FINDING A NEW USE for a historic structure can breathe new life into an old building. Our next winner did just that with the purchase of one of Master Architect Irving Gill's final built projects before his death in 1936.

Located in Oceanside, the Oceanside Daily Blade-Tribune Building on Seagaze Drive was home to the local newspaper from 1936 through the 1960s. In 2019, it was purchased by the new owner and underwent an extensive renovation and restoration to transform the 6,000-square-foot warehouse into a vibrant Italian restaurant. This work included the rediscovery and exposure of the original "Blade-Tribune and News" hovering just above the front doors, restoring the stucco texture, and bringing back to life the Art Deco style Gill meticulously designed.

In addition to restoring the building's authentic appearance, the owner and restaurant partners have continued to celebrate the structure's important past by lining an interior wall with newspaper clippings and even choosing a name that highlights the newspaper and the year of construction. Congratulations to Donia Ackad Yuhong for the Adaptive Reuse Award and the beautiful transformation of the Oceanside Daily Blade-Tribune building into the Blade 1936 restaurant. Irving Gill would be glad to see how far his design has come in the year of his 150th birthday.