Taft Building (Los Angeles) Explained

Taft Building
Nocat:yes
Nrhp Type:cp
Partof:Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District
Partof Refnum:85000704
Location:6280 W. Hollywood Blvd. and 1680 North Vine Street, Hollywood, California
Coordinates:34.1014°N -118.3264°W
Built:1923
Architect:Percy A. Eisen, Albert R. Walker
Architecture:neo-renaissance
Designated Nrhp Type:April 4, 1985
Designated Other1:LAHCM
Designated Other1 Number:666

The Taft Building is a historic twelve-story building at 6280 W. Hollywood Blvd. and 1680 North Vine Street, Hollywood and Vine, in Hollywood, California.

History

The Taft Building was built for A.Z. Taft, Jr. (1889 - 1941), who purchased the Hollywood Memorial Church for $125,000, tore it down, and commissioned the Taft Building on the property. The architecture firm Walker and Eisen, known for the Fine Arts Building, James Oviatt Building, and Beverly Wilshire Hotel, amongst others, designed the building, which features Classical Revival architecture. Construction was completed in 1923, making it the first high-rise office tower in Los Angeles.[1] [2]

Shortly after this building was completed, every Hollywood movie studio had an office in it, as did Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and numerous agents, casting companies, publicists, and entertainment lawyers.[1] [2]

In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with the Taft Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[3] In 1999, the building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #666.

In 2011, Langer Meringoff Properties sold the building for $28.5 million to DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, who then spent an additional $15 million in renovations.[4] [5] The building was later purchased by Ocean West Capital Partners for $70 million, and in March 2023, Elat Properties purchased it for $28 million.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Taft Building . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . June 25, 2024.
  2. Web site: Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1925 +) . 6 . Water and Power Associates . July 23, 2024.
  3. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District . United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service . June 18, 2024 . en-US.
  4. Miller, Daniel (10/12/2011) "Hollywood's Historic Taft Building For Sale", The Hollywood Reporter
  5. Web site: 29 Jan 2015, Page C1, C4 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com . 2022-04-02 . Newspapers.com . en.
  6. News: Modi . Priyanka . 2023-04-04 . Elat Properties Buys Hollywood Office Building at Discount . 2023-06-10 . The Real Deal . en.