Hollywood First National Bank

Completed in 1928, Hollywood First National Bank was the tallest office building in L.A. until 1932, when City Hall was built. Designed by architecture firm Meyer & Holler, the building features a fanciful combination of traits drawn from both Neo-Gothic and Art Deco design aesthetics. The towering spire, buttresses, and motif of “The Explorers” evoke the sense of fantasy present in the Hollywood film industry of that era, and the beehive above the entrance signifies the framers’ hope that it would be a “beehive of activity.” Unfortunately, the 1929 stock market crash dashed those hopes.