British real estate firm Est4te Four Capital's proposed redevelopment of the Arts District's Challenge Cream & Butter building has been unveiled through environmental documents from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning.

According to a proposed mitigated negative declartion, the London-based developer intends to retain and rehabilitate the existing warehouse, which first opened at 2nd and Vignes Streets in 1926.  The interior of the two-story building would be repurposed with a mixture of shops and eateries, while a basement level would house services and parking.

By reinforcing the Challenge Cream & Butter building's concrete support system, Es4te Four also plans to add five floors atop the existing structure, creating more retail space, a gym, automated parking, offices, photo studios, event space and a private member's lounge.  The usable space of the building would be augmented through a seven-story expansion along the west side of the property, within the footprint of a vacated railroad right-of-way.

Est4te Four has tapped wHY Architecture to design the project, which looks to differentiate the old and new portions of the building while "invoking the design geometry and architectural rhythm of the original facade."  Renderings show that the expansion would be set back from the street wall, allowing for an outdoor deck atop the roof of the existing warehouse.

According to filings with the Planning Department, construction of the mixed-use complex is expected to occur over 18 months between the third quarter of 2017 and the first quarter of 2019.

The project will be an immediate neighbor to the Garey Building, the rebranded Megatoys redevelopment which opened its 320 apartments last year.