Guaranty Building (Hollywood, California)
Guaranty Building, also known as Guaranty Building and Loan Association, Hollywood Guaranty Building, Allstate Title Building, and L.Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition Building, is a historic high-rise Beaux Arts office building located at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is currently owned by the Church of Scientology.
Guaranty Building | |
 Guaranty Building, 2008 | |
  | |
| Location | 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°6′6.87″N 118°19′40.36″W / 34.1019083°N 118.3278778°W |
| Built | 1923 |
| Architect | John C. Austin, Frederick M. Ashley |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Part of | Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District (ID85000704) |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000481 |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated NRHP | September 4, 1979 |
| Designated CP | April 4, 1985 |
History
editHollywood's Guaranty Building was built in 1923, with Charlie Chaplin and Cecil B. DeMille included as investors. It features Beaux-Arts architecture and was designed by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley, the duo who was also responsible for Griffith Observatory and the California State Building.[1] Upon the building's completion, it was appraised for $1,325,000[2] and over the years, its tenants have included Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. Demille, Hedda Hopper, Al Jolson, Rudolph Valentino, and others.[3][4]
In 1979, the building was included in the National Register of Historic Places,[5] and in 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the register, with the Guaranty Building listed as a contributing property in the district.[6]
Scientology
editIn 1988, the Church of Scientology purchased the building for $5.1 million,[4] to be used as management organizations for the Scientology network of corporations. It is the official corporate office for Church of Scientology International and Religious Technology Center. On the ground floor is the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition. The building includes offices for David Miscavige, the President of the Church of Scientology (when Heber Jentzsch held that post), and the Office of Special Affairs among other departments. It houses most of the upper and middle management offices. Within Scientology, the building is called the Hollywood Guaranty Building, or the HGB for short.[7][8]: 129,135,299 [9]: 355
References
edit- ^ "Guaranty Building". The Historical Market Database. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Guaranty Building and Loan Association, Office Building, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA". The University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ "Angels Walk LA Self Guided Historic Trails - Hollywood" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Miller, Daniel (July 21, 2011). "Historic Hollywood Holdings". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Guaranty Building". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. September 4, 1979.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Daniel (July 20, 2011). "Scientology's Hollywood Real Estate Empire". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ Rinder, Mike (2022). A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982185763.
- ^ Headley, Marc (2009). Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology. BFG Books. ISBN 9780982502204.
