Los Angeles Board of Trade Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Board of Trade Building
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Board of Trade Building, 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 111 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, California |
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| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Claud Beelman and Alexander Curlett, |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 07001439 |
| Added to NRHP | January 24, 2008 |
The Board of Trade Building is a very old and important building in Downtown Los Angeles. It first opened its doors in 1929. You can find it at the corner of Main Street and Seventh Street. Two architects, Claud Beelman and Alexander Curlett, designed this building. They used a fancy style called Beaux Arts, mixed with Classical Revival ideas. Because of its history and design, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. It's one of many buildings designed by Claud Beelman that are on this special list.
Contents
Building Features and History
When the Board of Trade Building was finished, it had a huge amount of space. It measured about 230,000 square feet (21,000 m2). The ground floor had fourteen stores where people could shop. The rest of the building was used for offices.
Home of the California Stock Exchange
Starting in January 1930, this building became the main home for the new California Stock Exchange. This was a place where people bought and sold parts of companies, called stocks. The trading floor, where all the buying and selling happened, was on the second floor. It was designed to look like the famous New York Stock Exchange.
The trading floor was very large, about 89 by 90 feet (27 m). It could hold up to 300 brokers, who are people who trade stocks. The exchange also had special areas for trading, a place to clear deals, and a gallery for visitors to watch.
First Automated Elevators
The Board of Trade Building was special for another reason too. It was the first building on the Pacific Coast to have automated elevators. This meant the elevators could stop automatically on floors when a button was pressed. They didn't need a person inside the elevator car to operate them! This was a big step forward for buildings at the time.
Later Years and New Uses
In 1945, a group of investors bought the Board of Trade Building for $1,250,000. This was a lot of money back then!
Today, like many old buildings in downtown Los Angeles, the Board of Trade Building has been changed. It is now used for "live/work lofts." This means people can live and work in the same space, which is a popular way to use historic buildings.
