Security Trust and Savings
Building in Los Angeles, California
United States historic place
Security Trust and Savings | |
U.S. Historic district Contributing property | |
 Security Trust and Savings, 2008 | |
| 34°6′9″N 118°19′42″W / 34.10250°N 118.32833°W / 34.10250; -118.32833 | |
| Built | 1921 |
|---|---|
| Architect | John and Donald Parkinson |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance revival |
| Part of | Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District (ID85000704) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001204 |
| LAHCM No. | 334 |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated NRHP | August 18, 1983 |
| Designated CP | April 4, 1985 |
| Designated | December 18, 1987 |
Security Trust and Savings, also known as Security Trust, Security Pacific Bank, Security Bank Building, and Cahuenga Building, is a historic seven-story office building on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It is notable for its architecture, its history with Hollywood, and its association with fictional detective Phillip Marlowe.
History
Security Trust and Savings was built in 1921 and upon opening was the tallest building in Hollywood.[1] It features Italian Renaissance revival architecture and was designed by John and Donald Parkinson,[2][3] who also designed some of the Los Angeles's most notable landmarks, including City Hall, Union Station, and the Memorial Coliseum.[4]
Originally the Hollywood branch of the six-location Security Trust and Savings Bank,[5] this location was considered "a power center of the entertainment industry", with clients that included Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, Lana Turner, W.C. Fields, Cecil B. DeMille, Howard Hughes, and more.[3]
In 1982, the building included in the National Register of Historic Places,[6] and in 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the register, with Security Trust listed as a contributing property in the district.[2][7] In 1987, the building was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.[8]
In 2008, Hollywood's Economic Development Committee received two proposals to convert the building into a hotel,[9] and in 2020, the building was bought for $53 million by Onni Group, who plan to preserve it while redeveloping an adjoining property.[10]
In popular culture
This building is widely believed to be the inspiration for the Cahuenga Building, a fictional building that housed the office of Philip Marlowe, the hardboiled detective featured in a number of Raymond Chandler's stories. Additionally, The Brasher Doubloon, a film adaption of Chandler's The High Window, features this building as that location.[11] The intersection outside this building is named Raymond Chandler Square as a tribute to the belief that Phillip Marlowe's office was located here.[4][12][13]
This building's exterior was a common filming location for and can be seen in many Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin films.[4]
References
- ^ "John and James Adams Postcard Collection - Security Trust and Savings Bank, Hollywood, 1923". San Diego State University Digital Collections. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Security Trust and Savings - Hollywood Historic Site". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Early Views of Hollywood (1920 +)". Water and Power Associates. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Security Trust and Savings Bank, Hollywood and Cahuenga Branch, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA". The University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Security Savings and Trust". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. November 12, 2020.
- ^ "On the Boulevard". Hollywood Heritage. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). lacity.gov. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Dakota (October 23, 2008). "Hotel Proposed for Hollywood's Cahuenga Building". Curbed LA.
- ^ Sharp, Steven (June 23, 2020). "Onni Group Plans 14-Story Office Building at Hollywood and Cahuenga". Urbanize LA. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Cahuenga Building". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Zollo, Paul (October 7, 1998). "Chandler Square". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Raymond Chandler Square - Hollywood Blvd at Cahuenga". hmdb.org. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
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