Ethereum

Highrise #54

Collection

Highrises

Description

**Hollywood First National Bank Building** **Art by:** Chris Hytha **Story by:** Mark Houser The Walk of Fame passes directly in front of the entrance of this iconic Hollywood highrise. Now vacant, the property has a showbiz origin story. It stands almost precisely between the Chinese and Egyptian theaters on Hollywood Boulevard, and was designed by the same architects who created those two fabled movie palaces. Los Angeles First National Bank & Trust, which occupied the main floor and basement, was perhaps a bit strait-laced for the neighborhood, going so far as to run ads when construction began nagging the public not to shorten the financial institution’s name by saying “L.A.” The floodlit tower ornamented with eagles, lions, and medieval figures was meant to convey grandeur and scale — and to tweak the city’s 150-foot height limit, since unoccupied structural parts such as its top section could push past the otherwise strict boundary. Bank chairman Henry Robinson was a personal friend of President Woodrow Wilson, and he turned down several offers to join the Cabinet. He was frequently called to Washington to serve on various federal boards and committees. The U.S. Navy posthumously named a troop ship after him during World War II.

Traits

Style

Art Deco

Style

Gothic

City

Los Angeles

Region