Ethereum

Highrise #128

Collection

Highrises

Description

**Garfield Building** **Art by:** Chris Hytha **Story by:** Mark Houser This speculative venture in commercial real estate for Sun Realty was one of a half dozen properties the developer named after Republican presidents. It has survived repeated financial false starts and long vacancies; the entry doors beneath its elegant wrought iron canopy have been barred for more than 30 years. Soon after opening, the building was the scene of front-page news. An attorney there presented a $78,500 settlement check to his client, a Japanese immigrant widow, from the account of Lois Pantages, convicted of manslaughter after killing the woman's husband in a drunk driving crash. The next day, the convicted woman's husband, theater maven Alexander Pantages, was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a young dancer. Yet the power couple would each see their convictions overturned, leading many to conclude that justice was for sale in California. One person with few doubts on that score was the widow's attorney, former city council president William Bonelli, who used his fee to settle debts from a failed mayoral campaign. Bonelli then won a seat on the state assembly, and soon used his influence in Sacramento to trade liquor licenses for bribes. When exposed, the corrupt politico fled to Mexico and stayed there the rest of his life.

Traits

Style

Art Deco

Style

Renaissance

City

Los Angeles