Upscale Lofts Put Problematic Site on the Right Side of the Tracks - 6/14/2004 - Home Exterior Roofs Siding

Upscale Lofts Put Problematic Site on the Right Side of the Tracks

The developer, the Sares Regis Group, was not deterred by the site, a long narrow triangle of land in an industrial area bounded on one side by railroad tracks. The architect, Rob Steinberg, of the Steinberg Group, San Jose, took the area’s industrial vocabulary and bumped it up a few notches into the arena of high style.

Metal is the material of choice — grid-like black metal bars for balcony railings and interior stairway railings, vertical banks of windows in metal frames that evoke train tracks, even vertical metal siding on some areas. And the buildings are all angles on the outside — just like the site.

What could have been a stark exterior is softened by strategically placed stucco, in warm earth tones: cream, terra cotta and sage. And while space for landscaping is at a premium, low shrubs and small trees in bright blue planters add color and life.

A few curves — high bow windows and an undulating pedestrian path — mark the transition from the outside to the more inviting interior courtyards. Inside, the loft units revert to the exterior’s sharp angles, but the model is warmed with earthy colors and green plants.

The 53 condominium loft units — with an average size of 1,164 square feet — sold out in 13 months for an average price of about $430,000. That may sound like a high price, but not in San Jose.