Surgeon Prescribes Medical Building for Santa Monica Market

An orthopedic surgeon wants to replace a shuttered pool hall in Santa Monica with a three-story medical office and surgery building.

Dr. Babak Samimi has filed plans to build the 23,600-square-foot building at 1901 Wilshire Boulevard, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The single-story pool hall, built in 1938, would be demolished.

Plans call for a medical office building and outpatient surgery center with a “personal training space” on the ground floor. A parking lot out back would serve 22 cars.

The silver rectangular building, designed by locally based Michael W. Folonis Architects, would be sheathed in an unidentified “translucent material,” according to a City of Santa Monica Architectural Review Board staff report, which recommended its approval.

The building would include an inset open terrace on a top corner, with clear windows offering a look into the lobby containing a black internal stairway, according to renderings.

While Wilshire Boulevard is no stranger to medical offices, most recent developments along the corridor have consisted of residential and commercial uses, according to Urbanize.

In the works nearby are some multi-story developments by Cypress Equity Investments, including a 531-unit, mixed-use apartment complex at 2601 Lincoln Boulevard.

Samimi leads the Samimi Orthopedic Group, with offices in Brentwood, West Covina and Sherman Oaks.

— Dana Bartholomew