Mountain States Life Building / Yucca-Vine Tower

CHC-2023-7508-HCM | ENV-2023-7509-CE | Council File 24-0510

CURRENT STATUS

May 31, 2024: The last phase of the Historic Cultural Monument journey is a full City Council vote. City Council designated the building as a Historic Cultural Landmark. The case was heard at the Friday, May 31 City Council Meeting at City Hall at 10:00 AM. On the agenda, our item was #5.

May 21, 2024: The Planning and Land Use Committee heard our case on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at their 2:00 PM meeting. They voted in favor of designation, however Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez asked for an amendment requested by the building's owners. The amendment was adopted by PLUM. We are so happy that this Historic Cultural Monument application protecting this incredible building is moving forward and we are working with Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez' office to ensure that the entire structure is protected for the duration of its original period of construction.

Representing Council District 13, where the property sits, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez' amendment as presented to PLUM, is as follows:

I support the report and recommendations from the Cultural Heritage Commission dated May 2, 2024, item 2 on today's 5/21/24 Planning and Land Use Management Committee Agenda (CF 24-0510), relative to the inclusion of Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Tower, for the property located at 6301 -6317 W. Yucca Street with the following amendment to limit the designation to include the exterior of the property and interior features dating from the original 1929 construction and excluding any later interior alterations. 

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles feels that the stated period should be the full duration of the building's construction, which is documented as 1929 - 1931. The Cultural Heritage Commission visited the building on March 14, 2024 and took these photos of the interior and areas of the building (including areas that are now not included in the designation) that can only be seen from inside the property which is in active use as a performing arts school. This alteration of the designation will allow the owner of the building flexibility with regard to future renovations to the property, but is not an absolutely ideal preservation scenario.

The last step in the process of the designation of this Art Deco building, was a full City Council vote on the proposed Historic Cultural Monument. 

More photos are available in the Office of Historic Resources staff report (PDF) on the City Planning website.

April 18, 2024: At the determination hearing, the Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) voted unanimously to recommend the 1929 Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower to Los Angeles City Council to designate as a Historic Cultural Monument. The hearing took place on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM at City Hall. The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles project lead John Girodo and nomination preparer Kathleen Perricone presented to the CHC. A representative of the building owner spoke to say that they would like the interior of the building to be excluded from the nomination. The next hearing, in front of the Planning and Land Use Committee is TBD.

December 7, 2023: The 1929 Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower was submitted to the Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) for consideration as a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM). The CHC voted unanimously to take the building under consideration as a HCM. The Office of Historic Resources staff report was positive. An attorney for the owner spoke at the hearing and said that they are fully in support of the nomination. The consideration hearing took place on Thursday, December 7, 2023 at a hybrid in person/virtual (Zoom) meeting at 10:00 AM.

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles goes through a nomination process for buildings that we identify as being “historically significant.” We are now in phase 1 of this process with the Art Deco style Mountain States Life Building/Yucca Tower in Hollywood. We need YOUR PARTICIPATION to achieve a preservation victory. Please read on.

To be effective, we need the public to get behind our nomination, by writing letters of support to key decision-makers and advisors in this process and/or appearing (by Zoom or telephone) to express encouragement to the city to landmark the building.

These meetings have an agenda that lists the address and room where the meeting will be held if you wish to attend in person. They also contain the Zoom link to use to attend virtually. Although the buildings that will be heard are given a number on the agenda, sometimes they change the order once the meeting starts. It is best to join the meeting no later than around 10:15 AM.

It is easy to write a support email. We’ll walk you through it if you click the green button.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN STATES LIFE BUILDING

If you have taken our Art Deco Hollywood Boulevard tour, then you've seen this glorious white tower just north of Hollywood Boulevard at Vine Street. To our surprise, it had never been landmarked, so we are giving it a go now!

The Mountain States Life Building / Yucca-Vine Tower (6305 Yucca Street) was constructed in 1929 as the headquarters for Mountain States Life Insurance Company. The building is designed by Henry L. Gogerty.

One of Hollywood’s earliest skyscrapers, the eight-story tower contributed to the development of the Hollywood-Vine commercial district and was essential to the city’s “Five-Finger Plan.” Toward the end of the 1920s, the Chamber of Commerce championed an improvement project dubbed the “Five-Finger Plan” to include widening, grading, and paving for key street locations. The five fingers—Yucca (thumb), Vine (index), Ivar (middle), Cahuenga (ring), and Wilcox (pinky)—were all widened.

Over the past century, notable tenants have included Gene Autry’s Western Music Publishing, Motion Picture Daily, Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, and Chao Praya, one of the first Thai restaurants in the United States. An unmistakable Hollywood landmark, the Art Deco tower has also been featured in The Three Stooges short film “Three Little Pigskins,” TV shows "Mission: Impossible,” “Mannix," and "CHIPS," and 2004 blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow. Most recently the building has housed the AMDA College of Performing Arts.

DECORATIVE DETAILS

Ornamentation at the top of the building reflects the business of life insurance. The facade’s center column is adorned with bas-relief sculptures believed to be three symbolic figures in Greek mythology: Hestia (goddess of the home and family), Hera (goddess of marriage and birth), and Apollo (god of medicine and knowledge). Each figure is repeated for a total of six sculptures. Flanking them, eight eagles are perched on the outer columns, four on each side. Protecting the parapet are four guards wielding swords—symbolic of the security that life insurance brings to policyholders. Typically, swords pointing downwards imply the fight is over. All bas-relief sculptures were thoughtfully restored in 2003, and remain a standout eight stories in the sky.

ABOUT THE ARCHITECT

When architect Henry L. Gogerty (1894 - 1990) designed the Mountain States Life Building, it was one of was one of his first solo projects since splitting from partner Carl Jules Weyl in 1928. Together, this duo created several Spanish Colonial Revival masterpieces in Hollywood, such as Historic-Cultural Monument Fred C. Thomson Building (#1196) on Sunset Boulevard, as well as the Hollywood Playhouse, Baine Building, and Hollywood Studios Building—all Contributors to the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment National Register Historic District. He was one of the most prominent Los Angeles architects of his era.

Gogerty’s first attempt at Art Deco was the Mountain States Life Building, especially impressive given its size. On his own, Gogerty built up the Yucca-Vine vicinity: Gogerty Building at the southeast corner of Yucca-Vine, Van de Kamp Dutch Bakery at the southwest corner of Yucca-Ivar, and storefronts at 6357-67 Yucca Street. Throughout Southern California, the prolific architect designed more than 350 schools and industrial buildings, including Glendale Airport’s Grand Central Air Terminal (added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017) and the production facility for Howard Hughes’ innovative aviation firm in Playa Vista. Now known as the Hughes Industrial Historic District, the campus was added to the California Register of Historical Resources in 1991 and formally determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES:

Site

The Yucca-Vine Tower is set on a north-ascending slope, evident by its east elevation

along Vine. From Yucca, a plaza fronts the south entrance, set back from the sidewalk

and surrounded by high hedges.

Exterior

• Art Deco eight-story tower, flanked by two-story annexes of corresponding

architecture

• Yucca-Vine Plaza, spanning width of building and set 20 feet from Yucca Street

• Recessed main entrance, framed by bas-relief portraits of birds

• Divided-lite casement windows with sloped sills

• Bas-relief frieze of flora, fauna, and geometric motifs

• Cast-stone balconies

• Hexagon-shaped spandrel

• Bas-relief sculptures at roof:

• Symbolic figures in Greek mythology: Hestia (goddess of the home and family),

Hera (goddess of marriage and birth), and Apollo (god of medicine and knowledge)

• Eight eagles flank the goddesses/god

• Four sword-wielding guardians protect the parapet

The Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower meets the following criteria for designation as a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument (HCM):

• Criterion A: It is identified with important events of national, state, or local history, or exemplifies significant contributions to the broad cultural, economic or social history of the nation, state, city or community.

• Criterion C: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction; or represents a notable work of a master designer, builder, or architect whose individual genius influenced his or her age

• In addition to meeting multiple eligibility criteria, the building retains a high degree of integrity.

Kathleen Perricone prepared the nomination for the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles.

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