Shift

Vision

East Village has always been known as the Arts and Industry pocket of San Diego. This reputation was heavily defined by Bob Sinclair, a local legend and entrepreneur who founded numerous beloved coffee shops and restaurants housed in old industrial buildings that he would buy and revitalize. In addition to collecting retired buildings, Bob collected industrial equipment left over from East Village’s previous inhabitants, items that one can still find scattered throughout the neighborhood as sculptures and urban accents that energize the area and connect it to its past.

The unique and striking design of Shift was to be based on an industrial style that combines a bold, sculptural massing with pitched lines and a facade of rust-colored strips of metal siding alternating with dark window walls, to create an iconic element that adds vibrancy and variety to the East Village skyline. It was also important to harness the advantages of this site and its exciting surroundings and, perhaps more importantly, enhance those surroundings by adding to the rich cultural offerings of the neighborhood.