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The 100 North Brand Building was
built in 1923. It was the first six story building in Glendale,
California, designed by the prolific Alfred Priest. Priest was a well
known architect in Glendale at that time. The lower level was occupied
by Security Trust and Savings Bank, and to this day, continues to be leased
out to a banking entity. The building itself has become a historical
landmark.
We acquired the building in December 1996, at that time, the building had
lost much of its glamorous, classical look and feel that made it so grand in
the twenties. We knew that it would take vast amounts of work, time
and money to re-construct the building, but we were excited at the prospect
of taking this building into the 21st Century. With that in mind, we
hired the Heritage Group in Glendale, headed by Vicky Barbieri, our
architectural consultant.
First, we worked on earthquake retrofitting, as well as re-plumbing the
building because the pipes were old and had deteriorated over time.
Once this was completed, it was time to work on the interior
cosmetics. Our aim was to renovate the building floor by floor.
Our first project was the lobby. The lobby was dim and dull
looking. In addition, the floors were completely  carpeted.
Over the years, the carpet had become dirty. To improve the look of
the lobby, we polished the existing marble walls, and added marble sculpted
trimmings to the top borders. When we removed the carpet, a think
sticky film was discovered on the floor. With much work, we found a
wonderful marble floor hiding beneath all that glue and carpet. The
marble was polished to look like brand new. The elevator doors were
also renovated from a polished metal to a gold rustic color to reflect a
classical look. Next, we added a new light fixture, one that would
match the existing marble. Once this was done, plants were placed to
make the area even more attractive and fresh looking.
One of the most exciting parts of this process was our discovery of the
mezzanine space. As far as we knew, there was only one underground
level, but out of curiosity we made a small opening through the ceiling and
discovered a huge space. There was no access to this space we call the
"mezzanine." It is unknown how long this dark, empty and
deserted space had been closed off and there were a number of closed off
windows facing brick walls. We thought we might find hidden gold, but
what we did find however were old blueprints of the building. We know
that the mezzanine had been used for the banking office workers in the 1920s
or 1930s. This was an amazing find and it was just as thrilling to see
history stand still. Without our good fortune and curiosity, the
mezzanine would never have been discovered. In time, we plan to
renovate this and bring it back to life.
The sixth floor had been closed off since the 1970s. The whole floor
was once occupied by a major company. On my first visit it looked as
if I had stepped back into the seventies! The carpet was psychedelic
purple. There was one stall, which was used as the receptionist
area. We soon changed that and expanded it. Our plan was to make
this floor the penthouse. It would be the most extravagant floor with
no expense spared. Our architect Vicky Barbieri from Heritage
Architectural, played a major role in its design. The reception area
and 12 seat conference room is accentuated with white pilaster, columns,
marble and ornate trimmings. The kitchenette is furnished with fine
cabinetry and custom chairs and tables. Wonderful tapestries can be
found on this floor, not to mention fine cabinetry and even a wet bar in
some offices. Without a doubt, the floor is an elegant work of art!
Now that the sixth floor had been completed, it was time to work on the
building's exterior. That certainly  holds
some interesting stories in itself. Vicky brought on a well known
colorist from San Francisco to help with the color planning. One would
think choosing a color scheme is simple, but it took months to pick the
right combination. There are few buildings of the 1920s era still
standing in Glendale, and even so, the original colors depicting that era
have been changed over time. Our colorist studied numerous pictures of
buildings surrounding Glendale that led to the present color
combination. During the research stage we located pictures of our
building dating from 1923 to 1965. These pictures can be found proudly
hanging in our hallway. If you look closely, you will find that the
building originally had a crown molding surrounding the top, and columns to
the front bank entrance. In an earthquake during the 1960s, both the
crown and columns were severely damaged and the previous owners made an
unfortunate decision to remove it during the retrofitting.
One of the most prominent fixtures of the building's exterior are the
sconces (light fixtures). There are eight sconces, each weighing 600
pounds, and 10 feet high. Lucky for us, Vicky happened to be passing
by the old Robinson's building formerly located on Glendale Avenue in
Glendale. The building was literally being demolished, when out of the
corner of her eye, she noticed sconces. Knowing that the Robinson's
building was also of the same 1920's era, she immediately stopped to ask the
foreman about the sconces. The Historic Society of Glendale were on
the site as the building was being demolished, and the foreman gave her
exactly 24 hours to remove them. Fortune comes in small but priceless
doses. We were only able to save nine out of thirteen sconces.
The sconces too, had deteriorated over time and would not have looked like
anything of value to others. Removal of the sconces were only one
small obstacle compared with the dissembling, refinishing and rewiring done
to retain the old look of its hey day. This project took years to
complete, but as you can see, it was worth the wait.
Today, six years after acquiring
the building, 100 North Brand, LLC Building looks as glorious as it did in
1923. The building has earned its title as one of a few historic
landmark sites in Glendale. We are proud of our accomplishments and
have enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Tenants and visitors have
equally welcomed this building into the 21st Century with its high-tech
wiring, high speed internet and telephones. The building may be
historic, but our technology is far from it. Indeed, we hope to lead
by example and pave the way for other Executive Business Centers to follow.
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