ReDapt Tours

2011 ReDapt Tour Stops

The Chocolate Factory
This stuccoed cement block building was typical of the streamlined functional commercial architecture built along Grand Avenue through the 1950’s and 60’s, and the interesting angles of the architecture are a direct result of being built on a diagonal street – and is typical of many of the buildings along Grand Avenue. This has had various uses over the years including a radiator repair shop and currently houses the studio of Hector Ruiz and other art studios. The mural is by neighborhood resident David Quan and El Mac.

Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery
This pre-mid century building, with the large metal overhanging awnings in front, and on the backside, was several things over the years but probably one of the longest running tenants was the Cordova Tire Company. It is one of the few buildings along Grand Avenue that has an upstairs (though small). This building has just undergone a two and a half year renovation and now houses the newly opened Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, which attracts students from all over the world and is the oldest guitar making school in the country. The School shares space with the Wisdom Tree Institute, an organization that provides education in the art of lutherie, woodworking arts, music and ethnomusicology; curriculum and research topics include ecology and the relationship of humans and trees, renewable musical instrument tone woods, plant evolution, plant genetic studies and other related studies. Visitors will get a tour of the premises including the guitar building workshop, the “Go-Bar Humidity Room”, the wood milling area, and the student, gallery and office space.

Gannaway Buildings/La Melgosa Annex
This set of buildings speak to the layers of construction that took place over the years in the Grand Avenue neighborhood. The historic home on the back of the property, since converted to an artspace, was built pre-1915 out of mold-made imitation stone masonry block. The red brick storefront was added in the 1930’s as a small market and retail space and currently houses art studios. As an indicator of the modernization, and true mixed use of this property, a metal sculptor’s workshop and an artist-designed tile shower, have been added to the yard area. A police supply business occupied the property for about 30 years (before being purchased by the current owners) where bullets and ammunition were fabricated on site.

The Funk Lab
This small commercial building was originally built as a corner grocery in 1928, and by 1929 was operating as both J.B. Johns Grocery and R.L. Mercer Meats. This building has had several incarnations as an artspace and was recently purchased by Edge-Industries who have established the Funk Lab there. Edge Industries collaborates with architects, artists, writers, interior designers and coffee-shop philosophers to create inspirational design. Funk Lab has a commercial espresso machine, arc welder, screen printer, custom studio table and a 1971 Cushman Truckster to run errands.