Look up, why don't you? In a street-level neighborhood like Honolulu's historic Chinatown district, the architecture is aimed at the pedestrian and browser. Shops, restaurants, storefronts, offices, everything is at eye level. But there's a hidden portion of Chinatown that exists two and three stories from the sidewalk.

The Mendonca Building, dominating the corner of Hotel and Maunakea streets for more than a century, will begin taking applications this weekend for tenants to live in 10 newly refurbished “;artist loft”; apartments. An open house will take place during First Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. tomorrow, as well as from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

It's a tag-team effort of the Hawaii Academy of Performing Arts and building owners Ernest and JoDee Hunt. The idea is to provide affordable living space for artists, with a not-so-secret agenda of goosing the creative proximity fuses of all involved—and the added plus of beginning the process of civilizing an urban area that turns into the Wild West in the evenings.

HAPA's Rich Richardson sketched out the idea on a napkin for the Hunts and before he knew it, they had architectural plans drawn up.

“;The idea was to have artists as neighbors,”; said Richardson. “;We were doing shows and installations at The ARTS at Marks Garage, and people were having to come into town, and then go away. What if we could establish a residence within an existing building, lofts rehabbed to current standards, places cheaper and easier to live and create in for artists?”;

Before we go further, let's define the precise architectural definition of “;loft.”; Technically, it's a smaller space above a larger space, used for a specific purpose, like storing hay. But the generic term “;artists loft”; means a living space above a commercial space, with basic amenities like bathrooms, but having few, if any, interior walls, the better for artists to tackle those big projects. Imagine your house or apartment with no interior walls. It's easy. You've seen living spaces like this in a million movies set in New York.

The Mendonca Building had a couple of abandoned offices upstairs, each divided into a warren of tiny cubicles. After clearing them out and opening the space, plus adding private amenities, there was enough room for 10 apartments, ranging in size from 500 to 1,500 square feet, with rentals priced accordingly, from about $850 to $2,500 a month. Each looks down on a lovely garden in the midst of the structure, and each loft space is “;intentionally left kind of unfinished and minimalist, so that the artist can customize the space.”;

Seem like a lot? Remember, it's both living and creative space. Plus, there's the charged atmosphere of all those creative djinns at work.

“;A similar concept in Seattle produced two folks who were MacArthur Grant geniuses,”; said Richardson. “;We want a similar synergy.”;

And so, the Chinatown artist lofts will be let primarily to people based on “;creative merit.”;

Do you have what it takes? Richardson explained that this doesn't necessarily mean painters and poets in berets.

“;Designers, chefs, writers, filmmakers, mapmakers—the creative synergy has a lasting effect,”; said Richardson. “;We're using a loose interpretation of the word 'arts.'”;

There's also the notion that creating a living community in an urban space like Chinatown after dark will help civilize it. “;They'll keep an eye on the street, because it's their neighborhood,”; said Richardson. “;Chinatown can be a little rough at night. But with more people actually living there, using the space, they'll take care of it.

“;The resident artists will also be shopping and eating in the community, making for a better business climate. There is plenty of vacant upper-floor space available in Chinatown right now, and this is the first step in building a creative and productive community.”;