Originally Posted by LA Times

Downtown L.A. office building to be converted to hip hotel

By Roger Vincent

A long-vacant 1920s office building in a recovering neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles has been purchased by prominent developers who intend to make it into a hip hotel for young people traveling on a budget.

The 13-story Commercial Exchange Building at 8th and Olive streets is in the midst of a rapidly gentrifying area where new apartments, restaurants, stores and a hotel have recently opened or are under construction.

Its new owner is Sydell Group Ltd., which has developed such au courant inns as the Ace Hotel in New York and the Line on Wilshire Boulevard in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. Sydell's financial partners are Yucaipa Cos. and AllianceBernstein.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the Los Angeles partnership selling the building was asking for more than $15 million.

Sydell will develop the Commercial Exchange Building in partnership with Yucaipa Cos., a Los Angeles investment company headed by billionaire Ron Burkle. The two firms formed a joint venture called Freehand to develop hotels that combine the social culture of a hostel with the amenities of a trendy hotel.

There is a Freehand in Miami Beach, and the Freehand Chicago is under construction.

Plans for the Freehand in Los Angeles call for more than 200 rooms that would be a mix of conventional guest rooms and larger rooms with as many as six beds. Those beds could be reserved as a group or individually, as is common in youth hostels around the world.

The hotel is to have a rooftop pool and lounge. Plans also call for a living-room-like lobby, a bar, a restaurant and street-level stores.

"The Freehand is designed as a place for people who want to interact with other guests and with locals," said Andrew E. Zobler, chief executive of Sydell. "It's set up for people who want to have experiences as opposed to people who just want to sleep and get in and out."

Improvements will cost about $40 million, he said. Construction is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of 2015 and be complete in summer 2016. The makeover is being designed by Killefer Flammang Architects of Santa Monica.

The tall neon blade sign that says "Commercial Exchange Bldg." at 8th and Olive streets will remain and be part of the hotel, Zobler said.

"We think the building is quite beautiful and we really like its location," he said. "We feel like it's sort of a nexus in downtown."

Interest in acquiring the old steel and concrete building was intense, said real estate broker Phillip Sample of CBRE Group Inc., who represented the sellers. Potential buyers considered making it into apartments, creative office space or mixed-use space.

"We had people looking at it from every angle," Sample said. "It's one of the best-located buildings in all of downtown."

The building was completed in 1924 after that southern section of downtown Los Angeles was rezoned from an upscale residential neighborhood to commercial use.

City officials decided to widen Olive Street in the mid-1930s, and the owners of the Commercial Exchange Building at 8th and Olive were obligated to remove a nearly 10-foot-wide section from the middle of the building. Engineers reunited the two pieces by sliding the western portion east, thereby opening up more space on Olive Street. The process cost $60,000, The Times reported in 1935. That would be more than $1 million in 2014 dollars.

Owl Drug Co. was once headquartered in the building, Sample said. Another occupant was "Tarzan" author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who operated his own publishing company.

That area of downtown fell out of favor in the decades after World War II as department stores followed their customers to the suburbs and white-collar businesses moved to newer offices closer to the 110 Freeway.

Now it is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the state. A Whole Foods market is under construction in a new apartment complex across the street from the Freehand. And the Ace Hotel Los Angeles opened earlier this year on nearby Broadway, which is experiencing a commercial renaissance.

The Freehand will be another attraction for the neighborhood, City Councilman Jose Huizar said.

"As we continue to increase our hotel stock," he said, "this project will provide a unique option to travelers and those seeking a creative, social experience as they explore downtown."

roger.vincent@latimes.com

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6660325)

Excellent tour of the old signal center Sonny_LA.

Again, thanks Sonny_LA. Your photographs are an inspiration. Please feel free to share more of them with us here at NLA. :)

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6660724)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/e4e451.jpg

_

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6660724)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/537/e4e451.jpg

Originally Posted by Godzilla (Post 6660758)

Interesting address. Currently a nondescript Mini Mall. Not sure how it originally may have looked. It was once host to the "Executive Room," pictured below from the late '70s.

Originally Posted by HossC (Post 6659861)

Here's the clock in Fullerton. There's some history about its original location, its move across the street and its restoration here. While playing around with the new version of Google Maps for the post above, I found that the clock's neon can be seen illuminated in some of the 2007 historic Street View images. Sadly, the image quality isn't as good as the newer ones.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ertonClock.jpg http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...rtonClock2.jpg
GSV

Originally Posted by Albany NY (Post 6660866)

.

Originally Posted by Mstimc (Post 6660904)

Bet you're right about the opera, Albany. I'm guessing Copland--maybe Rodeo or Billy the Kid?

Originally Posted by Sonny☼LA (Post 6659742)

ER said he wanted to get inside - totally worth it! Now known as the MacArthur Park Recreation Center, the old Westlake Signal Office is a popular place these days with its own Zumba and aerobics schedule.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...pse0f81524.jpg

I didn't think the room would be recognizable but it was pretty obvious when I found the gym.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...psde10e301.jpg

Great space with big arched windows overlooking the park on the wall to the left of the photographer of the vintage photo.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...ps00f8de43.jpg

It's been reconfigured a bit, I think - as I'm not sure how the walls jibe with where I was standing. Behind me is a glassed-in desk like a roller rink and next to that is a hallway so it's pretty different from the wall of windows in the old picture. Or it's an adjacent room with the same ceiling that I couldn't access but I doubt there was enough room for that in there.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g1...psa6ef7b9f.jpg
All photos by me

Excuse some of the image quality as I'm always playing with old film and older cameras.

I have so many of these from around town on my Flickr page and waiting to be developed - if people are interested, I can post more. This thread is totally invaluable for subject matter while I fumble with vintage cameras. Obscure landmarks and idiosyncratic mechanisms are a fun combination. I'm amazed I get anything back sometimes. :uhh:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/30811353@N04/

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6660958)

I've been trying to find out if this Christian Science reading room still stands. I find the odd shaped entrance quite interesting.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/ed6d61.jpg
side-note: Why does the Second Church of Christ Scientist in the background appear to be half-drawn? Was it shrouded in smog?

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire (Post 5088199)

And, farther south:

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061551.jpgLAPL http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061551.jpg
The Alfred J. Salisbury house at 2703 S. Hoover.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zXN_GwdMYMo/TM...72545%20AM.jpgGoogle Street View

Across 27th Street from the Salisbury house is the Cockins house by the same architects (Bradbeer and Ferris), at 2653 S. Hoover:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061849.jpgLAPL http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061849.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zXN_GwdMYMo/TQ...23926%20PM.jpgGoogle Street View

Originally Posted by Godzilla (Post 6660481)

Originally Posted by Godzilla (Post 6660481)

1985 - Fifth and Broadway
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics28/00048674.jpghttp://jpg2.lapl.org/pics28/00048674.jpg

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire (Post 6507163)

http://www.stellarrestorations.com/1...s/IMG_5593.JPGhttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N...2520PM.bmp.jpg
Stellar Restorations/LAT


Looks like Y. C. Hong was a lawyer who in 1932 lived at 1045 S Gramercy in the Country Club District (as in the former LACC). The houses in the background don't match that address, however. Neither do any of the houses in the background match what appears to be his 1927-30 address, 533 East 33rd St. He was working as an interpreter for the US Immigration Service in 1927.

Turns out he was a civic leader with a very impressive résumé, including work as a developer of the new Chinatown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Chung_Hong

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/landin...n/p16003coll12


In a shot similar to the one of his father with Hupmobile, here's Y.C.'s son Nowland with his '49 Ford and his brother Roger:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g...2520PM.bmp.jpgHDL



Mabel Hong--Mrs. Y. C.--in the back yard of 1045 S Gramercy, which is the not the house in the background... 1045 is at left in the GSV. (No indication which of the three ladies is Mrs. Hong.)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m...2520PM.bmp.jpg
HDL/GSV

Originally Posted by Tourmaline (Post 6661841)

Anyone remember Nixon's Family Restaurants?
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...id/63276/rec/9
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6661565)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/661/402c7e.jpg
___

Originally Posted by HossC (Post 6661614)

:previous:

The first picture is definitely East Washington Boulevard because it shows the General Motors Truck Co at 1850 East Washington Boulevard. The picture below was taken in 1931, but it's the same building.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...cipalDump1.jpg
USC Digital Library

The image above is part of a four-picture photoset looking each way at the intersection of East Washington and S Alameda. The truck in the image below is roughly where the dump entrance would be a few years later. The sign is for the Blue Diamond Corp which is listed at 1650 S Alameda (a couple of blocks north) in the 1932 CD. They were in the building materials and supplies business, so it's possible this was their yard just south of their office.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...cipalDump2.jpg
Detail of picture at USC Digital Library

This picture is from 1961, but shows the curved street in the second of e_r's pictures. East Washington Boulevard is the short street nearly halfway down the left hand side. It crosses Alameda and then sharply curves around the dump. East Washington Boulevard now continues straight across the old dump site.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...cipalDump3.jpg
Detail of picture at USC Digital Library

Originally Posted by Tourmaline (Post 6661908)

The X Olympiad, 1932 - A glimpse behind the scenes.


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0




http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0




Opening ceremony which was held in Olympic Stadium, with 105,000 persons in attendance

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0







Olympic Swimming Venue
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



Olympic Village Admin Buildings. Also the entrance.

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



Das Village



http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



Pleasant Dreams
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



Olympic Village Mess Halls
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



and After
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



Call letters of the short wave sending and receiving station which is located at Olympic Village. Messages are sent free of charge to all foreign countries for the athletes housed at the Village.
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0






Printed plan of the Olympic Village in Los Angeles with each of the houses numbered and the public toilets and bath houses labeled.

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0




http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0







http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


Olympic Village parking
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0








Since you're interested in refuse, ever wonder what became of the '32 Olympic Villiage waste?




Olympic debris 1932
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


OLympic dismantle

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0



All from http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...id/8991/rec/63

Originally Posted by Tourmaline (Post 6661908)

The X Olympiad, 1932 - A glimpse behind the scenes.
All from http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...id/8991/rec/63

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck (Post 6654487)

Only four and a half miles from LA!


http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics48/00073955.jpghttp://jpg3.lapl.org/pics48/00073955.jpg

Originally Posted by Beaudry (Post 4838564)

Amazing stuff. I've also always liked that area and how 5th split to run up Hope. And the Engstrum! It's always been a favorite of mine as well, I think because it hung on so long. I'm gonna throw some more Engstrum out there:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/...3a7e8127_o.jpg

Here's a couple from my personal collection.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1412/...881c444c_o.jpg

1919. Looking south at the tower of the State Normal School, and the Bible Institue (AKA Church of the Open Door) behind. To the left is the Knickerbocker Building which still stands, sort of, down at Olive near 7th.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...18e2255e_o.jpg

This one I love. That's one happy guy. I especially like that it's taken from the back of the Engstrum, which makes it an even more unusual image. Over his shoulder is the Briggs at 407 S Hope; behind the Briggs is the Hildreth.

Here's some stuff about the Engstrum that I think makes fascinating reading. The idea that we could have one remaining Bunker Hill hotel enchants me. Especially since it was apparently in good hands.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/...4144e8aa_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/...29c7680d_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1402/...81d01c40_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1029/...fd75867b_o.jpg

Originally Posted by HossC (Post 6662018)

:previous:

Last week, when we were looking for e_r's milk bottle on the roof near Slauson, I found that Arden Farms supplied the milk and other "protected products" to the Olympic athletes (full post here). I wonder what was included in the list of protected products?

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...rdenFarms2.jpg
Detail of picture at USC Digital Library

That's milk, bread and probably cheese covered - who supplied the rest of the food?

Originally Posted by BifRayRock (Post 6662239)

Engstrom has received a lot of NLA attention. More Engstrom trivia, it had a "bridge" connecting it with the building next door. (Or was it an above-ground tunnel?)

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...d/6987/rec/152

http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge (Post 6460261)

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...1.jpg~original
Huntington Digital Library -- http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou.../74799/rec/393

Originally Posted by Martin Pal (Post 6660210)

I agree. I like the Nose Art photo!

Originally Posted by Tourmaline (Post 6662141)

Culinary Invention Claims From the L.A. Area
The French Dip Sandwich - by Phillipe Mathieu (Phillipe Restaurant, L.A., 1918)
The Cheeseburger - Lionel Sternberger (Rite Spot Restaurant, Pasadena, 1924)
The Hot Fudge Sundae - at C.C. Brown's (Hollywood)
The Shirley Temple & the Cobb Salad - at L.A.'s Original Brown Derby (Hollywood)

Originally Posted by Tourmaline (Post 6661949)

One of the more pronounced participants in LA's 1910 Air Meet, LA resident, Professor Jerome Slough Zerbe (1849-1921). 256 S Spring Street, Rm 252 and 522 Stimson Building. (Per 1911 CD) A professor of ?? Author of "Electricity for Boys" (1914), "Practical Mechanics for Boys" (1914), "Carpentry for Boys" and "Aeroplanes".


Clearly the vanguard of aeronautical design.
http://waterandpower.org/Historical_...ultiplane1.jpghttp://waterandpower.org/Historical_...ultiplane1.jpg