One Bunker Hill

Originally the Southern California Edison Building, One Bunker Hill was designed and built during the ‘roaring 20s’ and opened in 1931. It was one of the country’s first all-electric buildings and first in the Western U.S. James E. and David C. of Allison & Allison was the architectural firm that designed the 14 story structure, along with Franz Hall and Royce Hall at UCLA.

One Bunker Hill was both beautifully created and structurally sound. The building’s steel skeleton was designed to enable it to withstand earthquakes. All of the earthquake bracing and special connections were manually welded and riveted, similar to old ships and other classic vessels of years past.

From a visual standpoint, the building fits the Art Deco design of its late 1920’s and early 1930’s era. The lobby features more than two dozen types of marble stones intricately inlaid square within a diamond within a square pattern. There’s an 18’ by 9’ oil painting in the main lobby that was commissioned to Hugo Ballin – who also produced more than 100 silent films, wrote four successful novels and designed the commemorative medallion for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The ‘Apotheosis of Power’ painting, located above the archway by the 5th Street lobby entrance, represents Edison as the source from which water and power flow with the likeness of Benjamin Franklin (right) and Dr. William Gilbert who coined the term electricity.

Above the exterior of there are three allegorical bas-reliefs, carved in place by Merrell Gage. The muscular figures representing ‘Power’ or ‘Distribution’ (right figure ready to turn a large electric switch), ‘Light’ or ‘Utilization’ (center figure holding a light bulb in his outstretched arms) and ‘Hydroelectric Energy’ or ‘Generation’ (left figure pouring water from a jug into a waterwheel).

Fast forward into the 21st Century and the prestige continued with the ownership and management of One Bunker Hill received the 2004 ‘Office Building of the Year’ award in the historical category.

One Bunker Hill is located at the North-West corner of 5th Street and Grand Avenue, next to the US Bank building and across the street from the central Los Angeles Library. It has 14 floors and is roughly 62 meters tall. Businesses that currently comprise the footprint of One Bunker Hill include Hot off the Press, Coffee Bean, La Salsa, a snack shop and many companies do business within the security of the building, including Torrey Pines Bank and GolinHarris Public Relations firm.

For more information on the building, please visit www.onebunkerhill.info.