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Desmond's Building, also known as Desmond's Department Store, is a historic six-story building located at 614 S.
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of
downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
.


History

Desmond's Building, built in 1924, was designed by Albert C. Martin Sr., the architect responsible for several Los Angeles landmarks, including
Million Dollar Theatre The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway (Los Angeles), Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's ''The Silent Man (film), The S ...
,
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, St. Vincent de Paul Church, May Company Building, and more. This building was originally the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
location of
Desmond's ''Desmond's'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by Channel 4 from 5 January 1989 to 19 December 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as b ...
, who vacated it in 1981. In 1979, the
Broadway Theater and Commercial District The Broadway Theater District in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch ...
was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, with this building listed as a
contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
in the district. In 2020, the building was listed as Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #1207. Between 2018 and 2020, the building was converted to office space with a restaurant and rooftop bar. The project, which added two floors to the top of the building in addition to a complete restoration, was budgeted at $12 million . In 2024, the building was sold for $16 million.


Architecture and design

Desmond's Building was designed in the
Spanish Baroque Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain, its List of provinces of Spain, provinces, and former Spanish Empire, colonies. History The development of the style passed through three phases. Between 1680 and 1720, ...
style and features twisting
column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s, balconies, and an
ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
. It was built with
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
and has a
polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...
terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
facade. In 1933, the façade was redone in the Beaux Arts style.


See also

*
List of contributing properties in the Broadway Theater and Commercial District The properties on this list are contributing properties to Los Angeles's Broadway Theater and Commercial District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and expanded in 2002. The following properties were original ...
*
List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments (LAHCMs) in Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California are designated by the City's Cultural Heritage Commission. There are more than 120 LAHCMs in the downtown area. These include the Los Angeles Plaza ...


References

{{LAHMC Commercial buildings completed in 1924 Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Historic district contributing properties in California 1920s architecture in the United States Broadway (Los Angeles)