Franciscans who have operated a neighborhood-serving facility in the area since 1970. The group's facilities temporary shut down in 2017 and are now set to reopen in October 2020 when work on the project is complete.  

According to the architects, the renovated structure will "allow St. Francis Center to resume its crucial mission of providing food, clothing and emergency assistance in a nurturing atmosphere." The 5,400-square-foot complex is set to include a commercial kitchen, offices for employment and family consulting services, meeting spaces, and storage to provide clothing to the homeless, according to an announcement. Additionally, the renovation will transform a former driveway running alongside the offices into a new courtyard and garden for people who use the facility to enjoy. The courtyard, according to the architects, will also help maintain safe social distancing as people wait in line or congregate in the space. 

Leading design for the project at Studio One Eleven is Senior Principal Michael Bohn, AIA, a former protégé of Killingsworth himself. “We’re committed to respect the original design by Edward Killingsworth, who was one of the influential Case Study architects in Los Angeles, and who helped create a legacy of Mid-Century Modernism in Long Beach in particular,” Bohn explains in a statement, "At the same time, we worked closely with St Francis’ Board of Directors to provide a modern, highly functional environment so the charity can perform its absolutely essential mission. We look forward to St. Francis opening its doors again to serve the community more effectively than ever.”

“Personally," Bohn continued, "growing up in Long Beach just a few blocks away from his office and nurturing a passion for architecture, Ed Killingsworth was a powerful influence on my early career. Now as an Architect it is an honor to restore one of his early designs.”

The project is set to retain up to 50% of the original exterior, as much as is allowed by California's strict energy code, while new elements will be designed to match the original configuration and details.