Granada Shoppes and Studios, also known as the Granada Buildings, is an imaginative,

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references to Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. Thes ...

style block-long complex consisting of four courtyard-connected structures, in

Central Los Angeles Central Los Angeles is the historical urban region of the city of Los Angeles, containing downtown Los Angeles, and several nearby regions in southwest Los Angeles County, California. Geographic designation by The City of Los Angeles The Los Ang ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It was built immediately to the southeast of Lafayette Park in the Westlake District, in 1927. Granada mezzanine

History

The project was designed by architect Franklin Harper with 42 suites combining offices and studios. Each unit had two levels, with office or shop space on the ground floor and living space on the second level or loft area. When Harper announced his plan in October 1927, the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described the $1 million combined shop, studio and apartment structure as something entirely new in Los Angeles, resembling the design of European specialty shops. The apartments were located on the mezzanine level and consisted of kitchen, living room, bath and open porch.

Design

The dominant feature of the Granada is the courtyard running between the four structures. The courtyards serve both a functional role as the paths to each of the suites and an aesthetic role as a garden area providing shade. One architectural textbook describes the exterior space as the dominant organizing theme for the building, giving the complex "all the attributes of the traditional narrow commercial street." Granada courtyard

The beauty of the Granada has attracted architects, artists, and urban planners from its earliest days.

Gregory Ain Gregory Samuel Ain (March 28, 1908 – January 9, 1988) was an American architect active in the mid-20th century. Working primarily in the Los Angeles area, Ain is best known for bringing elements of modern architecture to lower- and medium- ...

and James Garrott shared office space here before World War II.

George Hurrell George Edward Hurrell (June 1, 1904 – May 17, 1992) was a photographer who contributed to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life Born in the Walnut Hills district of Cincinnati, Ohio, Hurrell ori ...

, a noted Hollywood portrait photographer, lived and worked in Suite 9, photographing silent film stars in his office at the Granada. In the Princeton Architectural Press' 1997 book, "Courtyard Housing," the authors described the Granda as follows:

The Granada Buildings have attained an almost mythical quality in the Los Angeles design world, as architects, graphic designers, and artists have made them their homes. The court is one of the monuments of southern California architecture and one that contains the seeds of an urban existence whose promise was never fulfilled.

Preservation and media

In 1980, noted ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist Jack Smith referred to the structure as "the lovely old Spanish-style Granada Building." Later renamed the Granada Buildings, the complex was purchased and restored by the Shidler Group in the late 1980s and received a preservation award from the

Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is a historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California that works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Los Angeles Conservancy is the largest m ...

. In 2003, the complex was named the "Best Nonprofit Enclave" by ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

''. The Granada received the award due to the concentration of non-profits having offices there, including PEN Center USA, Theatre of Hearts, and People in Progress. ''LA Weekly'' noted at the time: "Creative people are drawn to the Granada because of its fascinating history, charming architecture, old-school elevator and lovely courtyard: a gorgeous garden with flowing fountains along the walkways, a taste of the

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

a short stroll away from picturesque but gritty

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and la ...

." The complex was designated a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM # 238) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in April 1981. It was listed in 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 ...

in 1986. The Granada is one of several Registered Historic Places encircling Lafayette Park, including the

Bryson Apartment Hotel The Bryson Apartment Hotel is a historic , ten-story apartment building on Wilshire Boulevard in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1913 in the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux Arts style, it was on ...

, The Town House, the

Felipe De Neve Branch Felipe de Neve Branch Library is a branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library located in Lafayette Park in Westlake, Los Angeles. History It was built in 1929 based on a Mediterranean Revival-Classical Revival design by architect Austin ...

library, and

Bullocks Wilshire Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a Art Deco building. The building opened in September 1929 as a luxury department store for owner John G. Bullock (owner of the more mainstream Bullock's in Dow ...

one block to the west.

References

External links

ICO Group Profile: the Granada Buildings
{{Registered Historic Places Commercial buildings in Los Angeles Westlake, Los Angeles Commercial buildings completed in 1927 Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles Mediterranean Revival architecture in California Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in California Spanish Revival architecture in California 1927 establishments in California

History

Design

Preservation and media

See also

References

External links