Title supplied by cataloger.; Photographs taken as part of the Historic American Building Survey which includes a narrative report and documentation of the KEHE/KFI Radio Broadcast Studio Building. Located at 141 North Vermont Avenue, the KEHE/KFI Radio Broadcast Studio Building was built in 1936, designed by Stiles O. Clements of the architectural firm of Morgan, Walls, and Clements. It was built in the Streamline Moderne architectural style with a central stepped pylon tower balanced between two wings decorated with horizontal moldings. The overall aesthetic generated is one of horizontal stability and vertical energy which symbolized the new mode of motorized living prevalent in the 1930's. The KEHE studio was originally constructed for the Hearst Radio, Inc. but was sold in 1939 to Earle C. Anthony who owned both KFI and KECA. KFI ran in the studio until it was sold in 1975. Subsquently the building has been used by the Koreatown community, housing first the Korean Theatre, then the Korea Times L.A. Inc. between the 1980's and 1990's, and most recently, the Korean Community Cultural Center. In 2003, the KEHE/KFI Radio Broadcast Studio Building was demolished to make room for the LAUSD Belmont Elementary School No. 6 despite its eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and its significance as a historical example of Streamline Moderne architecture. View of the main entrance and tower of the KEHE/KFI Radio Broadcast studio on North Vermont Avenue, looking southwest. Steps lead up to a semi-circular canopy that extends just underneath the central tower and was once lit up by neon lights. Just underneath the canopy are double glass doors and a relief of a federal eagle and shield superimposed on a sunburst pattern reflecting the patriotism of the era in which the building was built. Security grilles at the door and windows are additions and are inconsistent with the building's original streamlined design. Banners and signs for the Korean Community Cultural Center hang at the front of the graffiti-covered exterior.
Type
Image
Format
1 negative :safety ;10 x 7 cm. Photographic safety negatives
KEHE (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.) KFI (Radio station : Los Angeles, Calif.) Radio stations--California--Los Angeles Broadcasting studios--California--Los Angeles Art deco (Architecture)--California--Los Angeles Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles Relief (Art)--California--Los Angeles Glass doors--California--Los Angeles Stairs--California--Los Angeles Graffiti--California--Los Angeles Grilles--California--Los Angeles Banners--California--Los Angeles Signs and signboards--California--Los Angeles Vermont Avenue (Los Angeles, Calif.) Historic American Buildings Survey Collection photographs Heritage Documentation Programs Collection photographs Clements, Stiles Oliver,1883-1966 Morgan, Walls & Clements Los Angeles Unified School District
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