Higgins Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Higgins Building |
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| Former names | County of Los Angeles Engineering Building |
| Alternative names | Higgins Lofts |
| General information | |
| Type | Offices (1910) Loft condominiums (as of 2005) |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Address | 108 West 2nd Street |
| Town or city | Los Angeles, California 90012 |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Construction started | 1909 |
| Completed | 1910 |
| Inaugurated | 1910 |
| Renovated | 1998 - 2006 |
| Client | Thomas Higgins |
| Owner | Thomas Higgins (1910) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 10 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Albert C. Martin, Sr. A.L. Haley |
| Reference #: | 873 |
The Higgins Building is a historic building in downtown Los Angeles, California. It was finished in 1910 and was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. This means it has a grand, classical look.
The building was built by its owner, Thomas Higgins. It has 10 stories and was first used for offices. The main architects were Albert C. Martin, Sr. and A.L. Haley. The City of Los Angeles has named it a historic monument. It is known as Historic-Cultural Monument #873.
Even though it was first planned to be eight stories tall, two more floors were added during construction. This was done so the Higgins Building could be the tallest building in the city center at that time.
Building History and Design
The Higgins Building was created by Thomas Higgins, who was born in Ireland in 1844. He came to the United States looking for new opportunities. After working in different jobs, he found success in the mining business. Later, he moved to Los Angeles and started a property business. He was also known for helping others and supported several charities.
The building was designed to be very modern for its time. It had a special ventilation system. This system allowed fresh air and sunshine to flow into the offices. This was like a natural air conditioning system.
The Los Angeles Times newspaper wrote about the building in 2006. They said it had "grand size, marble-lined hallways, zinc-lined doors and window frames, [and a] black-and-white mosaic tile lobby." These features attracted many important business people. Albert C. Martin, Sr., one of the architects, even kept his own company's office there for 35 years.
Who Used the Building?
Over the years, many different groups and people used the Higgins Building.
- The basement of the building had the city's first power plant that was owned by a private company.
- From 1934, a large oil company called General Petroleum used six floors of the building for 15 years.
- The Los Angeles County Engineer Department also had its offices there for 25 years, from 1952 to 1977.
- Famous lawyer Clarence Darrow had an office in the building.
- The main office for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles was also located there.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
After many years, the Higgins Building became old and unused. But then, two people named Andrew Meieran and Marc Smith decided to save it.
In 2003, a developer named Barry Shy changed the old offices into apartments. These were later turned into condominiums in 2005.
In 2007, Meieran and Smith opened a unique nightclub called The Edison in the building's basement. This club has a cool, old-fashioned industrial style, like something from a steampunk story.
The Higgins Building has also been used as a place to film movies and television shows.
