Board of Trade Building
Why it's listed
Occupying the northwest corner of Main and West 7th Streets in downtown Los Angeles, this eleven-story office building was designed in 1926 by Curlett and Beelman and finished in 1927. It takes its name from the Los Angeles Wholesalers' Board of Trade, which leased the entire eighth floor before construction. The brick and white terra cotta structure follows the Beaux Arts three-part scheme of base, shaft and capital, with Neoclassical touches including a Doric colonnade on the top stories, lion-head medallions and concrete griffin statues at the corners. The ground and mezzanine levels were remodeled in 1962 when Bank of America took over, replacing the original Neoclassical storefronts with arched openings, and the interior was stripped and rebuilt more than once. A smaller adjacent building from 1929 was later joined to it. The building was recognized for its architectural quality and its link to a notable Los Angeles firm.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be an excellent local example of Beaux Arts commercial architecture with Neoclassical influences, shown in its three-part facade, colonnades, medallions and griffin statues. It is also significant as an important work of the architecture firm Curlett and Beelman, active during the firm's most prolific period.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07001439, listed January 24, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 111 W. 7th St., Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | January 24, 2008 |
| Reference number | 07001439 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927 |
| Architect / builder | Beelman, Claude, architect; Curlett, Alexander, architect |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival: Classical Revival (Beaux Arts with Neoclassical influence) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant; the interior has no historic fabric and the ground-floor base was altered in 1962. Upper facades are in fairly good condition with some graffiti and broken windows. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Spring Street Financial District |
| Coordinates | 34.04451, -118.25133 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07001439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6681987
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.