Finney's Cafeteria

Last updated
Finney's Cafeteria
Dutch Chocolate Shop in Finney's Cafeteria Building 1.jpg
Ground floor interior in the 1910s
U.S. - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of building in Los Angeles County
Location217-219 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates 34°02′49″N118°15′05″W / 34.0469°N 118.2514°W / 34.0469; -118.2514
Built1898 or 1904, 1913
Architect Morgan and Walls (1898)
Plummer and Feil (1913)
Part of Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484)
LAHCM No.137
Significant dates
Designated CPMay 9, 1979 [1]
Designated LAHCMJanuary 15, 1975 [2]

Finney's Cafeteria, also known as Gebhart Building, [1] Eshman Building, [3] The Chocolate Shop, [4] and Museum of Chocolate, [5] is a historic four-story building located at 217-219 W. 6th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. The building is most notable for its ground-floor interior tilework, done by Ernest A. Batchelder.

Contents

History

Beginnings

According to the United States Department of the Interior, Finney's Cafeteria was built in 1904, [1] while several other sources have the building named Eshman Building, designed by Morgan and Walls, and built by Gerhard Eshman in 1898. [3] [5] [6]

In 1913, Plummer and Feil redesigned the ground-floor interior to resemble a German beer hall with a Dutch motif. This redesign features tiles by Ernest A. Batchelder that were later painted over, as the owners, the Chocolate Shop Corporation, did not like their original color. The location, named Dutch Chocolate Shop, was the company's fourth and was meant to be the first in a chain of interiors depicting foreign countries, although no others were created. [1] [7] [8]

In 1924, Broadway-Spring Arcade opened behind this building, [1] and a rear entrance was added to this building connecting it to the arcade. [8]

Early Tenants

Dutch Chocolate Shop occupied the remodeled ground floor from 1914 to the mid-to-late 1910s, and Health Cafeteria occupied the chocolate shop location from the 1920s to the 1940s. [6] In 1939, the Dr. A. W. von Lange Health Institute and their twin spa facilities moved into the top floor of this building, where they would remain on-and-off until the mid-1960s, [9] and more significantly, in the late 1940s, Finney's Cafeteria took over the Health Cafeteria location, where they would remain until 1986. [7]

Preservation

In 1975, Finney's Cafeteria was listed as Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #137, [2] and in 1979, when the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, Finney's Cafeteria was listed as a contributing property in the district. [1] The building underwent a seismic retrofit in the 1980s, which amongst other changes sealed the building's upper-story windows. [3]

Recent happenings

The building in 2012 217 W. Sixth Street, Los Angeles.jpg
The building in 2012

In the 1990s, the ground floor housed electronics vendors (including at one point a Metro PCS store), [10] with the upper floors vacant and the ground floor tiles and murals boarded up for their protection. The tiles and murals were not uncovered until 2012, after which a full restoration was estimated at $300,000 - $350,000 ($398,000 - $465,000 today). The building's passageway into the Broadway-Spring Arcade was bricked closed in 2002. The building was shuttered in 2014, as the owner was unable to add a second exit that would increase occupancy beyond its one-exit limit of fifty. The owner attempted to reopen the Broadway-Spring Arcade passageway as this exit, but he and that building's owners were unable to make a deal. [8]

In 2019, the building was put up for sale for $12 million ($14.3 million in 2023). An additional estimated $6 million in renovations would be required to prepare the building for occupancy. [6]

Architecture and design

Wall mural and interior Dutch Chocolate Shop in Finney's Cafeteria Building 2.jpg
Wall mural and interior
Bar Dutch Chocolate Shop in Finney's Cafeteria Building 3.jpg
Bar

Finney's Cafeteria is made of brick and has a plain facade. [1]

The ground-floor interior, redesigned after the building was constructed, has been described as "stunning," [10] a "masterpiece," [8] and "one of the most beautiful and extravagant tile interiors in Los Angeles or anywhere." [11] Meant to resemble a German beer hall and featuring a Dutch motif, nearly every square inch of the ground-floor alcoves, windowless walls, groin vault ceiling, and floor is covered in handmade, custom 4-inch (10 cm) tile, with the walls also containing 21 mosaic-styled bas-relief murals, the largest of which is 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. The tiles and murals were all done by Ernest A. Batchelder and his employees, with the murals being his first ever custom job and the entire project his largest commission. After installation, the tiles and murals were painted a chocolate color. [4] [7] [8]

Finney Cafeteria's tiled interior was featured in The Good Place , the Castle episode “The G.D.S.”, the 1918 film The Hope Chest , the 1980 film The Hunter , and the music video for Taylor Swift's Bad Blood featuring Kendrick Lamar. [5] [6] [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest A. Batchelder</span> American artist and educator

Ernest Allan Batchelder was an American artist and educator who made Southern California his home in the early 20th century. He created art tiles and was a leader in the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissier Building and Wiltern Theatre</span> Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, 155-foot (47 m) Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a blue-green glazed architectural terra-cotta tile and situated diagonal to the street corner, the complex is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. The Wiltern building is owned privately, and the Wiltern Theatre is operated by Live Nation's Los Angeles division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway (Los Angeles)</span> Major thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, USA

Broadway, until 1890 Fort Street, is a thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The portion of Broadway from 3rd to 9th streets, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, was the city's main commercial street from the 1910s until World War II, and is the location of the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Laughlin Building</span> Downtown Los Angeles landmark building with Grand Central Market

The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant the Grand Central Market, the city's largest and oldest public market that sees 2 million visitors a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Columbia Building</span> Building in Los Angeles, California

The Eastern Columbia Building, also known as the Eastern Columbia Lofts, is a thirteen-story Art Deco building designed by Claud Beelman located at 849 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District of Downtown Los Angeles. It opened on September 12, 1930, after just nine months of construction. It was built at a cost of $1.25 million as the new headquarters and 39th store for the Eastern-Columbia Department Store, whose component Eastern and Columbia stores were founded by Adolph Sieroty and family. At the time of construction, the City of Los Angeles enforced a height limit of 150 feet (46 m), however the decorative clock tower was granted an exemption, allowing the clock a total height of 264 feet (80 m). J. V. McNeil Company was the general contractor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Masonic Temple</span> A historic place in US

Hollywood Masonic Temple, now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre and formerly known as Masonic Convention Hall, is a building on Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Theater District (Los Angeles)</span> United States historic place

The Broadway Theater District in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States. The same six-block stretch of Broadway, and an adjacent section of Seventh Street, was also the city's retail hub for the first half of the twentieth century, lined with large and small department stores and specialty stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Street (Los Angeles)</span> Historic district in Downtown Los Angeles

Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed Wall Street of the West, lined with Beaux Arts buildings and currently experiencing gentrification. This section forms part of the Historic Core district of Downtown, together with portions of Hill, Broadway, Main and Los Angeles streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton's Cafeteria</span> Restaurant in Los Angeles, California, US

Clifton's Cafeteria, once part of a chain of eight Clifton's restaurants, was the oldest surviving cafeteria-style eatery in Los Angeles and the largest public cafeteria in the world when it closed in 2018. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton, the design of the restaurants included exotic decor and facades that were "kitschy and theatrical", and would eventually include multi-story fake redwood trees, stuffed lions, neon plants, and a petrified wood bar. Some considered Clifton's as a precursor to the first tiki bars. The name was created by combining "Clifford" and "Clinton" to produce "Clifton's".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace Theater (Los Angeles)</span> Historic theater in Los Angeles (e. 1910)

Palace Theatre, formerly Orpheum Theatre, Orpheum-Palace Theatre, Broadway Palace, Fox Palace, and New Palace Theatre, is a historic five-story theater and office building located at 636 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. It is the oldest theater that remains on Broadway and the oldest remaining original Orpheum theater in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan, Walls & Clements</span> Los Angeles architectural firm

Morgan, Walls & Clements was an architectural firm based in Los Angeles, California and responsible for many of the city's landmarks, dating back to the late 19th century. Originally Morgan and Walls, with principals Octavius Morgan and John A. Walls, the firm worked in the area from before the turn of the century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Building (Los Angeles)</span> United States historic place

The Metropolitan Building, in Los Angeles, California, was completed in 1913 and is one of a number of buildings built along Broadway in the early decades of the twentieth century for commercial and retail uses in what had then become the busiest and largest shopping district of the city. Located at the intersection of W. 5th Street and S. Broadway, the Metropolitan Building replaced a two-story, Romanesque Revival style building with storefronts on S. Broadway and W. 5th Street. This building was called the Mueller Building for its owner, Michail Mueller. The date of the building's construction is not known, nor has any additional information about it been located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway-Spring Arcade</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Broadway-Spring Arcade, also known as Broadway Arcade, Spring Arcade, Arcade Building, and Mercantile Arcade Building, refers to three adjoining buildings located at 540 S. Broadway / 541 S. Spring Street. The buildings face both Broadway and Spring Street, connecting the Broadway Theater and Spring Street Financial districts midway between Fifth and Sixth streets in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Building</span> Historic building in downtown Los Angeles

Merritt Building is a historic building located at 761 S. Broadway and 301 W. Eighth Street in the Broadway Theater District in downtown Los Angeles's historic core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Lankershim</span> Former hotel in Los Angeles, California, US

Hotel Lankershim was a landmark hotel located at 7th Street and Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in downtown Los Angeles's historic core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Chapman Building, also known as Los Angeles Investment Company Building, Charles C. Chapman Building, The Chapman, and Chapman Flats, is a historic thirteen-story highrise located at 756 S. Broadway and 227 W. 8th Street in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Hotel</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Yorkshire Hotel, also known as Yorkshire Apartments and J. D. Hooker Building, is a historic six-story building located at 710-714 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">F. and W. Grand Silver Store Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

F. and W. Grand Silver Store Building, also known as Hartfields, is a historic six-story building located at 537 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schaber's Cafeteria Building</span> Historic building in Los Angeles, USA

Schaber's Cafeteria, also known as Broadway Cafeteria, is a historic two-story building located at 618 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
  2. 1 2 "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles . Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Dutch Chocolate Shop". Omgivning . Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  5. 1 2 3 "About - Museum of Chocolate". Museum of Chocolate. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Vincent, Roger (October 29, 2019). "This chocolate shop has a deep, rich past". Los Angeles Times .
  7. 1 2 3 4 Fassbender, Tom (November 23, 2021). "Dutch Chocolate Shop". Los Angeles Explorers Guild.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Arnold, Liz (July 9, 2014). "The Quest to Save LA's Century-Old Batchelder Tile Masterpiece". Curbed Los Angeles.
  9. Cooper, Kim (August 18, 2016). "Above the Dutch Chocolate Shop, A Mysterious Los Angeles Time Capsule". Esotouric.
  10. 1 2 Rylah, Juliet Bennett (August 9, 2016). "Virtual Tour Shows The Stunning Tile Murals In An Old Downtown Chocolate Shop". LAist.
  11. Lelyveld, Nita; Ahmad, Aida (August 1, 2012). "Ken Bernstein quote in Batchelder tile prompts dreams of sweet future for L.A. building". Los Angeles Times .