Guaranty Building (Hollywood, California)

Guaranty Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Guaranty Building, 2008
Location	6331 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California
Coordinates	34°6′6.87″N 118°19′40.36″W
Built	1923
Architect	John C. Austin, Frederick M. Ashley
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
Part of	Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District (ID85000704)
NRHP reference No.	79000481
Significant dates
Designated NRHP	September 4, 1979
Designated CP	April 4, 1985

Guaranty Building, also known as Guaranty Building and Loan Association, Hollywood Guaranty Building, Allstate Title Building, and L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition Building, is a historic high-rise Beaux Arts office building located at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is currently owned by the Church of Scientology.

History

Hollywood Guaranty Building, 1923

Hollywood's Guaranty Building was built in 1923, with Gilbert Bessemyer as the owner and Charlie Chaplin and Cecil B. DeMille included as investors. The building features Beaux-Arts architecture and was designed by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley, with John Austin and his partners noted at the time for their work on Los Angeles City Hall, Griffith Observatory, Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, Shrine Civic Auditorium, and Hollywood Masonic Temple. Upon completion, the building was appraised for $1,325,000 and over the years, its tenants have included Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. Demille, Hedda Hopper, Al Jolson, Rudolph Valentino, and others.

The building was hit hard by the Great Depression, with its primary tenant Guaranty Savings declaring bankruptcy in 1930, an event that had ripple effects throughout Hollywood. Allstate Title Company moved into the location the following year and aided in the area's recovery.

In 1979, the building was included in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the register, with the Guaranty Building listed as a contributing property in the district.

Scientology

In 1988, the Church of Scientology purchased the building for $5.1 million, to be used as management organizations for the Scientology network of corporations. It is the official corporate office for Church of Scientology International and Religious Technology Center. On the ground floor is the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition. The building includes offices for David Miscavige, the President of the Church of Scientology (when Heber Jentzsch held that post), and the Office of Special Affairs among other departments. It houses most of the organization's upper and middle management offices. Within Scientology, the building is called the Hollywood Guaranty Building, or the HGB for short.

Architecture and design

The Guaranty Building is 170 feet tall and contains twelve floors above ground and one floor below. The building is rectangular in plan and made of reinforced concrete, and features a Beaux Arts design that includes Neo-Renaissance and Classical Revival characteristics, with the design divided into three horizontal sections, the top and bottom sections mirroring each other. These sections are sheathed in terra cotta and grey granite, while the middle section is faced with light colored brick. Brass and bronze metalwork also feature throughout the exterior of the building.

The bottom section consists of the first three floors, the first and second tied together by two massive Corinthian engaged columns inside a recessed entrance bay that is flanked by rectangular piers on block bases topped with modified Corinthian capitals. An egg-and-dart design adds decoration around the doors and on the second story molding, while a classic cornice serves as a stringcourse at the top of the third story.

The middle section consists of the fourth through tenth floors and features a central bay set against slightly recessed side bays. Single, double-hung sash windows break the wall surface of the side bays, while paired, double-hung sash windows articulate the central bay. The top section consists of the eleventh and twelfth floors, with stone columns topped with capital ornamentation connecting them. A heavy cornice finishes the design at the roofline. The building's side elevation is designed with the same divisions as the facade, but features engaged piers instead of columns.

Inside, the lobby features marble floors and walls, and the elevator doors are brass with a textured quilted pattern.