Haas Building, also known as the Broadway Exchange Building, is a historic twelve-story building located at 219 West 7th Street and 660 South

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 ...

. It was originally owned by

Abraham Haas Abraham Haas (1847 – August 8, 1921) was an American businessman, co-founder of Hellman, Haas & Co. (later Haas, Baruch & Co., which ultimately merged with Smart & Final), and patriarch of the Haas family, the primary shareholders of Levi Str ...

and was completed in 1915.

History

Hass Building was designed by Morgan Walls & Morgan for

and was built in 1915. The building was modernized in 1974, and in 1979, when 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 ...

, Hass Building was listed as a non-

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 2009, Haas Building was converted into 68 apartment units, including a rooftop penthouse. The building houses the Haas Trademark Collection by

Wyndham Wyndham may refer to: *Wyndham (name), a surname and given name Places Australia *City of Wyndham, an LGA (local government area) in Victoria * Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, a LGA in Western Australia * Wyndham Important Bird Area, Western Aust ...

as of 2024.

Tenants

In the building's early years, it was the location of so many

realty In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, refers to parcels of land and any associated structures which are the property of a person. For a structure (also called an impro ...

buyers, sellers, leasers, and lessees, that it was said to be "an excellent place to diagnose financial conditions in and around Los Angeles." During December 1915, the

Bank of Italy The Bank of Italy (Italian language, Italian: ''Banca d'Italia'', , informally referred to as ''Bankitalia'') is the National central bank (Eurosystem), national central bank for Italy within the Eurosystem. It was the Italian central bank from ...

secured a 25-year lease on the ground floor and the basement of the building, with of ground floor space and safe deposit and coin vaults in the basement. W J Pearson & Co. also occupied a large part of the 3rd floor. Other major occupants of the Haas Building over the years include: * Southern California Tourist Bureau * Lee H. Stodder Company – exclusive selling agent for Burkhard Investment Company * Southern California Oil Co. *

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

– The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held an office in the building in the early 1920s, but their lease was not renewed after the

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

raided the building, seizing two carloads of records. *

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

- Opened a branch office, hoping to attract California advertisers to the midwestern paper. *

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

of Downtown Los Angeles

Architecture and design

Haas Building was made to be one of the finest and most modern buildings of the time, built

fireproof Fireproofing is rendering something ( structures, materials, etc.) resistant to fire, or incombustible; or material for use in making anything fire-proof. It is a passive fire protection measure. "Fireproof" or "fireproofing" can be used as a ...

and with the latest steel frame, and featuring

Beaux Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Renaissance and B ...

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 ...

ornamentation. Architectural firm

Morgan, Walls & Clements Morgan, Walls & Clements was an architectural firm based in Los Angeles, California and was responsible for many of the city's landmarks, dating back to the late 19th century. History Morgan, Walls & Clements earliest precursor, Kysor & Hennes ...

designed this building facing the street with a frontage of on Broadway by on Seventh. The building was by on the ground floor as well as the basement. The building's corridors were floored with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

and seven-foot

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity t ...

, while the lobby's floors, walls, and ceiling were all marble. The interior

woodwork Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by ...

was made in solid

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

. The building's fixtures and interiors, including three high-speed elevators, cost $100,000."Rushing work on skyscraper." Los Angeles Times December 13, 1914: V1. Retrieved on March 9, 2009. The building was modernized in the 1970s, with the classic exterior lost to a metal skin. Despite this, a small portion of the original terra cotta is still visible on the 7th Street facade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haas Building Office buildings in Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Los Angeles Residential buildings in Los Angeles Skyscrapers in Los Angeles Office buildings completed in 1915 1915 establishments in California 1910s architecture in the United States Morgan, Walls & Clements buildings Broadway (Los Angeles)