Ostrich Farm Lofts is located in the South Pasadena Neighborhood within minutes of Trader Joe's, Arroyo Seco Golf Course, Downtown Los Angeles, Old Town Pasadena, Mission Gold Line, Huntington Hospital, Lacy Park and is also in the desirable South Pasadena School District.

Designed as live/work spaces, 53 loft condos were developed in 2006 from the historic Cawston Ostrich Farm, a historic landmark building. The Ostrich Farm Lofts range in size from approximately 700 square feet up to over 2,000 square feet of living in a project that is known for its adaptive reuse of a former factory. There are gardens and terraces in a gated environment. The units feature high ceilings and polished concrete floors. The location is convenient to the Gold Line Light Rail System as well as the unique shopping and dining of South Pasadena.

Originally opened in 1886 by Edwin Cawston, the Cawston Ostrich Farm, a provider of ostrich feathers, was the United States’ first ostrich farm and a popular tourist attraction from 1896 to 1935. The design of The Ostrich Farm Lofts, located along the Gold Line right of way, keeps the essential qualities of the site intact and accentuates the industrial nature of the previous use. It has been stated that the original ostriches made their journey from South Africa to Texas and eventually by train to South Pasadena.  It wasn’t an entirely successful trip as only 18 of the 50 ostrichs survived.

Eventually, the Ostrich Farm had a population of over 100 ostriches. During the early part of the 20th century, visitors could be taken on ostrich drawn carriage rides and buy ostrich related items at the factory store. The site was later developed as a group of industrial buildings. The design of The Ostrich Farm Lofts, located along the Gold Line right of way, keeps the essential qualities of the site intact and accentuates the industrial nature of the previous use.

In the older buildings, large new windows are cut into the existing brick facades to make each live/work space a light filled work environment. The exterior of the newest building is re-skinned in both stucco and corrugated metal siding. The use of two finishes breaks down the scale of the existing massing and creates a more sympathetic relationship between this portion of the structure and the older buildings. The units, which range from 800SF to 2,000SF, feature double height ceilings, exposed steel beams, balconies and patios. Each live/work space has a recessed wall area at the unit entry designated for business signage.

The project maintains many of the site’s mature trees, and additional trees, large hedges and feature plants reflect the nature of the indigenous Arroyo Seco landscape. A corner park visible from outside the property commemorates and pays tribute to the historic ostrich farm.