The Trust Building

The Trust Building, located at 433 S. Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, was constructed in 1928 as the headquarters of the Title Insurance and Trust Company. The Art Deco building was designed by prolific local architects Parkinson and Parkinson, with interior design and color consultation by Herman Sachs and exterior murals by Hugo Ballin. ARG served as the Preservation Architect for the Trust Building project, which gives new life to the building with creative office, retail, and restaurant uses.

ARG’s scope included rehabilitation of the building’s façades, the historic elevator/stair core, the 2nd floor banking area with original mezzanine, and 10th floor executive offices. The State Historical Building Code was used to retain the integrity of the doors and entry points, particularly when it came to disabled access requirements.

Trust building collage

WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW

The Title Insurance and Trust Company occupied the building until 1977; after that time it had a series of occupants including governmental agencies, the Los Angeles Public Library, and a design showroom. It was also extensively used as a filming location.

The building’s showpiece interior spaces, including the lobby, double-height second floor trust department, and tenth floor executive offices, have been meticulously restored with conservation of hand-painted ceilings, polychromatic tile, marble floors and walls, and other original features.

At ten stories tall (with a rooftop penthouse), the Trust Building was among several prominent Art Deco high-rises constructed Downtown in the first decades of the 20th century. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to the Spring Street Financial District and individually designated a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

More photos to come!

Historic photography courtesy of Pacific Coast Architect, 1928

Before photography by Architectural Resources Group

Professional photography by Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography

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