BLVD MRKT

Part dining hall, part restaurant incubator, BLVD MRKT is RFRM’s collaboration with GENTEFY to create a space in Montebello that would teach and foster future Montebello restaurant owners. It is a new typology for community-driven economic development that caters to both local consumers and aspiring restaurant owners.

The design preserves elements related to Montebello’s cultural history while catering to an innovative space. An existing building is demolished and replaced with 4 shipping containers that line the perimeter of the outdoor area. The bricks are exposed to represent Montebello’s history as Simon Brick’s manufacturing town. Similarly, the existing arched stucco façade is kept in order to help the project seamlessly integrate into the existing urban fabric.

The design organizes the service programs along the perimeter of the site creating an open space that becomes a central dining area. The largest and ‘L’ shaped shipping container is dedicated to the restaurant incubation program. The front facing corner is absolved of any structures to engage the street, reminiscent of the outdoor plazas and dining areas in European cities that engage the passerby and the street.

BLVD MRKT’s incubator program engages the community with the future while the design engages the community with Montebello’s history. The design concept epitomizes the idea of community-driven revitalization through its incorporation of culturally significant structural elements.

Location Montebello, CA // Program Commercial/Retail Food Hall // Status Complete // Size 9,000 SF

Media

09.09.2023 // Whittier Daily News

05.31.2022 // LA Times

05.10.2022 // Eater LA

07.14.2022 // NPR Market Place

09.10.2021 // Eater LA