Just off tree-lined Mission Street in South Pasadena, California, behind a gated entry and sculpture garden, sits a structure that looks more like a modern design museum than a commercial flex space.
But inside this steel-and-glass building tucked away among restaurants, boutiques and Craftsman bungalows, there’s a full-scale workshop built for high-performance fabrication.
A 3,500-square-foot property with a 1,500-square-foot garage-style commercial space equipped for uses ranging from auto work to media production to furniture design has hit the market in South Pasadena. Listed for $4.5 million, 1104-1106 Mission St. offers a rare flexible live-work space in a Los Angeles area neighborhood where families usually hold on to properties for generations.
The listing includes a two-level residential apartment. But it’s the ground-level fully outfitted commercial workshop that sets the property apart, with 15-foot ceilings, five roll-up doors and 800-amp power system rarely found in a walkable urban setting, brokers note.
“This space is built for makers, builders and visionaries — people who need room to experiment and bring big ideas to life,” listing agent John Adamson of Adamson Properties told CoStar News. “It offers that rare combination of utility and wow-factor.”
The commercial space includes two enclosed offices, a reception area and a kitchenette, as well as a garage previously used for custom furniture fabrication and automotive restoration. The workshop’s industrial capabilities — air compressor hookups, concrete floors and large-format access — allow for plug-and-play use by creative agencies, content producers or boutique fabricators.
With the 1,450-square-foot residential studio apartment featuring wraparound balconies and city views, the property could appeal to entrepreneurs who want to live upstairs and run a business below, or investors looking to redevelop the workshop into commercial suites or income-generating live-work units.
"South Pasadena is having a moment,” Adamson said. “This property sits just steps from breweries, music venues and the Metro Gold Line, in a part of L.A. that’s suddenly buzzing with new energy.”
Dramatic aesthetic
The commercial garage space was originally built by a car enthusiast with utility in mind.
“He wanted a space to restore hot rods with friends, and he built it like a fortress,” Adamson said. The two car lifts are gone, but the rest of the infrastructure remains ready for high-capacity users across industries.
The space serves as a creative workshop and showroom for an interior designer who uses it to "fabricate and showcase custom furniture,” Adamson said.
“It’s equally functional for fashion, architecture or production companies," he said.
While the upstairs apartment presents a dramatic architectural statement, Adamson said, most prospective buyers first engage with the commercial potential.
“It feels like a high-security compound,” he said. “But one that’s wrapped in bamboo, stone and steel — it surprises people.”
Its five roll-up doors and off-street entry via Fairview Avenue add privacy and utility, making the space suitable for discrete business operations or high-end storage.
“There’s a real sense of arrival — and then reveal,” Adamson said.
The seller, who acquired the building in 2014 for $2.7 million, is listing it during a moment of renewed optimism for unique, creative commercial spaces, Adamson said.
"I’ve definitely seen growing demand for hybrid spaces, especially in South Pasadena and greater L.A.," Adamson said. "Buyers today aren’t just looking for a house or an office building, they want spaces that can do it all."