Yucca Vine Tower
| Yucca Vine Tower | |
|---|---|
The building in 2025 | |
Interactive map of the Yucca Vine Tower area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 1801-1805 N Vine Street and 6301-6317 W Yucca Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°06′14″N 118°19′37″W / 34.104°N 118.327°W |
| Groundbreaking | October 1928 |
| Completed | 1929 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Henry L. Gogerty |
| Designated | May 31, 2024 |
| Reference no. | 1302 |
Yucca Vine Tower, formerly Mountain States Building, Mountain States Life Insurance Building, and Postal Union Life Building, is a historic eight-story office building at 1801-1805 North Vine Street and 6301-6317 West Yucca Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1302 in 2024.
History
Yucca Vine Tower was built in the Art Deco style by Henry L. Gogerty, the architect also responsible for the nearby Palace Theatre, Baine Building, and Hollywood Studio Building.[1][2] Built in 1929, this building was one of Hollywood's first skyscrapers. The cost of construction was $250,000 ($4.69 million in 2025).[3]
The building served as headquarters for the Mountain States Life Insurance Company from its opening until 1933, after which it was headquarters for the Postal Union Life Insurance Company. Also during the 1930s and 1940s, the building housed the Hollywood bureaus of Motion Picture Daily, Motion Picture Herald, and Hollywood Screen World, and Gene Autry’s Western Music Publishing Company had an office in the building, as did the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League.[3]
In 1971, Chao Praya, one of the first Thai restaurants in the United States, opened in the building, where it remained for three decades. The American Musical and Dramatic Academy owned the building as of 2024.[3]
The building was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1032 in 2024. The building's exterior and original interior were included in the designation, however, interior alternations from after the building was completed were not included.[4] The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles spearheaded the effort to designate the building and historian Kathleen Perricone prepared the nomination.[3]
Architecture and design
Yucca Vine Tower is rectangular in plan and features an eight-story concrete tower flanked by two-story wood-frame, concrete and brick wings.[3]
The building features an Art Deco design and is considered an excellent example of a commercial art deco construction. Aspects of the style in the building include vertical emphasis and setbacks, zigzag elements, bas-relief sculptures, steel windows, symmetrical and repeating patterns, hexagon-shaped spandrel, cast stone ornamentation, coffered ceilings, marble clad walls, elevator lobbies on each floor, and interior arched openings. Integrity of the building is high, despite interior and exterior alterations.[3]
Filming location
The building was featured in Mission: Impossible, Mannix, CHiPs, The Day After Tomorrow, and the Three Stooges short Three Little Pigskins.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Michelson, Alan. "Henry L. Gogerty (Architect)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington.
- ^ "Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 4, 1985.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mountain States Life Building / Yucca-Vine Tower Recommendation Report" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved August 31, 2024.