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Title
Stationers Building and Annex
Alternative Title
Los Angeles County Building Survey Photo Collection;
Creator
Greenwood, David
Contributor
Photographs taken for Historic American Buildings Survey or the Historic Landscapes Survey: documentation is on file
Date Created and/or Issued
2005
Publication Information
Heritage Documentation Programs (U.S.).; Historic American Buildings Survey
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
Title supplied by cataloger.; Photographs taken for Historic American Buildings Survey which includes a narrative description and history of the Stationers Building and Stationers Annex.
Located at 525 S. Spring Street, the Stationers Building was built in 1922 as a "loft and store building" for the York Realty Co. by architect and engineer W. L. Schmolle. The 3-story building had a brick facade and was decorated with terra cotta details. The Stationers Annex, located at 523 S. Spring Street, was built in 1913 as a "loft building" for the Realty Fireproof Company and designed by architects Parkinson and Bergstrom. It was one of the most narrow parcels to be built in the district, constructed between the already developed Alexandria Hotel Annex to its north and a one-story parcel built to its south (later to become the Stationers Building). Modifications over the years left the 3-story Annex with a plain, stuccoed facade, its original facade and cornice having been removed. At the time the two buildings were built, the Spring Street district was becoming a high-rise financial center, with several buildings 10-13 stories high. Because both the Stationers Building and Stationers Annex were built as, "loft" buildings making their interiors easily adapted for future owners, and because they were built simply and on a small-scale, it is assumed that the buildings might have been intended for development as a larger parcel and potentially as a high-rise for a financial institution. Both parcels, however, were acquired by the Stationers Corporation and used as part of its stockroom office supplies business. Over time and with much wear from different owners, the buildings underwent much modification with very little of their historic features remaining. The buildings were then left unoccupied for several years and were subjected to vandalism and severe water damage making them non-compliant with building and safety codes. The buildings have since been demolished and the land currently being used as a parking lot with plans for further development.
View of the east facade of the Stationers Building looking west. A 10-foot scale is seen at lower center and the Stationers Annex is on the right. The brick stone siding, decorative columns and wood sash windows of the Stationers Building stand in contrast to the smooth and plain exterior of the Annex. Photograph dated April 2005.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;13 x 18 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00111326
Los Angeles County Building Survey Collection;
GPC_b95_f5_i11
CARL0005233269
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/118
Subject
Stationers Building (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Commercial buildings--California--Los Angeles
Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles
Brickwork--California--Los Angeles
Windows--California--Los Angeles
Columns--California--Los Angeles
Fire escapes--California--Los Angeles
Trees--California--Los Angeles
Spring Street (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Historic American Buildings Survey Collection photographs
Heritage Documentation Programs Collection photographs
Parkinson, John,1861-1935
Bergstrom, G. E.(George Edwin),1876-1955
Schmolle, W. L
Parkinson and Bergstrom, Architects

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