Bank of America Building (Los Angeles)

Bank of America Building
The building in 2008
Bank of America Building (Los Angeles) is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Bank of America Building (Los Angeles)
Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location650-660 S. Spring Street and 117 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34°02′41″N 118°15′06″W / 34.0448°N 118.2518°W / 34.0448; -118.2518
Built1924
ArchitectSchultz and Weaver
Architectural styleSullivanesque/Beaux Arts Revival
Part ofSpring Street Financial District (ID79000489)
Designated CPAugust 10, 1979

Downtown Los Angeles's Bank of America Building, also known as Hellman Bank Building, Hellman Commercial Trust and Savings Bank Building, and SB Spring, is a historic building located at 650-660 S. Spring Street and 117 W. 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is a contributing property in the Spring Street Financial District.

History

Downtown Los Angeles's Bank of America Building was designed by Schultz and Weaver for Isaias Hellman and built for a reputed $2.5 million in 1924 ($47 million in 2025). The building housed the Los Angeles headquarters of Bank of America from 1930 to 1972.

In 1979, the Spring Street Financial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Bank of America Building listed as a contributing property in the district. The building is also included in the City of Los Angeles-listed Seventh Street Commercial Historic District.

The building's bank lobby was completely vacated in 1988. Residential real estate developer Barry Shy bought this building and two others for $75 million in 2006 ($120 million in 2025). This building was converted to 174 apartments and renamed SB Spring; the bank lobby was converted to an event space. In 2022, this building was one of five downtown Los Angeles residential buildings bought by Laguna Point Properties for $402 million ($442 million in 2025). All five buildings were previously owned by DTLA Management.

Architecture and design

Downtown Los Angeles's Bank of America Building is twelve stories in height and was designed in a Sullivanesque/Beaux Arts Revival style. It is made of steel-reinforced concrete and faced with terra cotta and Indian limestone. The ground floor features four ionic columns.

The building's banking area features Spanish Revival marble, wood, and metal detailing, and the bank lobby features vaulted ceilings. The top floor originally contained a conference room, but its historic features were destroyed when the building was converted to residential; the room itself was converted to a rental unit.

Filming location

Since Bank of America vacated the building, several films have shot in the building's bank lobby, including Traffic, Seven, and Blow. The building is often used to build sets and for backdrops.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Michelson, Alan. "Hellman Commercial Trust and Savings Bank Building, 650 South Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1924)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Spring Street Financial District". National Park Service. August 10, 1979.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Strolling on Seventh Street: Downtown's Historic Thoroughfare" (PDF). Los Angeles Conservancy. 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Bank of America Old Main Branch, California". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  6. ↑ Survey LA (September 2, 2016). "Historic Districts, Planning Districts and Multi-Property Resources" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. p. 32.
  7. ↑ Scott, Anna (May 21, 2009). "Barry Shy Just Keeps Building". Los Angeles Downtown News.
  8. ↑ Farr, Isabella (September 26, 2022). "Laguna Point Properties sues over $400M DTLA deal". The Real Deal.
  9. ↑ Winter, Robert (2009). An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles. Gibbs Smith. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-4236-0893-6.
  10. ↑ Miller, Daniel (July 25, 2010). "Cornering Downtown". Los Angeles Business Journal.
  11. ↑ Greenwood, Leonard (April 20, 1987). "Street Scene : Downtown L.A. Area Popular With Film Companies for Its 'New York' Look". Los Angeles Times.