Title supplied by cataloger. Designed in 1929 by Allison & Allison, the Southern California Edison Company building was erected on the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Grand Avenue by the P. J. Walker Company. Occupying a site of 175 x 175 feet, and at a height of 222 feet, the fourteen-story building was about one-half the height of the Los Angeles City Hall. It is estimated that about 400,000 inches of bead were required to hold in place the 3500 tons of structural steel, fabricated by Consolidated Steel Corporation, and that every column and girder in the steel frame was braced and cross-braced with steel webs and plates, riveted and welded in such a way that the finished building would have a resistance to external forces not approached by any other type of construction. The frame was designed so that the building would be capable of withstanding a general conflagration, a major hurricane or an earthquake of large intensity. The steel-framed building follows a classically inspired Art Deco design, with the lower three stories made of solid limestone, and the upper stories and central tower faced with buff-colored terra cotta. On the facade, the spandrels contain a cubic Art Deco pattern, which is repeated in the central tower, lobby floor and elevator ceilings. The cost of the building, together with the value of the site, was estimated at approximately $3,575,000. It opened on March 20, 1931 as the Southern California Edison Company corporate headquarters. View of foundation being set in place for the Southern California Edison Building. Engineers have designed this, so the vertical loads will be carried on rivets in the usual way, but arc-welded connections will be substituted for riveting in bracing against horizontal forces. 3500 tons of structural steel is to be used, and when finally put in place, it will have resolved itself into the largest single welding job in the history of building construction. Photograph dated October 1929.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;24 x 20 cm. on sheet 28 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Southern California Edison Company One Bunker Hill Building (Los Angeles, Calif.) Building construction--California--Los Angeles Building sites--California--Los Angeles Building, Iron and steel--Joints Reinforcing bars Girders Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.) P. J. Walker Company Allison & Allison
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
