Western Costume Building Explained

Western Costume Building
Nrhp Type:	cp
Nocat:	yes
Partof:	Broadway Theater and Commercial District
Partof Refnum:	02000330
Designated Nrhp Type:	April 12, 2002^[1]
Architecture:	Renaissance Revival Gothic Revival imagery Art Deco forms and massing
Architect:	Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr.
Location:	939-947 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, California
Built:	1924-1925
Coordinates:	34.0416°N -118.2571°W

Western Costume Building, also known as 939 South Broadway Building, 939 Broadway Lofts, and Anjac Fashion Building,^[2] is a historic eleven-story highrise located at 939-947 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

History

Western Costume Building, built for the Ninth and Broadway Company^[2] in 1924–1925, was designed by Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr., the architect also responsible for the nearby Broadway-Spring Arcade.^[1]

The building was originally occupied by Western Costume, who billed themselves as "the Largest Costume and Rental Supply House in the World." An estimated 95-99% of all Hollywood film productions from 1923 to 1932 costumed through the company in this building. Prior to 1923, the company was located across the street in the Broadway Leasehold Building and post-1932, the company moved next to Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue.^[3] Post-Western Costume, this building was occupied by garment manufacturing.^[1]

Western Costume Building was not listed in the National Register of Historic Places's Broadway Theater and Commercial District when it was first created in 1979,^[4] but it was included when the district was expanded in 2002.^[1]

The building was bought by Barry Shy in 2016,^[5] and in 2018, he completed a conversion of the building to residential.^[6]

Architecture and design

Western Costume Building is built of with a brick and terra cotta facade. The building features a Renaissance Revival design with a two-story Gothic Revival entrance overlaid on the building's northernmost bay. The primary facade features five bays in total. Other aspects of the design include:^[1]

• a segmented archway, emphasized by a chevron molding and a fluted spandrel, flanked by fluted piers which taper into triangles embellished with scroll designs.
• elaborate metalwork that frames the one-story door, the four round-headed windows in the transom, and the arched second story window.
• three windows, separated by colonette mullions, in the remaining second-story bays
• panelled piers, edged by spiraled moldings, that define each bay and are accented at the level of the first story frieze and shields
• un-ornamented brick that separates the windows on the third through ninth stories
• a two-story capital defined by continuous piers and mullions with spandrels between stories
• Ionic capitals that crown the piers
• a second frieze, topped by cornice and antefixes, that terminates the building

The integrity of the building is high and the building itself is in good condition.^[1]

Filming location

Several silent films shot at the Western Costume Building, including Old Wallop and Laurel and Hardy's Liberty.^[2]

See also

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Broadway Theater & Commercial District (Boundary Increase) . United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 12, 2002.
2. Web site: Our History . 939broadwaylofts.com. November 29, 2024.
3. Web site: Western Costume Company . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. November 29, 2024.
4. 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.
5. Web site: Adaptive Reuse Project Continues on Broadway. Urbanize Los Angeles. Steven. Sharp . March 3, 2016.
6. Web site: New Condos Taking Shape Next to DTLA's Ace Hotel. Urbanize Los Angeles. Steven. Sharp . October 3, 2018.