HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY • HABS No. CA-2935
TIMES MIRROR BUILDING AND PARKING STRUCTURE
(Click on photos to enlarge and skip between images)
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY • HABS No. CA-2935
TIMES MIRROR BUILDING AND PARKING STRUCTURE
Report by: Emily Rinaldi, GPA Consulting, July 29, 2019
Entire report can be found here:
TIMES MIRROR BUILDING AND PARKING STRUCTURE, 234 West 1st Street, 118 South Broadway, and 140 South Broadway, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.
(Selected text from 26 page report) 1. Date of erection: 1931 2. Architect: The Times Mirror Company commissioned architect Gordon B. Kaufmann to design the original building constructed in 1931 for the Times Mirror Printing and Binding House and the American Engraving Company, both subsidiaries of the Times Mirror Company. This 1931 building, known as the Times Press Building, was later incorporated into the design of the Times Mirror Building and Parking Structure. The Times Mirror Building and Parking Structure were constructed in 1970-73 for the parent company of the Los Angeles Times, the Times Mirror Company, and designed by William L. Pereira & Associates. Charles Kratka Interior Planning and Design was engaged in 1970 to design the interiors of the company’s corporate offices, which were initially located on the fifth and sixth floors of the Times Mirror Building.
In 1970-71, William L. Pereira & Associates designed the Times Mirror Building and Parking Structure, which required significant alterations to the Times Press Building.20 The Times Press Building was structurally strengthened in 1970.21 A portion of the fourth floor was subsequently demolished and the skylights over the third floor were removed and the openings infilled in 1970- 71 The 1970-73 portion of the Times Mirror Building was constructed along the north exterior wall and above the third floor of the Times Press Building. The Parking Structure was constructed along the south exterior wall. The exterior of Times Press Building was reclad in granite. The window openings on the S. Broadway façade were reconfigured into three horizontal bands and new window sash installed. While the main entrance to the Times Press Building remains in the same location, the door opening has been recessed and the door replaced with new infill. An exterior walkway connecting the Times Mirror Building to the Parking Structure was constructed through the Times Press Building at the second floor. The interior of the remaining floors of the Times Press Building was entirely remodeled with new features and finishes except for the sub-basement, basement, stairwells, and former lobby, which retain original features and finishes.
The Times Mirror Building is significant for its association with the Times Mirror Company, the parent company of the Los Angeles Times. The southern portion of the building was originally constructed in 1931 to house the Times Mirror Printing and Binding House and the American Engraving Company, both subsidiaries of the Times Mirror Company. This 1931 building, known as the Times Press Building, was later incorporated into the design of the Times Mirror Building and Parking Structure in 1971–73. The Times Mirror Building served as the headquarters of the Times Mirror Company from its completion until it was sold to the Tribune Company in 2000.
The building is also significant for its association with Otis Chandler. Chandler served as the publisher for the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980 and has been recognized as one of the most important newspaper publishers in the United States. He kept an office on the sixth floor of the Times Mirror Building from 1973 until he was ousted as the chairman of the Times Mirror Company in 1986.
The Times Mirror Building and Parking Structure were determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C and the California Register of Historical Resources under Criteria 1 and 3 as contributors to the Times Mirror Square Historic District. The Times Mirror Square Historic District occupies a city block in Downtown Los Angeles and is composed of five structurally distinct, but internally connected buildings that include the Times Building, Plant Building, Mirror Building, Times Mirror Building, and Parking Structure. It is significant for its association with the Los Angeles Times and Times Mirror Company under Criteria A/1 as well as representing a significant and distinguishable architecturally significant entity under Criteria C/3.
The Times Mirror Building was determined individually eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources under Criterion 1 for its association with the Times Mirror Company and under Criterion 2 for its association with Chandler.
The Parking Structure was not identified as individually eligible for listing in the National Register or the California Register because it is a purely functional building and is not directly associated with the activities of the Times Mirror Company or Chandler; however, it is within the boundaries of the historic district comprising buildings associated with the Times Mirror Company.
