{"nrhp_refnum":"79000481","name":"Guaranty Building","other_names":["Allstate Title Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6331 Hollywood Blvd","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hollywood","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.098264165000046,"lon":-118.32757230799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A twelve-story reinforced concrete bank and office building at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Ivar Street, in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Built in 1923 to designs by John C. Austin and Frederick Ashley.","why_significant":"The building played a major role in Hollywood's commercial development and is a fine example of Neo-Classical design used to project a conservative financial image. It was one of the first height-limit (150 feet) buildings on the boulevard. It is also tied to banker Gilbert Beesemyer and to the rise and the Depression-era collapse of Hollywood's financial institutions.","narrative":"Rising twelve stories at Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Street, this reinforced concrete bank and office building was completed in 1923 for the Guaranty Building and Loan Association. John C. Austin and Frederick Ashley designed it in a Beaux Arts manner with Neo-Renaissance and Classical Revival detail. Terra cotta and grey granite sheathe the base and top, while light brick faces the middle, and Corinthian columns mark the entrance. It was among the first buildings on the boulevard built to the 150-foot height limit. The site had earlier held the First Methodist Church of Hollywood. Banker Gilbert Beesemyer, a Hollywood native, commissioned it during the 1920s boom, when the film industry created demand for financial services. The design was meant to convey solidity and a conservative image. The association's collapse around 1930 hurt Hollywood's economy, and in 1931 the building became home to the Allstate Title Company and later Bank of America. It is recognized for its role in local commerce and its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"John C. Austin & Frederick Ashley; William Simpson Const. Co. (builder)","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts, with Neo-Renaissance and Classical Revival characteristics","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good and altered; limited alterations in 1931 added a street entrance and remodeled the banking quarters for Bank of America. Present use is commercial.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.868531-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/79000481.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000481/51641e9809-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000481/51641e9809-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guaranty_Building,_Hollywood,_California.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guaranty_Building,_Hollywood,_California.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859168","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaranty_Building_(Hollywood,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5613932"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/guaranty-building-79000481/"}