The Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower was built in 1929 and is currently occupied by the AMDA College of the Performing Arts. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee on May 21 recommended historic-cultural status for the Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower, located on the northwest corner of Yucca Avenue and Vine Street.

Built in 1929 and designed in the art deco style by architect Henry L. Gogerty, the Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower is considered Hollywood’s first skyscraper. The eight-story building was part of the city’s Five Finger Plan for development of the Hollywood-Vine commercial district. It served as an office building until 2006, when the interior was renovated at it was acquired by the American Musical and Dramatic Academy College of the Performing Arts, which currently occupies the building.

The effort to get historic-cultural designation for the tower was spearheaded by the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles. The city’s Cultural Heritage Commission considered ADSLA’s application and recommended approval by the City Council. The PLUM Committee unanimously approved the recommendation on May 21. The application for historic-cultural status now heads to the full council for a vote.

Supporters were pleased by the PLUM Committee’s recommendation.

“We felt it is an important building to preserve,” ADSLA executive director Margot Gerber said. “It’s really a very well-preserved building. It’s not in disrepair at all. [AMDA College of the Performing Arts] appears to be good stewards of the building. They supported the nomination.”

Historic-cultural status was sought based on the building’s significant contributions to the city and it being an integral component of the development of Hollywood. The applicant also said the Mountain States Life Building/Yucca-Vine Tower embodies the distinctive characteristics of the art deco style and is an excellent example of an art deco commercial building.

The building first served as headquarters of the Mountain States Life Insurance Company, one of the largest in the nation in the late 1920s, Gerber said. The Postal Union Life Insurance Company and other insurance companies and businesses occupied the building over the ensuing decades. A grocery store was once located in a ground-level space on the property, and from the 1970s until the early 2000s, it was home to Chao Praya, one of the first Thai restaurants in the United States. The building’s vertical emphasis, zigzag elements, bas-relief sculptures and steel windows are all reflective of the art deco style, according to a report from the Cultural Heritage Commission.

Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, supports the historic designation. His office submitted an amendment at the May 21 PLUM Committee hearing stipulating that only 1929 exterior features of the building be designated, excluding the interior, which underwent earlier renovations.

“It is so exciting to see this wonderful example of art deco architecture finally get the recognition it deserves,” Soto-Martinez said. “The Mountain States Life Building is a Hollywood icon whose current tenant, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, continues to contribute greatly to Hollywood’s economy, streetscape and commitment to the arts.”

The AMDA College of the Performing Arts supports the historic-cultural designation.

“This building has become a symbol of our Los Angeles campus. AMDA spent well over $1 million dollars restoring its façade and we were thrilled with the results – it is an art deco masterpiece loved by everyone that enters our campus and we are delighted that the city has recognized that through historic-cultural monument designation,” AMDA College of the Performing Arts CEO John Galgano said in a statement. “With respect to the interior, it has been significantly altered over the decades and almost none of the original construction remains, so we are also pleased that the city exempted all interior alterations that post-date the original 1929 construction to allow AMDA to pursue its mission with the requisite clarity in city records.”

Some members of the ADSLA and others were disappointed that the interior was not included in the recommendation for historic-cultural status, including Kathleen Perricone, a historian and consultant who prepared the application for the ADSLA. Representatives said the performing arts school is planning to complete further developments to the building’s interior.

“Even though we expected it, it’s been disheartening. The interior is an important part of the building,” Perricone said. “Bottom line, it’s deserving as a historic-cultural monument.”

“It was built by an esteemed architect and it was always going to be a slam dunk because it’s such an important building,” added John Girodo, vice chair of the ADSLA. ”The positive thing is by it passing, there will be more debate. I am very happy about it being approved by the PLUM Committee.”