Walter P. Story Building
Historic building in Los Angeles, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter P. Story Building, also known as the New Story Building, is a historic eleven story high-rise located at 610 S. Broadway and 236 W. 6th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.
Walter P. Story Building | |
 The building in 2014 | |
 Location of building in Los Angeles County | |
| Location | 610 S. Broadway and 236 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′46″N 118°15′07″W |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Morgan & Walls |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Part of | Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484) |
| Designated CP | May 9, 1979[1] |
History
Summarize
Perspective
Walter P. Story Building was designed by Morgan & Walls[1] for Walter Perry Story, on land bought from James Boon Lankershim by Story's father for $48,000 in 1894 ($1.74 million in 2024). Built in 1909, the building was one of Los Angeles's first skyscrapers and upon completion was home to a 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) Mullen and Bluett department store in its basement and bottom three stories.[2][3] A pied-à-terre for Story and his wife was included on the top story, complete with gardens and servants’ quarters.[4]
Walter P. Story Building opened in February 1910 and was entirely occupied within two months, making it "one of the most successful buildings in the city" at the time.[5] The building's garage entrance, added in 1934, was designed by Stiles Clements.[6]
Upon Story's death in 1957,[4] the building was sold at auction. It was purchased by Fisher-Cooper Realty for $1.5 million ($16.8 million in 2024), after which they renovated and renamed it New Story Building. Mullen and Bluett moved out in the 1960s.[2]
In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Walter P. Story Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[1] In 1980, the building was converted to jewelry industry use, with the building's ground floor was later converted to jewelry booths.[6]
Architecture and design
Walter P. Story Building is 150 feet tall[5] and rectangular in plan, with a 120-foot frontage on Broadway and 160 feet on 6th Street.[7] It was built using reinforced concrete with a terra cotta facade, and features Beaux Arts architecture with heavy cornice, decorative bands, and arched windows. The building's parking garage features Zigzag Moderne gates[1][2] and an entrance that has been called "a high point of the Moderne in Los Angeles."[6]
All interior corridors feature marble floors and wainscoting to the height of the doors.[5] The lobby also features a compact marble staircase, wide banisters, two-story newel posts, and a Tiffany-style stained glass skylight.[3] Upon opening, the building's ground floor contained the largest plate glass windows west of Chicago. The building contained twelve of these windows, at a total cost of $12,000 ($419,956 in 2024).[2]
See also
References
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