Paradisaea Restaurant
The Piano Building, comprising of Paradisaea Restaurant, Dodo Bird Café, and Tropical Punch lifestyle store, is a transformed former 1940s Mid-Century building originally designed by William Kesling.
However, the building sat under-utilized for several years and in much need of new life within the BirdRock community desperately seeking new vibrancy and vitality in its neighborhood core.
The successful collaboration between owner and the design and construction team, revived and restored this community asset to a dynamic gem along La Jolla Boulevard. A complete overhaul of the buildings’ mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, plus exhaustive seismic and accessibility upgrades enable new patrons of the restaurant and shop to embrace the building and its architecture for another life cycle. Preserving the building’s unique exterior, restoring some of its wooden storefronts to their original configuration, and renovating the entire street corner with new sidewalks, landscape and seating area was paramount in achieving the balance of history and modernity in the overall project design.
Location
La Jolla, CA
Size/Type
4,500 SF Restaurant
Collaborators
Contractor:
McGuiness Construction
Interior Design:
Georgis & Mirgorodsky
Photography:
Douglas Friedman
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The sweeping compound roofline, unique building geometry, and expansive glass storefront that anchors the bustling corner of La Jolla Blvd. and Birdrock Ave. have been an iconic presence of the neighborhood since its construction.
