O.T. Johnson Building, also known as O.T. Johnson Block,[3] is a historic seven-story building located at 356 S. Broadway and 224 W. 4th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

History

O.T. Johnson Building was designed by John B. Parkinson and built as an office building in 1902.[1][3] It was one of the tallest buildings on Broadway when it was first built.[4] In 1904, the Automobile Club of Southern California opened their first office in the building.[5]

In 1952, this building and other downtown properties were bought for $11 million ($126 million in 2023).[6]

In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with O.T. Johnson Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[1] The building was delisted in 2002 when the district was updated to include an expansion. The delisting notes that the building was entirely covered and that it was unclear what of the original building remained under the covering.[2]

The building was renovated in 2005[7] and it and its neighbor caught fire in 2007.[8]

Architecture and design

O.T. Johnson Building is made of brick inside a steel frame with a glazed brick facade and was designed in the Romanesque style.[1][3] The building contained clean and simple lines that were considered "extremely up to date" when the building was first built.[4] By 2002, the building had been entirely covered in metal siding that resembled wood shingles.[2]

See also

References

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