{"nrhp_refnum":"82002191","name":"Garfield Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"403 W. 8th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.044909939000036,"lon":-118.25599822999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 13-story retail and office building with a three-story rooftop penthouse at 403 West Eighth Street in downtown Los Angeles, built in 1929 and designed by architect Claud Beelman for the Sun Realty Company.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is an early example of transitional Art Deco in Los Angeles and appears to be Claud Beelman's earliest experiment blending Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco-Moderne features. Its glazed terra cotta facade and ornate marble and gold-leaf lobby are cited as excellent sources for studying early Deco details. It is described as one of Beelman's best-preserved works.","narrative":"Rising 13 stories at 403 West Eighth Street in downtown Los Angeles, this 1929 retail and office building was designed by Claud Beelman for the Sun Realty Company. Its reinforced concrete frame is clad in cream-colored glazed terra cotta, with bands and panels of birds, flowers, sunbursts and grape clusters. The upper ten floors form a shallow U to bring light into the offices, a departure from the unbroken Beaux Arts facade. Inside, the lobby combines marble walls, polished nickel fittings, a gold-leaf bas-relief ceiling and stylized Gothic chandeliers. The building matters as an early example of transitional Art Deco in Los Angeles and appears to be Beelman's first experiment merging Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco-Moderne ideas. His other 1929 buildings were more fully Deco. Alterations include a replaced marquee and storefronts in 1973, but the main features remain intact, and restoration of the entrance canopy is intended.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1929)","architect_builder":"Claud Beelman, Architect; built by the Sun Realty Company","architectural_style":"Transitional Art Deco / Moderne, with Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau features","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in commercial use; the form says significant features survive in excellent condition and the altered features are restorable, which the owner intends.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.782499-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002191.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002191/92a2ad98a3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002191/92a2ad98a3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garfield_Building.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:Garfield_Building.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859138","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_Building_(Los_Angeles)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5523054"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/garfield-building-82002191/"}