Taft Building

Built in 1924 by Hollywood’s Taft family, the Taft Building was designed by architecture firm Walker & Eisen in the Neo-Classical style and became the city’s first high-rise. It housed the offices of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1935 to 1946. In its heyday, the building provided office space for famous personalities including Will Rogers and Charlie Chaplin and was known as “the Times Square of Hollywood Boulevard.” Among the most prominent tenants were those that serviced the radio industry based in Hollywood, as well as those servicing the motion picture industry. It was named a Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument.