Bullock's complex

Last updated
Bullock's complex
Panoramic view of Los Angeles from the Lankershim building, showing South Broadway (left), 7th Street (center) and North Broadway (right), November 1917 (CHS-5772).jpg
Bullock's complex in 1917
Location639-651 S. Broadway, the 300-block of 7th Street, and 634-670 S. Hill Street
Coordinates 34°02′46″N118°15′13″W / 34.04606°N 118.2535°W / 34.04606; -118.2535
Built1906-1934
Architect Parkinson and Bergstrom
Morgan and Walls
Hudson and Munsell
Parkinson and Hubbard
Parkinson and Parkinson
Architectural style(s) Beaux Arts
Moderne
Official name Broadway Theater and Commercial District - nine contributing properties
DesignatedMay 9, 1979 [1]
Reference no.79000484
U.S. - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of complex in Los Angeles County

Bullock's complex is a collection of nine historic buildings located at 639-651 south Broadway, the 300-block of 7th Street, and 634-670 south Hill Street in the Jewelry District and Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. Each building is a contributing property in the National Register of Historic Places-listed Broadway Theater and Commercial District, [1] five buildings are contributing properties in the City of Los Angeles-recognized Hill Street Commercial Historic District, [2] and four buildings are contributing properties in the City of Los Angeles-recognized Seventh Street Commercial Historic District. [3]

Contents

The complex is currently the site of the St. Vincent's Jewelry Center. It was formerly the first and flagship site of Bullock's, known as Bullock's Downtown.

History

Layout of the nine buildings that comprised Bullock's Downtown Bullock's Downtown building layout.png
Layout of the nine buildings that comprised Bullock's Downtown

Bullock's complex began with the Bullock's building (also known as Earl [1] or Tehama building [4] ), located on the corner of Broadway and 7th. This building, seven-stories in height, was built in 1906. [1] It was financed by Arthur Letts, designed by Parkinson and Bergstrom, and built for John G. Bullock, [5] who opened the original Bullock's in the building in March 1907. This store became known as Bullock's Downtown after other Bullock's locations opened. [6]

Bullock's Downtown proved so successful that the location expanded eight times in less than three decades, expanding its floor area from 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) to 806,000 square feet (74,900 m2). [5] These expansions were: [1]

Bullock's Downtown closed in June 1983. [8] The complex later became St. Vincent's Jewelry Center, named after the college that was located here prior to Bullock's. [9] Approximately 500 jewelers occupied the building as of 2009, and Big Lots also occupied 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) in the original Bullock's building, with their location taken over by Burlington Coat Factory in November 2015. [5]

Historic designation

In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with all nine buildings in the Bullock's complex listed as contributing properties in the district. [1] In 2016, the city of Los Angeles created the Hill Street Commercial Historic District and the Seventh Street Commercial Historic District, with the Pease, Gennet, Mackey, and both Hart buildings listed as contributing properties in the former and Bullock's, Bridge, Eshman, and Hart '28 listed as contributing properties in the latter. [2] [3]

Architecture and design

Despite being built at different times and designed by different architects, each building in the Bullock's complex is united by design, historical function, and internal circulation. [1]

Bullock's

Bullock's
Bullocks Downtown in 1907.jpg
The original Bullock's building in 1907
Location641-651 S. Broadway and 301-311 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, California
Built1906
Architect Parkinson and Bergstrom
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Bullock's is a seven-story steel frame and brick building designed by Parkinson and Bergstrom and built in 1906. It features a Beaux Arts design with a brick and terra cotta facade that includes heavy cornice. [1] [4]

Bullock's-Hollenbeck

Bullock's-Hollenbeck
Bullock's and Bullock's-Hollenbeck, 1924.jpg
Bullock's Hollenbeck behind Bullock's on Broadway in 1924
Location639 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, California
Built1912
Architect Morgan and Walls
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Bullock's-Hollenbeck is a ten-story brick and reinforced-concrete building designed by Morgan and Walls and built in 1912. It features a brick and terra cotta facade almost identical to the original Bullock's building. [1] [4]

Pease Building

Pease Building
Bullock's Pease Building.png
Pease Building in 1925
Location646 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, California
Built1906
Architect Hudson and Munsell
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Pease Building is an eight-story Beaux Arts [10] building designed by Hudson and Munsell and built in 1906. A bridge and tunnel connecting the building to Bullock's-Hollenback was built when Bullock's bought this building in 1917. [1]

Eshman Building

Eshman Building
Location345 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, California
Built1909
Architect Morgan and Walls
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Eshman Building is a seven-story building designed by Morgan and Walls and built in 1909. It features a Beaux Arts design with a three-part vertical division. [1]

Bridge

Bridge
St Vincent Court - Downtown Los Angeles 03.jpg
The backside of the bottom two stories of Bridge, taken from St. Vincent's Court
Location321 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, California
Built1921
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Bridge spans St. Vincent's Place, connecting the upper six stories of the Bullock's and Eshman buildings. The building's design repeats the design of Bullock's building. It was built in 1921. [1]

Gennet Building

Gennet Building
Location640 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, California
Built1922
Architect Parkinson and Hubbard
Architectural style Beaux Arts and Moderne

Gennet Building is a ten-story tall, two-bay wide building designed by Parkinson and Hubbard and built in 1922. The building originally featured a Beaux Arts design on all its exteriors, but in 1934 the bottom two stories were remodeled in the Moderne style to match the Mackey Building. [1]

Hart '24

Hart '24
Location652-658 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, California
Built1924
Architect Parkinson and Parkinson
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Hart '24 is a ten-story building that matches Gennet Building in height, width, and styling. It was designed by Parkinson and Parkinson and built in 1924. [1]

Hart '28

Hart '28
Location670 S. Hill St. and 651 S. 7th St., Los Angeles, California
Built1928
Architect Parkinson and Parkinson
Architectural style Beaux Arts

Hart '28 is an expansion of Hart '24. The expansion fills out the block and consists of five bays on Hill St. and four bays on 7th. The building is virtually indistinguishable from Hart '24 and features fenestration that consists primarily of three-part Chicago windows. [1]

Mackey Building

Mackey Building
Location634 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, California
Built1934
Architect Parkinson and Parkinson
Architectural style Beaux Arts and Moderne

Mackey Building is an eight-story building designed by Parkinson and Parkinson and built in 1934. The building's upper six stories repeat the design of Gennet Building, while the bottom two stories feature a Moderne design that was then expanded to Gennet Building to match. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewelry District (Los Angeles)</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in County of Los Angeles, California, United States

The Jewelry District is a section of Downtown Los Angeles where a variety of jeweled products are sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway (Los Angeles)</span> Major thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, USA

Broadway, until 1890 Fort Street, is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The portion of Broadway from 3rd to 9th streets, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, was the city's main commercial street from the 1910s until World War II, and is the location of the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Laughlin Building</span> Downtown Los Angeles landmark building with Grand Central Market

The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant the Grand Central Market, the city's largest and oldest public market that sees 2 million visitors a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John and Donald Parkinson</span> American architectural firm

John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the Los Angeles area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including Grand Central Market, the Memorial Coliseum, and City Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Street (Los Angeles)</span> Historic district in Downtown Los Angeles

Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed Wall Street of the West, lined with Beaux Arts buildings and currently experiencing gentrification. This section forms part of the Historic Core district of Downtown, together with portions of Hill, Broadway, Main and Los Angeles streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan, Walls & Clements</span> Los Angeles architectural firm

Morgan, Walls & Clements was an architectural firm based in Los Angeles, California and responsible for many of the city's landmarks, dating back to the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Building (Los Angeles)</span> United States historic place

The Metropolitan Building, in Los Angeles, California, was completed in 1913 and is one of a number of buildings built along Broadway in the early decades of the twentieth century for commercial and retail uses in what had then become the busiest and largest shopping district of the city. Located at the intersection of W. 5th Street and S. Broadway, the Metropolitan Building replaced a two-story, Romanesque Revival style building with storefronts on S. Broadway and W. 5th Street. This building was called the Mueller Building for its owner, Michail Mueller. The date of the building's construction is not known, nor has any additional information about it been located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstone's Department Store Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, California, United States

Blackstone's Department Store building, also known as Blackstone Apartments and The Blackstone, is a historic six-story building located at 901 South Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Building</span> Historic building in downtown Los Angeles

Merritt Building is a historic building located at 761 S. Broadway and 301 W. Eighth Street in the Jewelry District and Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Street (Los Angeles)</span> Department stores list in Los Angeles

7th Street is a street in Los Angeles, California running from S. Norton Ave in Mid-Wilshire through Downtown Los Angeles. It goes all the way to the eastern city limits at Indiana Ave., and the border between Boyle Heights, Los Angeles and East Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Chapman Building, also known as Los Angeles Investment Company Building, Charles C. Chapman Building, The Chapman, and Chapman Flats, is a historic thirteen-story highrise located at 756 S. Broadway and 227 W. 8th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judson-Rives Building</span> Historic building in downtown Los Angeles

Judson-Rives Building, originally the Broadway Central Building, also known as The Judson, is a historic ten story high-rise located at 424 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Nelson Building, also known as Grant Building, is a historic high-rise located at 335-363 S. Broadway and 305 W. 4th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewelry Trades Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Jewelry Trades Building, also known as Title Guarantee Block, is a historic eight-story highrise located at 500 S. Broadway and 220 W. 5th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Williams Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Chester Williams Building is a historic twelve-story highrise located at 452 S. Broadway and 215 W. 5th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trustee Building</span> Historic building in downtown Los Angeles

Trustee Building is a historic four story building located at 340 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Mart Center</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Broadway Mart Center, also known as Broadway Department Store, Junipero Serra Building, and Junipero Serra State Office Building, is a historic ten-story highrise located at 401-423 S. Broadway and 501 W. 4th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. It is best known for its almost sixty years as the flagship location of The Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Hotel</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Yorkshire Hotel, also known as Yorkshire Apartments and J. D. Hooker Building, is a historic six-story building located at 710-714 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finney's Cafeteria</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Finney's Cafeteria, also known as Gebhart Building, Eshman Building, The Chocolate Shop, and Museum of Chocolate, is a historic four-story building located at 217-219 W. 6th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. The building is most notable for its ground-floor interior tilework, done by Ernest A. Batchelder.

O.T. Johnson Building, also known as O.T. Johnson Block, is a historic seven-story building located at 356 S. Broadway and 224 W. 4th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
  2. 1 2 "Historic District - Hill Street Commercial Historic District". City of Los Angeles. August 31, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Historic District - Seventh Street Commercial Historic District". City of Los Angeles. August 31, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  5. 1 2 3 Michelson, Alan. "Bullock's Department Store #1, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  6. "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 1. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  7. "Big Furniture Stock Bought". Los Angeles Times . July 7, 1917. p. II-3. ProQuest   160405590.
  8. Frick, Devin T. (March 23, 2015). Bullock's Department Store. Arcadia Publishing SC. ISBN   9781467132961.
  9. "St. Vincent Court". California State Park Commission. 1957.
  10. "Image / Bullock Pease Building, Job # 332". University of California - Calisphere . Retrieved December 18, 2024.