INTRODUCTION

Once called the Southern California Edison Building, One Bunker Hill was designed with the influence of Art Deco, a style that was highly popular in the late 1920's and early 1930's. The term Art Deco was coined in 1968 by Bevis Hillier, a British historian, to describe an artistic style that was characterized by entwining past styles of ancient  Mayan, Assyrian and Egyptian art works with the modern industrial age.  The lobby also features over 25 different types of marble stones intricately inlaid square-within-a-diamond-within a square patterns.

Opened in 1931 One Bunker Hill was one of world's first all-electric building and first in the Western United States. Its lighting, air handling machinery, mail tubes, clocks, elevators and all equipment were designed to operate electrically.  The building's steel skeleton was designed to incorporate the most advanced seismic calculations  yet performed to enable it to withstand severe earthquakes. All of the earthquake bracing and special connections were both manually welded and riveted.

 One Bunker Hill building as one of the oldest structure  with its superior location, historical significance and distinguished architecture is the cornerstone of the prestigious Bunker Hill neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles.

THE OFFICE BUILDING OF THE YEAR AWARD

In September 2004 the Ownership and Management of One Bunker Hill building has won "The Office Building of the Year" Award in the historical category competition. We are honored to win this prestigious award as a recognition of excellence in building management and leadership in historical preservations efforts. The Award also pays tribute to pride of ownership, contributions to community as part of the business infrastructure and as an enhancement to the social environment of downtown Los Angeles. One Bunker Hill, as a quality office project, represents a legacy of Los Angeles's historical past, a symbol of the city's early 20th century's splendor and sophistication of design. The award is also recognition of One Bunker Hill's Office and Retail Tenants. Thanks to our Tenants for their support to win this prestigious award.

ART AT ONE BUNKER HILL

One of the unique feature of One Bunker Hill is its art. The 18'x9' oil painting in the main lobby was commissioned to a famous artist, movie stage designer and writer Hugo Ballin. Born in New York City in 1879, the artist studied fine arts at Student's League, then in Paris, Rome, and Florence. Ballin moved to Los Angeles in 1921 to work for Samuel Goldwyn as an art director. He temporarily gave up painting to direct and produce more than 100 silent films, including "Jane Eyre". He also wrote four successful novels and designed the commemorative medallion for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

The painting by Hugo Ballin "Apotheosis of Power" located above the archway by the 5th Street entry lobby was commissioned in 1930. The painting represents Edison Company as the source from which water and power flow. The figures painted on the right are Benjamin Franklin and Dr. William Gilbert. Benjamin Franklin who was a scientist, inventor, a philosopher, a statesman and a musician (1706-1790) was depicted in this painting  because of his achievements in studies of electricity and experiments with lighting.  Dr. William Gilbert, was an English scientist and physician to Queen Elisabeth.   In his famous book "De Magnete"(1600), he was the first to describe the earth's magnetic field and to assume the relationship between electricity and magnetism. He introduced the term electricity.

A bronze sculpture located in the Rotunda was created by a New York artist, Bill Barrett in 1991. The artist's bronze sculptures has been shown in major museums and galleries nationwide, including the Whitney Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum, Switzerland and Japan. The title of the sculpture at One Bunker Hill is "La Family Baroque" and refurbished by Marcello Sanchez of ABM in 2002.