O. T. Johnson Block

This article is about the building at 350 S. Broadway. For the building at 356 S. Broadway, see O. T. Johnson Building. For the building at 510 S. Broadway, see Forve-Pettebone Building.

O.T. Johnson Block
Former U.S. Historic district Contributing property
The building (center) in 2025
Location of building in Los Angeles County
Location	350 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°02′59″N118°14′56″W / 34.0498°N 118.2489°W / 34.0498; -118.2489
Built	1895
Architect	Robert Brown Young
Architectural style	Italianate
Part of	Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484)
Significant dates
Designated CP	May 9, 1979 [1]
Delisted CP	April 12, 2002 [2]

O.T. Johnson Block, also known as O.T. Johnson Block #4, ^[3] is a former three-story building located at 350 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

History

O. T. Johnson block was designed as an office building by Robert Brown Young for O. T. Johnson and built by Nathaniel Dryden between 1893 and 1895. ^{[1] [3] [4]}

In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with O.T. Johnson Block listed as a contributing property in the district. ^[1] The building was delisted in 2002 when the district was updated to include an expansion. The delisting notes that the building was entirely covered and that it was unclear what of the original building remained under the covering. ^[2]

O.T. Johnson Block and its neighbor caught fire in 2007. At the time, both buildings were owned by Eli Sasson with their ground floors occupied by retail and vacant floors above. According to Sasson, the fire rendered the buildings unsafe and they would have to be demolished. ^[5] The building was still boarded up as of 2018. ^[6]

Architecture and design

O.T. Johnson Block is built of brick and iron with a stone facing and features an Italianate design that includes paired fluted columns and arched windows. The building originally featured a parapet with ballastrade, but it was removed sometime before 1979. ^[1]

By 2002, the building had been entirely covered in metal siding that resembled wood shingles. ^[2] The siding was removed after the building caught fire in 2007, revealing the building's long-hidden details. ^[5]

See also

• List of contributing properties in the Broadway Theater and Commercial District

References

1. "California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
2. "Broadway Theater & Commercial District (Boundary Increase)". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 12, 2002.
3. Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
4. Michelson, Alan. "Johnson, O.T., Commercial Building #1, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database . Retrieved November 27, 2024.
5. Reitman, Valerie (February 6, 2007). "Fire reveals a last look at historic L.A." Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on May 5, 2021.
6. Jennings, April (April 23, 2018). "Government wants to take blighted property neglected after L.A. riots; owner objects". Los Angeles Times .