The Haas Building

The Haas Building is located at 219 West 7th Street, at the corner of Broadway and Seventh Street, in Historic Downtown Los Angeles, California. The building was originally owned by Abraham Haas of San Francisco; president of Haas, Baruch,CXL & PWL'S. The structure was made to be one of the finest and most modern buildings of the time. The building was constructed in the year 1915, built with the latest steel frame and absolutely fireproof. Architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements designed this 12-story terra cotta business structure attractively facing the street with a frontage of 55 feet (17 m) on Broadway by 150 feet (46 m) on Seventh. The building was 50 by 75 feet (23 m) on the ground floor as well as the basement. The Haas Building was completed early 1915.

The interior woodwork was made in solid mahogany; the corridors were floored with marble with seven-foot marble wainscoting. The floor, walls and ceiling of the lobby were also made with marble. Including the three high-speed elevators that were installed, fixtures and interiors were said to have cost approximately $100,000.^[1]

The building had been given a complete makeover in the 1970s, with the classic exterior lost to brown metal panels. While much of the exterior brick and detail work was removed, the pieces around the entryway survived, though they were heavily damaged.

Tenants

During December 1915, the Bank of Italy secured a 25-year lease on the ground floor and the basement of the building. J.H. Skinner, Vice-President, arranged the movement of location and left San Francisco the next day to report the situation to the directorate. 6,550 feet (2,000 m) of space was allocated on the ground floor of the building. Safe deposit and coin vaults were kept in the basement, while further space could be secured by the construction of the mezzanine floor. W J Pearson & Co. occupied a large part of the 3rd floor of Haas Building. It was an excellent place to diagnose financial conditions in and around Los Angeles because of the great number of meetings there between buyers and sellers of realty, leaser and lessees.^[2]

The other 11 stories consisted of 225 offices, each with direct and alternating current attachments- compressed air, gas, water and extra sewer outlet.

Other Major occupants of The Haas Building:

• Southern California Tourist Bureau
• Lee H. Stodder Company – exclusive selling agent for Burkhard Investment Company
• Southern California Oil Co.
• Ku Klux Klan – In the early 1920s the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held an office in the structure. Haas Realty notified the group that it would not be renewing their lease soon after officers working under the District Attorney raided the building, seizing two carloads of records.^[3]
• Chicago Tribune - Opened a branch office, hoping to attract California advertisers to the midwestern paper.

Current

The Haas Building has undergone a complete remodel and will have 68 live/work lofts for lease. In addition the top two floors of The Haas Building will be the home of LoftSeven, a multi-functional private event space. The 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m²) space has the feel of a modern boutique hotel with touches of its illustrious 99-year history throughout. LoftSeven is scheduled to launch in 2009.^[4]

References

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