The Arts District HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE IN L.A. Endings and Beginnings: A History of Change in Downtown L.A.’s Arts District

he history of the Arts District only local railroads ran through the , is one of constant change – but in 1876 the arrival of the Southern many endings and beginnings. Pacific Railroad from TWith the neighborhood about to connected with the start another chapter with the influx transcontinental railroad. The Atchison, of new businesses, residents, and Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad came developments, it is a good time to next to Los Angeles in 1885. In 1905, reflect on the neighborhood’s history the Union Pacific arrived, making the and to think about how the historic city a western terminus of three major architecture can continue to play an transcontinental railroads. All three important role in its unique identity. railroads built depots, transportation buildings, warehouses, and rail yards in From Grapevines to Railroads and around the Arts District. Had you visited the area now known as In fact, many of the industrial Aerial view of the expansive Barker Bros. the Arts District in the mid nineteenth- buildings constructed in the Arts factories and warehouses located along century, you would have seen acres Palmetto Street, 1924. Photo courtesy of District during the late nineteenth and Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection. of vineyards. In fact, Vignes Street, early twentieth century leave clear which runs through the northern signs that they were built around the edge of the district, was named after railroad. Buildings curve unexpectedly, City of Los Angeles was adding huge “the father of French immigration to following tracks long since covered amounts of territory by incorporating Los Angeles,” Jean-Louis Vignes. He over, and doors and loading docks are already existing communities, such as arrived from France in 1831 and found set three or four feet above ground level Highland Park and Boyle Heights, and in Southern the perfect to the height of a boxcar. adding more than 100,000 acres in the climate for planting grapes. In 1833 While the railroads were eroding . Because of all the he planted grapes from France, and some of the agricultural land around available residential land, by 1922 the by 1847, Vignes’ vineyard, El Aliso, the turn of the twentieth century, the city had officially re-zoned downtown to was the largest producer of wine in area still had a rural feel in contrast eliminate all residential housing in order California. Other winemakers and fruit to the residential and commercial to make room for more offices, retail, growers followed Vignes, and by the development concentrated in and manufacturing. This move solidified late nineteenth century, oranges and west of Main the Arts District as an industrial center. grapefruit had outpaced grapes as the Street. Surprisingly, the Arts District Manufacturers continued to locate in primary product of the area. was also home to several working-class the area throughout the 1910s and Railroads and manufacturing residential neighborhoods due to the 1920s. emerged to serve the citrus industry’s real estate boom of the late 1880s and By the end of World War II, this shipping needs, and later to support the proliferation of job opportunities neighborhood was clearly industrial in the large number of people moving that came with industrial development. nature, but it began to face challenges into California, and so began the as industrial needs evolved. As railroads transportation and industrial chapter in Industrial Boom gave way to the trucking industry, large this neighborhood’s history. Previously, Despite the residential enclaves, this trucks had difficulty accessing some neighborhood was on a clear path of the smaller streets that were once toward industrialization during the railroad spurs. Manufacturing plants early twentieth century. The city’s grew larger in size, yet land parcels population explosion contributed to the in the neighborhood were small. expansion of the regional economy. By Companies had to purchase several the 1920s, Los Angeles had become adjacent lots in order to build a large the fifth-largest city in the United plant, making property acquisition States and the seventh-wealthiest in difficult. Newer, outlying such the nation. Key manufacturers located as Vernon and the City of Commerce in the Arts District at this time were could better accommodate the needs producing bakery products, women’s of modern industries. As companies clothing, foundry and machinery goods, moved away to build larger, more furniture, printing and publishing modern factories, the warehouses of View looking east of Jean-Louis Vignes’ orchards, circa 1865. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles materials, automobile parts, and rubber. the Arts District stood vacant and the Public Library Photo Collection. In the early twentieth century, the neighborhood began to decay.

2 The Arts District Enter the Artists Pickle Works Building). Several artist in other creative industries, including In the 1970s, a group of artists, many hangouts opened, such as Al’s Bar in green technology, architecture, and of whom were being priced out of the the American Hotel, which was home entertainment, while still retaining increasingly expensive Venice and to a groundbreaking punk-rock scene some of its industrial use. Yet it is poised art scenes, saw opportunity beginning in the mid-1970s until its for another wave of development and in the forgotten buildings in the Arts closure in 2001. change that comes with its own set District. Vacant warehouses made for This migration into the Arts District of challenges. The area continues to massive live/work studios at rock- was done quietly and illegally, but attract new residential and commercial bottom prices. Yet moving into an became a growing issue. In 1981 the development, some of it now being abandoned industrial neighborhood City acknowledged the situation and built from the ground up and at a much was not easy for these pioneering implemented the Artist-in-Residence larger scale than the existing structures. artists, who had to hide during building (AIR) program, which legalized the New development will bring an influx inspections by the fire department and residential use of formerly industrial of new residents, perhaps doubling the live in inhospitable surroundings. Linda buildings for artists. After the passage population in the next few years. Frye Burnham, one of twelve early of the AIR, the earliest developers of From a preservation perspective, artists called the “Young Turks” living the Arts District were often artists all this change could affect the historic in the Arts District during this time, themselves. One of the most important industrial buildings and other defining described it this way: legacies from these early artist/ elements, such as railroad tracks, developers is that by rehabilitating that served as the focal point for early Living downtown was exhilarating the vacant warehouses, they saved revitalization and that tell so much after the perfect lawns and an important part of L.A.’s industrial of the neighborhood’s story. The expensive lifestyle of Orange and transportation past. They became Los Angeles Conservancy is already County, where everything smelled grassroots preservationists. involved in a preservation issue at the like Coppertone. But it wasn’t easy. The Arts District had a thriving James K. Hill Pickle Works Building, It was dangerous, especially in underground arts scene in the which was proposed for demolition the ’80s when the crack epidemic 1980s yet saw another downturn in in 2013. It is important to understand blew through L.A. It was filthy and the early 1990s due to a decline in the story of the neighborhood in order uncomfortable, at the confluence downtown investment, rising homeless to maintain its historic fabric and of 11 freeways. The noise was populations, and social unrest. This successfully plan for the change that is shattering and it was so smoggy prompted a response from Arts District coming. you couldn’t see the city from the neighborhood activists, led by Joel Over nearly two centuries, the Arts I-10. We had to drive 20 minutes to Bloom, the area’s unofficial mayor. In District has evolved from vineyards, get groceries or do laundry or go to the mid-‘90s, he successfully petitioned to working-class neighborhoods, the movies. In winter it was really the City to designate the area the “Arts to bustling industry, to abandoned cold in those cement industrial District.” He also opened Bloom’s factories, to artists’ mecca, to urban spaces and in the summer the General Store in the American Hotel oasis. Going forward, we can continue thermometer would rise over 100 on Traction Avenue and Hewitt Street. to turn to its architecture to better degrees. (lindaburnham.com) The store served as the heart of the understand and appreciate the Art The artists opend up a number of Arts District until after Bloom’s death in District’s many endings and beginnings. avant-garde art galleries, such as the 2007. In his honor, the City designated Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions the area around Third, Traction, and (LACE) center on Industrial Street, and Rose as Joel Bloom Square. The Art Dock, a drive-by street gallery in an eight-foot loading dock located in True to Its Roots amid Revival Citizens Warehouse (now known as the In 1999, the City of Los Angeles passed its landmark Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (ARO), which relaxed codes for the conversion of pre-1974 commercial and industrial buildings into residential uses for non-artists. The ARO spurred another significant wave of development in the Arts District and shone a spotlight on the neighborhood as a creative and unique place to live. Today, the Arts District remains the home of many artists as well as those

Construction of the 510,000-square-foot The City of Los Angeles put up this One Santa Fe mixed-use development proj- sign in 2007 honoring Arts District ect adjacent to SCI-Arc, scheduled to open activist Joel Bloom. in 2014. Photo by Anne Laskey/L. A. Conservancy.

History and Architecture in Downtown L.A. 3 known as Citizens Warehouse and was Many Thanks A. Pickle Works/ a haven for artists. Paying almost no Citizens Warehouse rent, and often living on the premises illegally, artists created an under- This booklet was produced in the-radar arts community here that conjunction with a tour held on flourished. November 10, 2013. One of these artists was Carlton Davis, who created the rogue gallery Presenting Sponsor: known as Art Dock in his studio space. From 1981 to 1985, different artists displayed their work within the frame of his eight-foot former loading dock. Open to viewing as long as the metal roll-down door was open, the gallery was a touchstone for the community. The warehouse was converted Supporting Sponsors: to legal live/work spaces in the mid- Photo by Anne Laskey/L. A. Conservancy. Anne Laskey/L. by Photo 1980s, and it continued to house Orig. California Vinegar & Pickle artists’ lofts until 2007. The building Company, later James K. Hill & was determined eligible for listing in the Sons Company Pickle Works National Register of Historic Places in Major funding for the Los Angeles 1001 East First Street 2005. Conservancy’s educational programs is Architect unknown, 1888-1909 When the widening of the First provided by the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Street Bridge threatened the building, Norris Foundation. ne of the last surviving Victorian- an agreement was reached in 2005 that allowed the City’s Bureau of Tour curated by L. A. Conservancy. Oera warehouses in Los Angeles, Context research provided by Lindsey Miller. the building now commonly known Engineering (BOE) to remove up Photography by Larry Underhill, as Pickle Works dates back to 1888, to fifty feet from its south end to unless otherwise noted. accommodate the bridge project Additional cover photos by L.A. Conservancy staff. when the California Vinegar and Pickle Design by Future Studio. Company erected a structure by the (ultimately, seventy-five feet were west bank of the . removed) and to reconstruct a new end Special thanks to A. S. Ashley, Yuval Bar-Zemer wall. In the spring of 2013, the BOE and Gudrun Gotschke, Jamie Bennett and the James K. Hill & Sons Company Pickle Institute of Architecture, Works succeeded the first owner. announced plans to instead demolish Natalie Egnatchik, Greg Fischer, Leonard Hill, As with many early buildings, the the building. Based on opposition from David Hollen, Con Howe, Scott Johnson and the community and the Conservancy, Margaret Bates, Eric Lynxwiler, Philip McKinley, name of the architect is lost to time, as Jim Morphesis, Alan Newman and Angel is the exact evolution of the building, negotiations are currently underway for City Brewery, Joan Ho and Design Syndicate, which appears to have had several how best to preserve the Pickle Works Joseph Pitruzzelli, Melissa Richardson-Banks Building. and Downtown Muse, George Rollins, Trudi additions before 1909. A vernacular, Sandmeier, David Schneider, Norm Solomon, and two-story, brick-clad, wood-framed all the Los Angeles Conservancy volunteers who building, it is long and narrow with participated in this tour. The eastern wall of the building along the loading bays on two sides. railroad tracks reveals old ghost signs. About the Los Angeles Conservancy By the 1970s, the building was Photo by Anne Laskey/L. A. Conservancy. The Los Angeles Conservancy is a membership- based nonprofit organization that works through advocacy and education to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County. The Conservancy was formed in 1978 as part of the community-based effort to prevent demolition of the Los Angeles Central Library. It is now the largest local historic preservation organization in the .S., with over 6,000 members and hundreds of volunteers. For more information, visit laconservancy.org.

523 W. 6th Street, Suite 826 Los Angeles, CA 90014 laconservancy.org • (213) 623-2489

© 2013 Los Angeles Conservancy. All rights reserved.

4 The Arts District B. Challenge Dairy Building Photo by Bruce Scottow/L. A. Conservancy. Scottow/L. Bruce by Photo

rig. Challenge Cream & Butter Trucks poised to load up and deliver dairy products, date unknown. O Historic photo courtesy of Norman Solomon. Association 929 East Second Street Butter & Cream Association building Norm Solomon. One of the first Charles F. Plummer, 1926 apart from others in the neighborhood. conversions following the approval of The building was designed by the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) ordinance, his grey structure is a plain, the firm of noted architect Charles F. it was developed with artists in mind. T rectangular building constructed Plummer. Known for Spanish Colonial The units are all large, ranging in size of poured-in-place concrete. Typical Revival-style buildings such as the Casa from 1,600 to 5,000 square feet, and of warehouses of the period, a series Del Mar (1926) in Santa Monica and each with a unique configuration. High of loading docks line street level, the Petitfils-Boos Mansion (1922) in ceilings on the ground floor were left and multi-pane industrial windows Hancock Park, Plummer would later intact, and the concrete walls and load- define the second story. There is little partner with young Welton Becket and bearing columns were left in their raw decorative detail and no attempt to Walter Wurdeman to form Plummer, concrete state. conceal the building’s use. However, Wurdeman, and Becket, the firm that The lofts still house members of the a few things set the former Challenge designed the Pan-Pacific Auditorium arts and creative arts communities. (1935, demolished 1989). Interior of a loft after the building was Fast forward to 1982, when the converted to artist-in-residence space in Employees prepare dairy products for the early 1980s. Photo by Anne Laskey/ then-derelict building was purchased distribution, date unknown. L. A. Conservancy. for conversion to lofts by developer Historic photo courtesy of Norman Solomon.

History and Architecture in Downtown L.A. 5 street level is distinct from the upper C. 810 East Third floors, which are separated by piers into Street five vertical bays. Modest decoration above and below the windows lends a touch of elegance. The rear of the building conveys its industrial heritage. Running close to the building are the remains of the railroad spur that serviced it. Also apparent is the former loading dock, as well as a crane, still attached to the building, once used for loading and unloading. Artist David Hollen in his studio. The building has served as artists’ For more information about his work, visit hollenart.com. lofts and studios for many years. The building also provides retail space on into the space in 2005. Hollen works the ground floor. in durable ubiquitous material, such as Two artists currently in the building porcelain, steel, cable, and rope, and are A. S. Ashley and David Hollen. his studio is a workshop full of tools and A. S. Ashley’s home and studio are equipment. Industrial blowers dispel accessible only by climbing three flights fumes, and a former furnace closet of stairs. His artwork includes , – complete with fire door – acts as assemblage, ready-mades, sculpture, storage space for flammable materials. Orig. Southern California Supply Co. performance, installations, and graphic A room at the rear serves as a gallery 810 East Third Street arts. The large, north-facing windows space. Richards-Neustadt Construction Co., of his unit flood the space with light, 1910 perfect for a painter’s studio. Although Artist A. S. Ashley in his live/work studio. he has occupied this particular For more information about his work, visit asashley.com. his four-story reinforced concrete space for only a few years, Ashley’s T building was built by the Richards- involvement with art communities in Neustadt Construction Company, a the region, including the Arts District, prominent construction and design has spanned five decades. firm. Its first tenant was the Southern David Hollen’s studio stands California Supply Company, specializing in stark contrast to Ashley’s. In the in baking and confectioners’ supplies. basement of the building, it has no The building has two distinct windows to let in natural light. The low personalities: viewed from Third Street, ceiling limits the scale of artworks to it is a simple commercial building, with a certain height, a constraint to which understated Beaux-Arts detailing. The the artist has adjusted since moving

History of the SCI-Arc building and Santa Fe Rail Yards Santa Fe rail yard was city-owned by Mike Henderson, property along the Los Angeles River Conservancy volunteer a lift in their recent sudden and at the First Street Bridge. At the time, marvelous growth than this land was of little value because the he Southern California Institute of the influence of the Atchison, river ran free and was not contained in T Architecture (SCI-Arc) building in Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, periods of heavy rain. the Arts District is the last remaining popularly known as the Santa In 1886, the Santa Fe proposed structure of the Santa Fe Rail Yards that Fe. For years ground down to construct a permanent levee along operated in the area for 100 years. by an oppressive railroad portions of the river if the city would The 1885 arrival of the Santa Fe in monopoly [Southern Pacific grant the company the adjacent land. Los Angeles was a major milestone in Railroad], this section felt the The deal was unanimously approved the development of the city. The Los pulse of new life as soon as by the City Council and, once the levee Angeles Times stated in 1887: the Santa Fe . . . . . stepped into was in place, tracks were laid along Southern California, a giant the west side of the river. The Santa Fe No one thing – or combination rival to the long-time monopoly also spent an estimated $150,000 for of things – has done more giant. additional land along the river that was to give Los Angeles city and privately owned. county The proposed location for the The Santa Fe La Grande passenger

6 The Arts District D. Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)

Orig. Santa Fe Freight House Left: The Santa Fe Freight House in 1999, just prior to ownership by SCI-Arc. Right: The building as the home of SCI-Arc today. Photos courtesy of the Southern California Institute of Architecture. 960 East Third Street Harrison Albright, 1906 as experts in reinforced concrete, a uncovered. Graffiti and street art from Los Angeles Historic-Cultural building material then gaining impor- the site’s abandoned days were left in Monument #795 tance for its fireproof qualities. place, as were loading bays and other Built at a reported cost of remnants of the site’s past as a freight rom major train freight house to $300,000, the Freight House was part depot and warehouse. Open design F internationally renowned archi- of a concerted effort by the Santa Fe to studios are accessed via a wide hall tecture school, the quarter-mile-long establish itself in the Los Angeles mar- that runs nearly the length of the struc- concrete structure at Third Street and ket and gain momentum over the rival ture, emphasizing both the length and Santa Fe Avenue clearly shows its lay- Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1922, the breadth of this unique building. ers of history. Santa Fe ceased the building’s operation SCI-Arc is home to approximately 500 Constructed in 1906 as the freight as the primary inbound freight house architecture students and 80 faculty house for the Atchison, Topeka, and and began moving most of its freight members. Photo courtesy of the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Santa Fe Railroad (known as the Santa operations outside the central city. The Fe), the building originally served both building eventually became a ware- inbound and outbound freight. Train house and by the 1990s it was derelict. tracks on the west side and wagon/ In 2001, the Southern California truck loading bays on the east facilitat- Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) reha- ed the transfer of goods. bilitated the long-vacant structure into Touted at the time for its concrete the school’s permanent home. Faculty construction, the building was designed member and SCI-Arc graduate Gary by architect Harrison Albright, with Paige designed the conversion, making construction overseen by Carl Leonardt. the most of the building’s character. Both men were nationally recognized Cement ceilings and walls were left

terminal, with its distinctive Moorish dome, occupied the north end of the yard opposite Second Street. It opened in 1893 at an estimated cost of $100,000 and replaced a “dilapidated, weather stained shed” used until then by passengers. A turn table and round house were situated at the south end of the yard, with a freight house in the middle. In 1906, the Santa Fe spent $300,000 for an immense new freight house (now SCI-Arc) and additional trackage west of Santa Fe Avenue. With easy access to rail facilities, the area drew manufacturing, wholesalers, and warehousing businesses, creating a hub that flourished for years. Historic postcard of the Santa Fe La Grande Station, built in 1893. The distinctive domes were made of copper. Postcard courtesy of the Marlene Laskey collection.

History and Architecture in Downtown L.A. 7 E. Angel City Brewery

Angel City Brewery gives regular public tours of the brewing process and the building and is committed to the growth and revitalization of the Arts Districts.

panning 69,000 square feet, this tile artists of the Craftsman period in S warehouse was one of several Los Angeles. Roebling’s signature cable regional wholesale warehouses for forms the banister of a small staircase the John A. Roebling’s Sons Company. leading to mezzanine offices. The Trenton, New Jersey-based The 230-foot Alameda Street company specialized in manufacturing frontage is lined with loading docks, “wire rope” and other steel products. once serviced by the railroad tracks still Roebling products ranged from evident beside them. Additional loading suspension cables on the Brooklyn docks on the east side of the building Bridge to steel for the Slinky toy. would have enabled wagon and truck The 1913 structure on Alameda access. Decorative brickwork at the was built when the company outgrew roof line is highlighted by terracotta a smaller site nearby. It was designed tiles with the initials J.A.R., for John A. by noted architects Hudson & Munsell, Roebling. who also designed the 1913 Natural In 2010, the building was History Museum in Exposition Park, as purchased by Angel City Brewery well as elaborate private homes. and underwent a two-year renovation Built where Alameda and Traction into a brewery. Angel City added a (then called Stephenson) come public component when it opened the together at a sharp angle, the building is Brewery and Public House in 2013. trapezoid-shaped. This shape created a Now, the former warehouse space triangular area at its north end that was houses an artisan brewery and serves used for Roebling’s offices. The small as a community gathering space. Wall Orig. John A. Roebling’s Sons office lobby, still mostly intact, features space is dedicated to rotating displays Company of California tiles illustrating uses for the company’s of the work of local artists, and the bar is 216 South Alameda Street products, such as bridges, ships, and dedicated to an ever-rotating selection Hudson & Munsell, 1913 spools of cable. These tiles are by of Angel City beer. Ernest Batchelder, one of the foremost

Arts District Murals by Ed Fuentes

he Arts District is in the middle T of mural enclaves. To the north, David Alfaro Siqueiros’ 1932 “América Tropical” sits in preserved majesty on , and 1984 Olympic-era Pinned works line the 101 Freeway. To the Butterfly, 1982, by west are the masterworks of . Dustin Shuler. East is home to Chicano murals, the Cessna 150 Aircraft and storytellers of their neighborhood. 20-foot-long In the late 1970s, working artists steel nail. Courtesy Dustin regenerated the abandoned warehouse Shuler Estate. district. A creative energy seeped in

8 The Arts District gathering places were F. American Hotel available. It reached legendary status as the home of L.A.’s punk- rock and grunge scenes; several of the bands that played there, including Beck, Sonic Youth, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and the Misfits, went on to international success. Al’s Bar retained its gritty, counter-culture atmosphere for over twenty years, closing in 2001. An Al’s Bar patron shooting pool, date unknown. The American Hotel Photo by Gary Leonard and courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection. was also home to another Orig. Canadian Hotel influential business, 303 South Hewitt Street with shared bathrooms occupied Bloom’s General Store. each of the upper floors. The building Opened in 1994 by Joel Bloom, it Morgan and Walls, 1905 originally spanned only 50 by 50 feet, was the first grocery store to serve much smaller than what we see today. the neighborhood’s growing artist his four-story brick building was By 1909, maps referred to it as the population. Bloom was an actor and built as a first-class hotel for African T Palace Hotel, and it appears that a large community activist who came to Americans, many of whom worked as addition had been made to the south the Arts District in 1986 and felt an Pullman car porters. It was owned by side of the building, bringing it to its immediate kinship to the area. He W. H. Avery and managed for its first current size. campaigned to have the neighborhood five years by Canadian J. W. Gordon. Later called the American Hotel, officially designated as the Arts District The architects were Morgan and the building is best known in recent in the mid-1990s, and he worked to Walls, part of the lineage of one of the history as the epicenter of underground retain the neighborhood’s authenticity oldest and most prolific architectural artists and musicians from the 1970s while improving its services and firms in Los Angeles. Other local through the 1990s. In 1979, Marc amenities. After Bloom died in 2007, projects by the firm include the Farmers Kreisel, one of the early artists living his son Randy continued to operate and Merchant Bank (1905) at Fourth in the Arts District, opened Al’s Bar the store until 2009, when rising rent and Main Streets, I. N. Van Nuys in part of the hotel’s ground-floor prices forced its closure. Building (1911) at Seventh and Spring retail space. He bought the business The building still houses several Streets, and the Bank of Italy (1922) at from the eponymous Al, who had businesses and many artists. In 2013, Seventh and Olive Streets. previously operated it as a truck stop it was purchased by a new owner who When it opened, its ground floor café. It was described as a “town hall has long-range plans to upgrade the contained the reception area, kitchen, or town square” for artists living in the apartment units. and dining room. Ten sleeping rooms neighborhood when few community and out, as seen in projects like Dustin South Garey and East Second. Where considered public art. Shuler’s 1982 installation, “Pinned “Pinned Butterfly” once hovered, below Now the Arts District is also a mural Butterfly,” a Cessna 150 nailed to the is the evolving collage of sticker and enclave. It becomes another way the wall of the American Hotel that sits at wheat-paste art. Shepard Fairey was neighborhood fosters creativity that the streets of Hewitt and Traction. In an early artist who used the streets as a forces gentrification to negotiate with a the tradition of the mural movement, canvas, which included the poster that gritty aesthetic. Earth Crew painted “Undiscovered became the icon of Barack Obama’s America” on East Fourth Street in 1992. 2008 presidential campaign. Ed Fuentes writes about public By the late 1990s, the neighborhood Two years before MOCA would art for KCET. He began writing was officially recognized as the Arts even open “Art in the Streets,” the 2011 viewfromaloft, a blog he founded District. In 2000, the former freight survey of graffiti and street art, Daniel in 2006, when he lived in the Arts depot along Santa Fe Avenue become Lahoda curated the streets working District. home to the Southern California with local and international artists. Institute of Architecture. Graffiti artists That defied the city’s injunction on churned out images along the streets of murals, and demanded street art to be

History and Architecture in Downtown L.A. 9 G. Toy Factory Lofts

Orig. Star Truck & Warehouse Company artists and people in creative industries above street level, they are accessed by 1855 Industrial Street looking for large units. The industrial a raised path. H. L. Gilman, 1924 nature of the building was treated as The Toy Factory Loft building faces an asset, and original windows, floors, Mateo Street. The street was named his utilitarian, six-story, concrete walls, and ceiling treatments were for Matthew “Don Mateo” Keller, an T warehouse was built for the Star maintained whenever possible. Irish immigrant who settled in Los Truck & Warehouse Company. Though As with most warehouses in the Angeles in 1851. He established a the building is square and box-like area, the building contained loading large vineyard in the area and owned in appearance from most angles, its docks facing a railroad track, as well thousands of acres of land in the region, northern side curves gracefully to as a separate set of docks for trucks. including Rancho Malibu. A good friend follow what was once a railroad spur. The former docks now serve as the of pioneering banker Isaias Hellman, The railroad curve continues around a building’s entrance and as retail/ Keller served on the board of Hellman’s two-story portion on the west side, and commercial space. Set several feet Farmers and Merchants National Bank. its continuation is seen in the shape of the buildings that face Toy Factory Lofts across Industrial Street. The architect credited with the building is H. L. Gilman, who later became staff architect for the Santa Fe Railroad. The building’s poured- in-place concrete construction was so sturdy that the structure was designated a civilian bomb shelter during World War II. Used as a warehouse and for manufacturing over the course of its life, the building was purchased in 2002 by developer Linear City for residential conversion, working with architects Donald Alec Barany and Clive Wilkinson. At the time of its purchase, the site was used to assemble stuffed animals, hence the name Toy Factory Lofts. The Toy Factory Loft’s 119 condominiums were developed for

10 The Arts District H. Biscuit Company Lofts

Photos by William Anthony Photography and courtesy of Linear City Development LLC. Orig. National Biscuit Company 1850 Industrial Street Joseph, Missouri. The principal of the company’s flagship plant for the Eckel and Aldrich, 1925 firm was Frenchman Edmund Jacques western United States. The decision to Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Eckel, who had studied architecture at locate the plant in Los Angeles was due Monument #888 the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. in part to extensive lobbying by the Los Unusually elegant for a factory, the Angeles Chamber of Commerce. uilt for the National Biscuit building has additional height rising The loading dock for the trucks BCompany (later known as Nabisco), above the roofline on three of its four was established on the north face of this seven-story Beaux-Arts building corners, giving it a distinctive profile. the building, fronting Industrial Street. was reported to have cost $2 million to The brick cladding and cream-colored Indicative of the care taken with the construct. It was designed by Eckel and terra-cotta trim add further refinement. design of the building, the docks are Aldrich, a prominent firm based in St. Housing two bakeries, this was the deeply recessed so that the trucks would be protected from the elements Photo by Tom Bonner Photography. while loading. Trains made their deliveries to/from the south side of the building. The bakery thrived until after World War II, when Nabisco opened new plants elsewhere. The building then became a garment factory. In 2006, it was purchased by Linear City for conversion to 104 live/work condominiums. The Biscuit Company Lofts conversion, by Aleks Istanbullu Architects, won a 2009 Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Award. Existing wood and terrazzo floors have been preserved throughout, as well as all the exterior brick and terra-cotta details and nearly all the existing windows. The former loading dock has been transformed into the successful restaurant Church and State.

History and Architecture in Downtown L.A. 11

Tour Stops N. VIGNES ST. VIGNES N. A. Pickle Works/Citizens E. TEMPLE ST. N Warehouse (p. 4)

B. Challenge Dairy Building CENTER ST. CENTER (p. 5) W E C. 810 East Third Street (p. 6) BANNING ST. D. Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) E. 1ST ST. S (p. 7) A

E. Angel City Brewery (p. 8) S.ST. HEWITT F. American Hotel (p. 9) 1ST STREET G. Toy Factory Lofts (p. 10) B VIADUCT H. S.ST. GAREY E. 2ND ST.

Biscuit Company Lofts (p. 11) ROSEST.

Tour Parking P E

Self-Guided Bike Route E. 3RD ST. and Points of Interest TRACTIONC AVE.

F L.A. RIVER S.SANTA FE AVE. 1. The Coca-Cola Building, 963 E. E. 4TH PL. 4th St. (at Merrick Street): This 1915 building replaced The Coca- Cola Company’s former location on D San Pedro St. and served as its West 1 E. 4TH ST. P Coast headquarters until 1929 when MERRICK it moved to 1334 S. Central Ave. Until COLYTON ST. 2

SEATON ST.

recently, this building housed T.T. Toys. S. HEWITT ST. S. CENTRAL AVE. S.CENTRAL 2. Mural, 966 E. 4th Place (near Merrick Street): Redemption of the 3 E. 4TH ST. MOLINO ST.

Angels created earlier this year by ST. S. ALAMEDA E. 5TH ST. Angelina Christina and Fin Dac. 4TH STREET 3. Maxwell House Building, 405 VIADUCT Mateo St. (at Santa Fe Avenue): 4 Built in 1924, this building housed production facilities for Maxwell House PALMETTO ST. 5 Coffee. 6 4. Nate Starkman & Son Building,  S. SANTA FE AVE.

544 Mateo St. (at Palmetto FACTORY PL. MATEO ST. Street): Built in 1908, this 7 27,702-square-foot industrial space 6TH STREET is a favorite filming location. The final E. 6TH ST. IMPERIAL ST.

MILL ST. MILL 8 VIADUCT episode of the TV show House was shot here. PRODUCE ST. 5. Film Location, Palmetto Street (between Mateo Street and Santa WHOLESALE ST. Fe Avenue): Often transformed into CONWAY PL. 9 San Francisco and other cities, this JESSE ST. G 10 street mostly serves as a backdrop for INDUSTRIAL ST. P filming. P H 6. Morrell Meat Building and Murals, 1335 Willow Street (at Santa Fe E. 7TH ST. Avenue): This former meat packing 11 facility is now Willow Studios, a 7TH STREET popular filming venue, and houses VIADUCT LALA Art Gallery. The two monumental exterior murals are Untitled by the artist RETNA (Marquis Lewis) and Split Identities by identical twin brothers 9. Murals, Imperial Street and Jesse Street: and artists How & Nosm (Raoul and  The self-guided bike tour was curated by Melissa Davide Perre). These four large murals are by Belgian artist Richardson Banks (www.downtownmuse.com) ROA: Decaying Sea Lion, Squirrels, Warbling to help tour attendees navigate north to south 7. Stover Seed Company Building, 592 Vireo, and California Brown Bear. between 4th and 7th Streets. To learn more Mateo Street (1946), 1407 E. 6th Street about the featured murals and other street art (1957), 1415 E. 6th Street (1976): Founded 10. Mural, 667 S. Santa Fe Avenue: Painted made possible by the community-endorsed L.A. in 1922, this company owns three buildings in two weeks ago, this large-scale work by artist Freewalls project, visit www.lalaarts.com. the immediate area and has been run by David Ron English is called Urban Bigfoot. Cyclists assume the responsibilities and Knutson and his family since 1972. 11. Murals, 7th Street and Mateo Street: risks for their own safety and property when 8. Southwestern Bag Company Building, Currently on view at this intersection are bicycling through the Arts District. Be aware 1380 E. 6th Street (at Mateo Street): panel murals by Dabs Myla (Darren Mate and of construction areas, walk your bike when This family-owned-and-operated wholesale Emmelene Victoria), CRAOLA (Greg Simkins), necessary, use the proper safety equipment, distributor has been at this location since its and David Choe. and lock up your bike. founding in 1924.