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Architects: Paul Davis Architects
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Photographs:John Ellis
Text description provided by the architects. Client: A’maree’s is an international fashion powerhouse operated since 1971 by a dynamic fashion-forward family. The high-end exclusive boutique sells cutting-edge designer labels, such as Céline, Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Irene Neuwirth, Lanvin, Lucien Pellat-Finet, Makri, Sacai, Azzedine Alaïa, and others. A’maree’s was founded by now-retired matriarch Nancy Brown. Her three daughters—Dawn Klohs, Denise Schaefer, and Apryl Schaefer—have taken the reins and spearheaded a relocation of the store.
History: After years in a series of non-contiguous mall spaces totaling 8,400 square feet, A’maree’s sought a new flagship location in the upscale, coastal Orange County, CA, city of Newport Beach. The owners desired a statement building and had long admired an historic, modernist 1960s harbor-side structure with a distinctive scallop-edge roofline, soaring arched windows, and 18.5-foot-high ceilings designed by Pasadena architects Ladd & Kelsey (designers of the Norton Simon Museum). Originally designed for the glamorous Stuft Shirt restaurant, the building went on to house a series of waterfront eateries. But this center of Newport Beach social life gradually became a nuisance to local neighbors. Its owner regretted the noise complaints and visits from local police that accompanied the nightly revelry. After the last restaurant tenant was denied a lease renewal, the temple-like pavilion sat enigmatically vacant – with continually fresh paint and manicured gardens- for some 13 years.
