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Building History

Los Angeles architects Noerenberg and Johnson produced the design of this 12-story skyscraper in late 1923 for the Citizen's Mortgage Company Office Building in Downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times stated in its issue of 12/16/1923: "Work will be begun shortly after the first of the year and completed within ten months. As announced exclusively in the The Times a month ago, the proposed structure will be erected by the Citizens Mortgage Company and a group of Los Angeles capitalists, and occupied by the mortgage concern. The building will be 103 feet in depth, have a frontage of seventy-three feet on South Broadway, and is arranged to contain 220 offices on the upper floors and seven stores on the ground floor. The corner lot was sold to the local building syndicate by the Huntington Land and Improvement Company represented by A.G. Walker. Exact purchase price of the lot was not made known but it is believed to be in excess of $200,000, or approximately $4000 a front foot. Officer of the Citizens Mortgage Company include Claire Woolwine, president; John S. Williams, vice-president; C.A. Fixler, secretary and treasurer, and J.J. Costello, manager. Harry Blake represented the buyers in the transactions." (See "Limit Building Will Rise Soon," Los Angeles Times, 12/16/1923, p. II25.)

An article of a week later changed some of the earlier numbers: "Negotiations are now under way for the erection of a twelve-story building on the southeast corner of Eleventh and Broadway for the Citizens Mortgage Company at a cost of $1,000,000. According to A.G. Walker, official of the Huntington Land Improvement Company, the lot was sold to a group of local capitalists for a reported consideration of $200,000 or approximately $1000 a front foot. Architects Noerenberg and Johnson have been commissioned to prepare plans and its is expected to have building operations commenced by the middle of the next month. According to specifications the building will have a frontage of 105 feet on Eleventh street, seventy-three feet on South Broadway and will be arranged to contain 200 offices on the upper floors and stores on the ground floor. Clare Woolwine is president of the mortgage firm." (See "Increased Demand for Business Space Tempts Builders." Los Angeles Times, 12/23/1923, p, V1, V4.)

Unfortunately, this deal fell through for architects Noerenberg and Johnson, as the Citizens Mortgage Bank chose architects Curlett and Beelman to design what would become the Commercial Club Building, completed in 1925-1926.

PCAD id: 684