Meyer & Holler
Encyclopedia
Meyer & Holler was an architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California
noted for its opulent commercial building
s and movie theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese
and Egyptian
theatres, built during the 1920s. Meyer & Holler was also known as The Milwaukee Building Company.
The Milwaukee Building Company became the Los Angeles-based architectural office of Meyer & Holler, an eminent firm responsible for the design of numerous Southern California landmark buildings. The company opted for the Design-build
approach very early in its history. The architectural firm to design the structure and the Milwaukee Building Company to build it. Only on very rare occasions did it contract to erect projects designed by independent architects. In the 1920s in Los Angeles, Meyer & Holler were one of the most esteemed architectural firms, and the Milwaukee Building Company was the largest contracting firm.
At first emphasizing residential work of an increasingly important scale, Meyer & Holler switched to an emphasis on commercial work after World War I. Integral to the company's strategy for success was the offering of architectural design services of an unusually high level of quality, which it was able to due as a result of hiring some of the finest architectural design talent available in Southern California
in the 1910s and 1920s.
Meyer and Holler was founded by Gabriel S. Meyer and Philip W. Holler Meyer & Holler also designed and built apartment buildings, hotels, banks, and churches. A number of Meyer & Holler buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places
. Incorporated in 1906, Meyer & Holler developed into one of the largest building firms in Los Angeles before declaring bankruptcy in 1932 as an indirect result of litigation related to California’s architectural registration laws.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
noted for its opulent commercial building
Commercial building
A commercial building is a building that is used for commercial use. Types can include office buildings, warehouses, or retail . In urban locations, a commercial building often combines functions, such as an office on levels 2-10, with retail on floor 1...
s and movie theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
and Egyptian
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.- History :...
theatres, built during the 1920s. Meyer & Holler was also known as The Milwaukee Building Company.
Design build
The Milwaukee Building Company was established in 1905 as a design and construction firm, with Mendel Meyer as President, Gabriel Holler as Vice President, and Julius C. Schneider as Secretary. In 1911, they were joined by Phillip W. Holler.The Milwaukee Building Company became the Los Angeles-based architectural office of Meyer & Holler, an eminent firm responsible for the design of numerous Southern California landmark buildings. The company opted for the Design-build
Design-Build
Design-build is a project delivery system used in the construction industry. It is a method to deliver a project in which the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity known as the design–builder or design–build contractor...
approach very early in its history. The architectural firm to design the structure and the Milwaukee Building Company to build it. Only on very rare occasions did it contract to erect projects designed by independent architects. In the 1920s in Los Angeles, Meyer & Holler were one of the most esteemed architectural firms, and the Milwaukee Building Company was the largest contracting firm.
At first emphasizing residential work of an increasingly important scale, Meyer & Holler switched to an emphasis on commercial work after World War I. Integral to the company's strategy for success was the offering of architectural design services of an unusually high level of quality, which it was able to due as a result of hiring some of the finest architectural design talent available in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
in the 1910s and 1920s.
Meyer and Holler was founded by Gabriel S. Meyer and Philip W. Holler Meyer & Holler also designed and built apartment buildings, hotels, banks, and churches. A number of Meyer & Holler buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Incorporated in 1906, Meyer & Holler developed into one of the largest building firms in Los Angeles before declaring bankruptcy in 1932 as an indirect result of litigation related to California’s architectural registration laws.
Associated Architects and Draftsmen
- Raymond M. KennedyRaymond M. KennedyRaymond McCormick Kennedy was the guiding light and architect of the Grauman's Chinese Theater that opened in May 1927.-Early life:Raymond McCormick Kennedy was born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania in 1891...
- Donald Reuben Wilkinson (1890–1975) chief architect (1920–1932)
- Lewis Elbert Blaize, bungalow designer
- Kenneth Wing
Selected works
- Mount Washington Hotel and Inn, Los Angeles (1909)
- Henry Weaver HouseHenry Weaver HouseHenry Weaver House, a California Bungalow, is in Santa Monica, California. It was built in 1910 by the Milwaukee Building Company for Henry Weaver, a Midwestern hotel developer...
, Santa Monica (1910) - Isaac Milbank House, Santa Monica (1911)
- Elizabeth Milbank AndersonElizabeth Milbank AndersonElizabeth Milbank Anderson , philanthropist and advocate for public health and women's education, was the daughter of Jeremiah Milbank , a successful commission merchant, manufacturer and investor, and Elizabeth Lake...
House, Long Beach (1912) - L.L. Burns Building, Los Angeles (1914)
- Avis Hotel, Pomona (1915)
- Culver StudiosCulver StudiosThe Culver Studios is a historic Colonial-styled movie studio located at 9336 W. Washington Blvd., in Culver City, California. It was the site of filming for Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane and other classics from Hollywood’s Golden Age...
, Culver City (1919) - Granada Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles (1921)
- Thomas McNamara House, Los Angeles (1922)
- Medical Arts Building, Los Angeles (1922)
- Grauman's Egyptian TheatreGrauman's Egyptian TheatreGrauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.- History :...
, Hollywood (1922) - Montmartre Cafe, Hollywood (1922)
- Hollywood Athletic Club (1922)
- Southern California Music Company (aka Singer Sewing Machine), Los Angeles (1922)
- Fox Cabrillo Theatre, San Pedro, California) (1923)
- Fox Fullerton (1924)
- 4th Church of Christ Scientist, Los Angeles (1924)
- Ninth Church of Christ Scientist, Los Angeles (1925)
- Alex Theatre, Glendale, CA
- Petroleum Building, Los Angeles (1925)
- Grauman's Chinese TheatreGrauman's Chinese TheatreGrauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
, Hollywood (1926) - Aztec Theatre, San Antonio, Texas (1926)
- Quinby Office Building, Los Angeles (1926)
- First National Bank of Hollywood (1927)
- Masonic Lodge, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles (1928)
- Hillcrest Motors, Hollywood (1929)
- Walker Building, Long Beach (1929)
- Ocean Center BuildingOcean Center BuildingThe Ocean Center Building is a 14-story, 197-foot-tall office building in downtown Long Beach, California built in 1929 by architect Raymond M...
, Long Beach (1929) - Clem Wilson Building, Los Angeles (1930)