A recently completed $17.9 million adaptive reuse project in Glendale transformed a medical campus into a 40-unit affordable housing community for seniors called Harrower Village.

Developed by Abode Communities and Glendale Housing Authority, Harrower Village replaced the Harrower Laboratory and Clinic, built in the early 1920s. The building has shifted uses, most recently serving as a chiropractic college and special needs school, until the city of Glendale purchased the site in 2019. Omgivning led the design of the new senior housing complex.

“With Harrower Village, we hope to show others that affordable housing – as well as senior and publicly-funded housing – can be created from historic and existing structures,” said Joel Chappo, Omgivning’s managing director, in a statement.

The original campus had three masonry buildings, which Omgivning redeveloped, along with constructing a two-story addition. Harrower Village also has a community room, recreation room and areas for resident services. Units will be reserved for seniors earning between 30% and 60% of L.A. County’s area median income.

Preservation

To uphold the site’s historic design – which gained status from the city as a historic landmark in 1977 – the development team enlisted the guidance of the Architectural Resources Group. Harrower Village was part of a $54 million investment from Glendale into three affordable housing projects back in 2022.

“Cities across our nation, including our own, are experiencing the impacts of a growing housing crisis,” said Councilman Ardy Kassakhian in 2022. “I’m optimistic in Glendale’s ability to make an impact locally and provide housing for our seniors and low-income families.”