Rhapsody in Blue: The Eastern Columbia Building
Writing by Mark Houser
Los Angeles in the 1920s boomed like no American city had before. Lured by sunny skies and scenic vistas, the motion picture industry made Hollywood a mecca for movie stars and legendary directors. The new L.A. Aqueduct brought water from the mountains to supply the hundreds of thousands of new residents swarming to Southern California. Upscale department stores like the Eastern Columbia Building offered them an elegant place to outfit their new lifestyles.
Architecturally annotated print of the Eastern Columbia Building. Click the image to order your limited edition print signed by artist Chris Hytha.
A Los Angeles Landmark
Like a sun-streaked wave cresting on a Malibu beach, this beloved Art Deco landmark shines in turquoise, gold, and cerulean blue. Polish immigrant Adolph Sieroty built a little shop called Eastern Clock Company into a chain of furniture stores called Eastern Outfitters. That explains both the sign and the clock — actually, the four signs and four clocks, since each side of this tower in downtown L.A. is ornamented the same way. The former flagship department store is now a condo complex.
A 1930 Los Angeles Evening Express news story announces the Eastern Columbia Building’s opening.
The American Dream
The rooftop clock and sign held special significance for Adolph Sieroty, a Polish immigrant who came to Los Angeles as a teenager. Sieroty got his start in retail when he opened his first humble store, Eastern Clock Co. That grew into a chain of two dozen furniture stores, bolstered by shoppers who flocked to Eastern Outfitters because of the store's policy of customer credit.
The entry of the Eastern Columbia building on South Broadway in Los Angeles.
A Spectacular Sunburst Entrance
The three-story main entrance vestibule of the Eastern Columbia Building on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is ornamented with a Mayan-inspired design of gold leaf and blue terracotta that resembles a scenic sunset over the Pacific. Shoppers strolled the main arcade past displays for Columbia men’s and women’s outfits on the left and Eastern home furnishings on the right.
The Eastern Columbia Building clocktower and downtown Los Angeles.
Set Your Watch by Eastern Time
The electric clocks of the Eastern Columbia Building are a familiar and beloved landmark of the Los Angeles skyline. The clocks have been restored as part of an extensive renovation that transformed the former department store into a condominium complex while preserving its historic facade. Now residents can enjoy a rooftop pool underneath the clock hands.
Inside the iconic clock tower of the Eastern Columbia Building.
Hidden Behind the Clocks
Behind the clock faces is an open space that once held chimes that rang every quarter hour. A central smokestack for the building's boiler room was disguised by the tower and the flying buttresses at its summit. The smokestack is no longer used, and its middle section was removed long ago, though the very top still pokes out above the building.
Graphic Architectural Print
Each graphic print of the Highrises project is printed and fulfilled by the artist Chris Hytha himself. Prints come signed and numbered limited to only 100 editions. The graphic is printed on 13” x 19” Canon semi-gloss photo paper.
