THOUGHT LEEDER RIGHT: Architect-developer Soheil Nakhshab in front of Truax House, which serves as the historic centerpiece of the visionary LEED- certified residential compound. He divided the property into three parcels: the house, the L-shaped lofts, and four townhouses. “The community feared a developer would scrape away the history,” says Nakhshab of Truax House, once a hospice for AIDS patients. The architect made sure that didn’t happen, earning the property a major national award. BELOW: The expansive courtyard features fire pits, seating areas, an outdoor movie theater, and citrus trees for cocktail hour. “The idea was to activate historic house,” he says. “You can hang out with neighbors and entertain family and friends.” the outdoor space connected to this
against crisp blue skies. Originally built in 1912, the spacious home became a hospice for AIDS patients in the ‘80s under the care of gay physician and advocate Brad Truax, who passed away from AIDS-related complications in 1988. Before he’d even won his bid on the city-owned property, Nakhshab acted to preserve its important past. “I went around to LGBTQ organizations and community groups and spoke to them about my plans,” Nakhshab explains. “I was not going to tear down the house. I had my own historic attorney prepare a report to get the city to acknowledge that history.” The gutted and fully restored Truax House, with minor exterior additions that meld seamlessly with the original, now contains 10 apartments and a community room open to the public by appointment. The traditional architecture contrasts the neighboring bright white Truax Lofts, which Nakhshab designed as a sleek L-shaped structure with an open breezeway over the sloping hillside beneath it. “A normal institutional developer would’ve filled that space in with more units or parking,” points out
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