Architectural newcomers Erik Blanchard and Deborah Fuentes’ big break: a signature mixed-use project in the heart of downtown Manhattan Beach
Location is everything in real estate. It is hard to imagine a more prime South Bay property than 333 Manhattan Beach Boulevard.
Three blocks from the beach and flanked by quiet Morningside Dr. and bustling Manhattan Beach Blvd., the expansive two-story corner property is a major focal point in downtown Manhattan Beach and a renter’s dream.
When restaurateur Guy Gabriele of Café Pierre decided to purchase the property and transform an animal hospital into a mixed-use space, he didn’t turn to a major architectural firm. He didn’t even take formal bids from firms. He entrusted Erik Blanchard, a 30-year-old who had come onto the project to do some minor survey work and proven himself worthy of much more.
Three years ago Blanchard and his wife and partner Deborah Fuentes were living in a bachelor apartment in El Segundo, taking odd jobs and temp work to make rent while trying to launch an architecture business. They met studying at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and entered the job market at the same time as the recession.
Blanchard and Fuentes are now the faces and talent behind one of the most visible and ambitious architectural undertakings in recent Manhattan Beach history.
“This location was both exciting and intimidating as a first project,” Blanchard said. “We just couldn’t afford to mess this up. How we got here, I don’t even know.”
To be fair, Gabriele didn’t know the scope of the project when Blanchard entered the fray. He recruited him for small projects which swelled into larger projects and, eventually, Blanchard and his wife were taking on an entire overhaul of the original building.
“We just clicked,” Gabriele said of Blanchard and Fuentes. “I based [the decision to hire them] on good vibes. I felt they were young and open-minded and willing to do things out of the box.”
“Out of the box” is a fitting description of the finished product at 333 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Blanchard and Fuentes took a tired building on a rectangular lot and built a secondary facade, creating cascading lines and lateral angles that seem to defy the laws of gravity.
“Guy really gave us a shot,” Blanchard said. “I think that’s part of his personality, knowing that even though you’re older and have more knowledge and experience, you still have to rely on young people, their ideas and attitudes, and how things have changed.”
Gabriele was drawn to Blanchard and Fuentes on a human level, as well. “I knew they would take this very personally and that this would be a way for them to get out into the market,” he said. “That was important to me.”
Listening to Blanchard talk about the sloping lines of the windows, which train the eyes to intersection and the jutting window frames that create dramatic shadows and playful light, it is clear that the couple’s approach to the project was anything but standard.
They are an ideal pair; Blanchard a left-brained doer and Fuentes a right-brained creator. Fuentes has a brilliant imagination in her design conception and Blanchard a shrewd logic in bringing the ideas to fruition.
“She comes from a long line of architects, I am more of the nuts-and-bolts guy,” Blanchard explained. He often had to find unconventional ways to physically actualize his wife’s visionary designs.
The result of their union is an elegant, efficient, undeniably modern mixed-use property that meets not only the needs and desires of Gabriele but also those of the City of Manhattan Beach. The second floor is a 1200 sq-ft office space that will be leased to one or multiple businesses. The ground floor is a retail space and accompanying 300 sq-ft office. Gabriele is currently drawing up a lease with renowned clothing designer Trina Turk for the bottom floor.
“The partnership worked,” Gabriele said, “not only from design perspective but personally. We’ve become very good friends. They are honest, dedicated, and we became a good team. Now we have a great product. It was meant to be.” B
