Wholesale Jewelry Mart

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Wholesale Jewelry Mart

Combining Art Deco massing and setbacks with Gothic details, the 1925 structure was one of the earliest Moderne projects by Claud Beelman with his partner Alec Curlett.

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635 S. Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90014
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Wholesale Jewelry Mart

Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy | Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy

One of the earliest Moderne projects by Claud Beelman, with his partner Alec Curlett, this eight-story structure combines Art Deco massing and setbacks with Gothic details. It was built as the fifth location of the Harris & Frank clothing company, founded in Los Angeles in 1855. The 1925 building was described in the Los Angeles Times at the time as “designed and constructed with reference to the especial needs of the business.” The exterior, clad in beige terra cotta, consists of five bays that step back in three levels.

 

Although the street level has been altered, the upper stories retain their original design of recessed window bays separated by metal spandrels between stories. The vertical thrust, setbacks, and recessed windows are all hallmarks of the Art Deco style. Some of the Gothic elements of the building are the “arrow loops” (archery windows) that top the piers at the first setback, the gargoyle-like heads that cap the spandrels, the faces clad in armor which cap the vertical piers at the fifth story, and the pointed arches at the eighth story.