The Commercial Club Building, Los Angeles
historic place
The Commercial Club building, located in downtown Los Angeles, stands as a significant example of Renaissance Revival architecture. Completed in 1926, it was designed by architects Alexander Curlett and Claude Beelman. This thirteen-story structure served as the headquarters for the Commercial Club of Southern California, an organization founded in 1923. The club brought together over 2,500 prominent businessmen, including figures like Cecil B. Demille and Harry Warner. Their mission was to promote Los Angeles's commercial growth, lobby for business-friendly policies, and support civic endeavors, notably contributing to the city's bid for the 1932 Olympic Games. The Great Depression led to the club's closure by 1932. Over the decades, the building housed various entities, including the Cabrillo Hotel and a YMCA. In 2022, after extensive renovation, it reopened as the Proper Hotel. The Commercial Club building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2021, recognizing its role in Los Angeles's early twentieth-century socio-economic development.