A Beverly Hills icon is getting a long overdue facelift thanks to a top-notch local firm.

Santa Monica-based Montalba Architects is behind a newly announced renovation that will transform the former Pacific Mercantile Bank building, an eight-story office tower on Wilshire Boulevard by New Formalist master Edward Durell Stone.

Stone was the architect of the Ahmanson Center and responsible for several other midcentury commercial developments on Wilshire Boulevard that have become synonymous with the visual landscape of Los Angeles thanks to artists like Ed Ruscha and David Hockney. 

The building’s characteristic Romanesque facade will remain untouched as the fronting fountain and plaza area are reimagined in order to make space for a “sunken garden” that allows the architects to activate its previously unused basement substructure. Interior renovations will be made using a “reserved palette of materials that harken the time of the original design yet offer a contemporary composition.” The renovation’s focus is to bring new life to the lobby and common areas. 

“The building is essentially a Los Angeles landmark, so it was important that we respect, and take into consideration, its history when making any refinements,” founder David Montalba said in a statement. “Keeping this in mind, our intent was to elevate what made the building iconic through specific design additions, like turning the original plaza fountain into a sunken garden to bring light and life into the basement.”

A historic consultant was brought along for parts of the restoration process. Construction began in August and is expected to take until the fall of 2022 to reach completion.