The former American Legion hall, reimagined as Startup Ventura's coworking and accelerator home: the 53' × 62' dining hall under its 25' bowstring arch, the 16' curved-front stage with new restrooms tucked behind it, kitchen café, a 16-seat board room in the old committee + check rooms, and a 21' × 26' game court in the enclosed court with its own entrance. Modeled over Kenneth H. Hess's 1948 drawings.
Concept study · For discussion with property ownerDining room, stage and kitchen block, plus the committee + check rooms (board room), the service corridor, and the enclosed 21'-2" × 26' court (game court, with its own entrance). The rest of the wing is not modeled. Dimensions taken from the 1948 sheets.
| Open desks — main floor (kept light + flexible) | 20 |
| Open desks — loft (faces the stage) | 16 |
| Private offices (2–3 person, glass) | 5 |
| Board room (committee + check rm 104) | 16 seats |
| Game court: pool, arcade, foosball, darts, lounge | ~550 sf |
| Phone booths | 2 |
| Café + communal table seats | ~20 |
| Demo-day stage (existing, 16' opening, curved front) | ~220 sf |
| Restrooms (new, tucked behind stage) | 2 + vanity vestibule |
| Event mode, furniture stowed | ~140 seated* |
| Main hall (53' × 62') | 3,286 sf |
| Stage (12' × 18'-2", 16' opening, ceil 15'-0") | ~220 sf |
| Kitchen / café (21'-2" × 21'-8", ceil 10'-6") | ~460 sf |
| Restrooms + vestibule (new, behind stage) | ~250 sf |
| Board room (17'-4" × 37'-3", committee + check rm) | ~645 sf |
| Game court (21'-2" × 26'-0") | ~550 sf |
| Circulation (service corridor + restroom hallway) | ~265 sf |
| Mezzanine loft (added, 18' deep, faces stage) | ~865 sf |
| Total usable (with loft) | ~6,500 sf |
The 1948 bowstring trusses, arch roof and stage proscenium are untouched and become the identity of the space. The mezzanine is a freestanding steel insert and the offices are demountable glass, so the major improvements are reversible. The committee and check rooms return to service as a 16-seat board room and the already-enclosed court becomes a member game room with its own west-side entrance, so evening events can run without opening the whole floor. New restrooms tuck into the kitchen's wrap-around service zone behind the stage, keeping new plumbing in the back of house and off the historic hall. A nonprofit anchor tenant brings 7-day activation: coworking by day, accelerator programming, demo nights and community events after hours.
*Capacity figures are concept estimates for discussion, not code calculations. Egress, occupancy, ADA and structural loading must be confirmed by a licensed architect and the City of Ventura.