Built 1928 LAHCM # 580 Opened 1928 | NRHP Reference # 98000712 Designated LAHCM June 29, 1993 Added to NRHP 26 June 1998 | |
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Location 4261 S. Central Ave., South Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California Architectural style Mission Revival architecture Similar Universal Studios Hollywood, California African American, Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Zoo, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium | ||
The Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building was built in 1928 and for many years housed one of Los Angeles's most successful African American-owned businesses, the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company. It is located in the heart of the city's Central Avenue commercial district that was a center of the jazz world in the 1930s and 1940s. The two-story building was designed by noted Architect James H. Garrott and constructed by Louis Blodgett (both African Americans) in the Mission Revival style. The company occupied the second floor, while the first floor was rented out to local merchants. The noted Dunbar Hotel is located on the next block to the north.
In 1949, the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company moved to its new headquarters at 1999 West Adams, now also an historic building. The structure was later converted into a child development center known as the Dunbar Child Development Center. In 1998, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.