Building History
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, L.A. Branch
Built in 1929-1930, the Federal Reserve Bank Building was one of the first examples of the Classical Moderne style in downtown Los Angeles. It It was designed by the well-known father-and-son architectural team of John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, who also created such landmarks as Los Angeles City Hall, Union Station, the Bullocks-Wilshire department store and the USC campus.
The seven-story, double-basement combination bank-and-office structure is built on a 1,600-ton steel framework. Finished in brick and granite, it is beautifully detailed with geographic patterning, ornate bronze grillwork, carved 3-D animal heads on the front and sides of the building and an outstanding bas-relief sculpture above the main entrance by notable California artist Edgar Walter.
In 1953, a Parkinson & Parkinson successor firm, Woodford & Bernard, designed an addition nearly indistinguishable from the original building. The firm added a two-bay extension on the Olympic Blvd. side and a one-story, three bay addition on the Grand Ave. facade. This seamless expansion added approximately 100,000 square feet and an additional vault on the subterranean levels. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The ornate structure served Los Angeles until 1987 at which time, bank operations relocated next door. In 2005 the former Federal Reserve Bank Building converted to a residential luxury loft community. The transformation preserved the beauty and details of the historic exterior and restored many of the original interior architectural elements.