Commercial Exchange Building

The Commercial Exchange Building is a 13-story office building at 416 West 8th Street in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Built in 1924, it was designed by the architecture firm of Walker and Eisen that was also responsible for the Fine Arts Building, the James Oviatt Building, the Hotel Normandie, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and the Taft Building.^[1]

The building has the distinction of having been vertically split to permit widening of Olive Street. The building's exterior also holds one of the tallest neon signs in Los Angeles.^[2]

History

To allow the widening of Olive Street in the mid-1930s, a "10-foot slice" was removed from the center of the Commercial Exchange Building and engineers rejoined the remaining halves by sliding the western portion eastward.^[2] Total cost of the removal and realignment was $60,000, the Los Angeles Times reported in 1935.^[2]

Edgar Rice Burroughs operated his publishing company from offices in the Commercial Exchange Building. The structure also once housed the offices of Owl Drug Company.^[2]

In early 2013 the building, which has been vacant for two decades, was put on the market for $14 million.^[2]

References

Coordinates: 34°2′40″N 118°15′23″W / 34.04444°N 118.25639°W / 34.04444; -118.25639