Haas Building (Los Angeles)
| Haas Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete and open for lease |
| Type | Live/Work Lofts |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Location | 219 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°02′42″N 118°15′10″W / 34.045095°N 118.252805°W |
| Completed | 1915 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 12 |
| Lifts/elevators | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Morgan Walls & Morgan |
| Structural engineer | Charles Tan, S.E. |
| Main contractor | Gabriel Frig & Big Star Builders, Inc |
Haas Building, also known as the Broadway Exchange Building, is a historic twelve-story building located at 219 West 7th Street, at the corner of Broadway and Seventh Street, in Downtown Los Angeles's historic core. It was originally owned by Abraham Haas, and was completed in 1915.[1]
Designed by Morgan Walls & Morgan,[2] the Haas Building was made to be one of the finest and most modern buildings of the time, built fireproof and with the latest steel frame, and featuring Beaux Arts architecture and terra cotta ornamentation.[1] Architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements designed this building facing the street with a frontage of 55 feet (17 m) on Broadway by 150 feet (46 m) on Seventh. The building was 50 feet (15 m) by 75 feet (23 m) on the ground floor as well as the basement.
The building's corridors were floored with marble and seven-foot wainscoting, while the lobby's floors, walls, and ceiling were all marble. The interior woodwork was made in solid mahogany. The building's fixtures and interiors, including three high-speed elevators, cost $100,000.[3]
The building was modernized in the 1970s, with the classic exterior lost to a metal skin. Despite this, a small portion of the original terra cotta is still visible on the 7th Street facade.[1]
Tenants
In the building's early years, it was the location of so many realty buyers, sellers, leasers, and lessees, that it was said to be "an excellent place to diagnose financial conditions in and around Los Angeles." During December 1915, the Bank of Italy secured a 25-year lease on the ground floor and the basement of the building, with 6,550 feet (2,000 m) of ground floor space and safe deposit and coin vaults in the basement. W J Pearson & Co. also occupied a large part of the 3rd floor.[4]
Other major occupants of the Haas Building over the years include:
- Southern California Tourist Bureau
- Lee H. Stodder Company – exclusive selling agent for Burkhard Investment Company
- Southern California Oil Co.
- Ku Klux Klan – The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held an office in the building in the early 1920s,[5] but their lease was not renewed after the District Attorney raided the building, seizing two carloads of records.[6]
- Chicago Tribune - Opened a branch office, hoping to attract California advertisers to the midwestern paper.
- Jewish Community Center-Chabad of Downtown Los Angeles[7]
Current
In 2009, the Haas Building was converted into 68 apartment units, including a rooftop penthouse.[1] The building houses the Haas Trademark Collection by Wyndham as of 2024.
References
- ^ a b c d Strolling on 7th Street: downtown's historic thoroughfare (PDF). LA Conservancy. November 7, 2010. p. 5.
- ^ Historic-Cultural Monument Application for the MILLION DOLLAR THEATER BUILDING (PDF). Los Angeles Department of City Planning. February 7, 2019. p. 72.
- ^ "Rushing work on skyscraper." Los Angeles Times 13 Dec. 1914: V1. Retrieved on March 9, 2009.
- ^ "Lease as reported." Los Angeles Times 6 Dec. 1914: II13. Retrieved on March 9, 2009.
- ^ Ray (2022-02-07). "Inglewood used to be a Ku Klux Klan haven. A raid in the neighborhood changed everything". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
- ^ "Deny office to Klan." Los Angeles Times 28 May 1922: I1. Retrieved on March 9, 2009.
- ^ Unterman, Phoebe (July 30, 2012). "What's in My Loft?: Rabbi Moshe Greenwald, Haas Building". DT News.
