Granada Shoppes and Studios
Encyclopedia
Granada Shoppes and Studios, also known as the Granada Buildings, is an imaginative, Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revivall style block-long complex consisting of four courtyard-connected structures built in 1927 and located immediately to the southeast of Lafayette Park in Los Angeles, California
.
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The project was designed by architect Franklin Harper with 42 suites combining offices and studios. Each unit had two levels, with office or shop space on the ground floor and living space on the second level or loft area. When Harper announced his plan in October 1927, the Los Angeles Times
described the $1 million combined shop, studio and apartment structure as something entirely new in Los Angeles, resembling the design of European specialty shops. The apartments were located on the mezzanine level and consisted of kitchen, living room, bath and open porch.
The dominant feature of the Granada is the courtyard running between the four structures. The courtyards serve both a functional role as the paths to each of the suites and an aesthetic role as a garden area providing shade. One architectural textbook describes the exterior space as the dominant organizing theme for the building, giving the complex "all the attributes of the traditional narrow commercial street."
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The beauty of the Granada has attracted architects, artists, and urban planners from its earliest days. George Hurrell
, a noted Hollywood portrait photographer, lived and worked in Suite 9, photographing silent film stars in his office at the Granada. In the Princeton Architectural Press' 1997 book, "Courtyard Housing," the authors described the Granda as follows:
In 1980, noted Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith
referred to the structure as "the lovely old Spanish-style Granada Building." Later renamed the Granada Buildings, the complex was purchased and restored by the Shidler Group in the late 1980s and received a preservation award from the Los Angeles Conservancy
. In 2003, the complex was named the "Best Nonpprofit Enclave" by LA Weekly
. The Granada received the award due to the concentration of non-profits having offices there, including PEN Center USA, Theatre of Hearts, and People in Progress. LA Weekly noted at the time: "Creative people are drawn to the Granada because of its fascinating history, charming architecture, old-school elevator and lovely courtyard: a gorgeous garden with flowing fountains along the walkways, a taste of the Alhambra
a short stroll away from picturesque but gritty MacArthur Park
."
The complex was designated a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM # 238) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in April 1981. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986. The Granada is one of several Registered Historic Places encircling Lafayette Park, including the Bryson Apartment Hotel
, The Town House
, the Felipe De Neve Branch
and Bullocks Wilshire
one block to the west.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
described the $1 million combined shop, studio and apartment structure as something entirely new in Los Angeles, resembling the design of European specialty shops. The apartments were located on the mezzanine level and consisted of kitchen, living room, bath and open porch.
The dominant feature of the Granada is the courtyard running between the four structures. The courtyards serve both a functional role as the paths to each of the suites and an aesthetic role as a garden area providing shade. One architectural textbook describes the exterior space as the dominant organizing theme for the building, giving the complex "all the attributes of the traditional narrow commercial street."
George Hurrell
George Hurrell was a photographer who made a significant contribution to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:...
, a noted Hollywood portrait photographer, lived and worked in Suite 9, photographing silent film stars in his office at the Granada. In the Princeton Architectural Press' 1997 book, "Courtyard Housing," the authors described the Granda as follows:
"The Granada Buildings have attained an almost mythical quality in the Los Angeles design world, as architects, graphic designers, and artists have made them their homes. The court is one of the monuments of southern California architecture and one that contains the seeds of an urban existence whose promise was never fulfilled."
In 1980, noted Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith
Jack Smith (columnist)
Jack Clifford Smith was a journalist, author, and newspaper columnist who wrote about Los Angeles during its period of greatest growth and increasing influence...
referred to the structure as "the lovely old Spanish-style Granada Building." Later renamed the Granada Buildings, the complex was purchased and restored by the Shidler Group in the late 1980s and received a preservation award from the Los Angeles Conservancy
Los Angeles Conservancy
The Los Angeles Conservancy is an historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based historic preservation organization in the country...
. In 2003, the complex was named the "Best Nonpprofit Enclave" by LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
. The Granada received the award due to the concentration of non-profits having offices there, including PEN Center USA, Theatre of Hearts, and People in Progress. LA Weekly noted at the time: "Creative people are drawn to the Granada because of its fascinating history, charming architecture, old-school elevator and lovely courtyard: a gorgeous garden with flowing fountains along the walkways, a taste of the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
a short stroll away from picturesque but gritty MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
."
The complex was designated a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM # 238) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in April 1981. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986. The Granada is one of several Registered Historic Places encircling Lafayette Park, including the Bryson Apartment Hotel
Bryson Apartment Hotel
Bryson Apartment Hotel is an historic ten-story apartment building on Wilshire Boulevard in the MacArthur Park section of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1913 in the Beaux Arts style, it was one of the most luxurious residential buildings in Los Angeles for many years...
, The Town House
The Town House
The Town House is a large hotel property built in 1929 on Wilshire Boulevard adjacent to Lafayette Park in Los Angeles, California.Designed by Norman W. Alpaugh, the building was once among the most luxurious hotels in Southern California. From the 1960s through the 1980s, the area around...
, the Felipe De Neve Branch
Felipe De Neve Branch
Felipe De Neve Branch is a branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library located in the Lafayette Park section of Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929 based on a Mediterranean Revival-Classical Revival design by architect Austin Whittlesey. The branch was named after Felipe de Neve,...
and Bullocks Wilshire
Bullocks Wilshire
Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a 230,000-square foot Art Deco building.-Design:...
one block to the west.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Wilshire and Westlake areas