| Taft Building | |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Nrhp Type: | cp |
| Partof: | Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District |
| Partof Refnum: | 85000704 |
| Location: | 6280 W. Hollywood Blvd. and 1680 North Vine Street, Hollywood, California |
| Coordinates: | 34.1014°N -118.3264°W |
| Built: | 1923 |
| Architect: | Percy A. Eisen, Albert R. Walker |
| Architecture: | neo-Renaissance |
| Designated Nrhp Type: | April 4, 1985 |
| Designated Other1: | LAHCM |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 666 |
| Designated Other1 Date: | September 29, 1999 |
The Taft Building is a historic twelve-story building at 6280 W. Hollywood Blvd. and 1680 North Vine Street, Hollywood and Vine, in Hollywood, California.
The Taft Building was built for A.Z. Taft, Jr. (1889 - 1941), who purchased the Hollywood Memorial Church for $125,000, tore it down, and commissioned the Taft Building on the property.[1] The architecture firm Walker and Eisen, known for the Fine Arts Building, James Oviatt Building, and Beverly Wilshire Hotel, amongst others, designed the building, which features Classical Revival architecture.[2] The building was constructed in 65 days and opened in 1924,[3] making it the first high-rise office tower in Los Angeles.[4]
The building's primary tenants were dentists (including Clark Gable's), doctors, and lawyers,[3] and every Hollywood movie studio had an office in the building, as did Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and numerous agents, casting companies, and publicists.[1] [4]
In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with the Taft Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[2] In 1999, the building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #666.[5]
In 2011, Langer Meringoff Properties sold the building for $28.5 million to DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, who then spent an additional $15 million in renovations.[6] [7] The building was later purchased by Ocean West Capital Partners for $70 million, and in March 2023, Elat Properties purchased it for $28 million.[8]