Morgan, Walls & Clements Explained
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.[1] Originally Morgan and Walls, with principals Octavius Morgan and John A. Walls, the firm worked in the area from before the turn of the century.
Around 1910 Morgan's son O.W. Morgan was promoted, the elder Morgan retired, and with the emergence of designer Stiles O. Clements (1883–1966) the firm hit its stride with a series of theaters and commercial projects around MacArthur Park. Clements often worked in Spanish Colonial revival and Mayan revival styles, but their major project was the black Art Deco Richfield Tower, a commanding presence in downtown from its 1928 completion to its 1969 destruction. Walls did not live to see the completion of the building, as he had died in 1922.
Clements left the firm in 1937 to start his own practice, Stiles O. Clements & Associates, where he remained until his retirement in 1965.
Works
National Register of Historic Places
Broadway Theater and Commercial District contributing properties
- Bumiller Building, 1906[2]
- Eshman Building, 1909[2]
- Walter P. Story Building, Broadway and 6th Street, 1909[2]
- Arcade Theater, 500 block of S. Broadway, 1910[2]
- Bullocks-Hollenbeck, 639 S. Broadway, 1912[2]
- Title Guarantee Block, now Jewelry Trades Building, 500 S. Broadway, 1913[2]
- Blackstone Department Store, 1939 renovation[3]
Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District contributing properties
Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monuments
Long Beach City Landmarks
- Famous Department Store, 1928-9[5]
Other Works
Los Angeles
- Grand Opera House, 110 S. Main St., 1884 (Octavius Morgan and Ezra F. K)
- Bullard Block, housing The Hub department store, 154-160 N. Main St., 1895 (demolished 1925)
- Parmelee-Dohrmann Building, 436–444 S. Broadway, 1906 (demolished)
- Van Nuys Apartments, 1913
- Haas Building, S. Broadway, 1915[2]
- Olive J. Cobb Building, 1924
- Hollywood Post Office, Hollywood and Vine, 1925[6] (demolished)[7]
- Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Building, 1926
- Music Box Theater, 1926
- Ninth & Hill Building, 1926
- Downtown Shopping News, Printing & Distribution Building, 1927
- Chapman Plaza, 3400 Block W. 6th St., 1929
- Richfield Tower, 1929 (razed)
- Security First National Bank, 1929
- Leimert Theatre, Leimert Park, 1931
- Dominguez-Wilshire Building (5410 Wilshire Boulevard), 1931
- Brooks Clothing Co. (after 1947: Harris & Frank, Miracle Mile, 5450–4 Wilshire Boulevard at Cochran, 1936.[8]
Elsewhere in southern California
- Santa Clara Roman Catholic Church, Oxnard, 1903
- First National Bank, Orange, 1928
- Adams Square Building (1100 E. Chevy Chase Dr), Glendale, 1928
- Samson Tire and Rubber Factory (now Citadel Outlets), Commerce, 1929-30.
Notes and References
- Web site: Morgan, Walls, and Clements. Los Angeles Conservancy. Los Angeles Conservancy. 23 September 2017.
- Web site: 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.
- Web site: Blackstone Department Store Building. Los Angeles Conservancy. November 28, 2024.
- Web site: Artisan's Patio Building, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA . . Alan Michelson . August 20, 2024 . en-US.
- https://www.longbeach.gov/lbcd/planning/preservation/historic-landmarks/historic-landmarks/famous-department-storerite-aid/ "Famous Department Store/RiteAid", Historic Landmarks, City of Long Beach
- Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District. United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service . April 4, 1985 . en-US.
- Book: The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History . BL Press LLC . 340 . Gregory Paul Williams . 9780977629909 . 2005 . en-US.
- News: Contract Let for New Structure . 10 April 2024 . The Los Angeles Times . 16 February 1936 . 62.
