Blackstone Department Store

The Blackstone Building, which is now known as Blackstone Apartments, was constructed from 1916 to 1917 and has been listed as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument since 2003. The Blackstone Department Store Building is one of many Los Angeles buildings designed by architect John Parkinson (1861-1935). The six-story reinforced concrete building was designed in the Beaux Arts style and clad with grey terra cotta. The original Blackstone's, known as Blackstone's Dry Goods, opened in 1896 just down the street from this location. Owner Nathaniel Blackstone hired Parkinson to design this flagship store in 1917. It was sold to the Famous Department Store Company, and renovated by Morgan, Walls & Clements in 1939. In 2010, the Blackstone Building was converted into 82 apartments with ground-floor retail space and an underground parking garage.

The N. B. Blackstone Company was established in 1896 in Los Angeles as a dry goods store, on Spring St. near Temple St. Needing more space, the store moved in 1907 to a five-story reinforced concrete building (the A. P. Johnson Building) in the 300 block of S. Broadway. The Johnson Building's large windows provided plenty of light, and the first two floors featured mahogany fixtures. A small electric elevator carried customers' packages from one floor to another; two speedy electric elevators carried passengers and another was for freight. Cashiers were able to quickly provide change with a pneumatic tube system. By 1916, the Johnson Building, at sixty by one hundred feet, was proving to be too small, and Blackstone's had a new, six-story building designed for the corner of S. Broadway and Ninth St.

John Parkinson (1861-1935) was one of the most preeminent architects in the early 20th century. Not only did he orchestrate the 1916 design of Blackstone's, he also played a part in designing iconic buildings throughout the city such as City Hall, Bullocks Wilshire, and Union Station. For his work on Blackstone's, he decided to clad the building in grey terra cotta and featured incredibly detailed and elaborate brackets across the facade. 

The building permit for the new Blackstone's Department Store was issued in December 1916; the contractor was Weymouth Crowell. Around 6,000 barrels of Bear Brand Portland Cement were going to be used for the six-story building, according to a December 1916 local newspaper advertisement; 250 tons of reinforced steel went into the structure. Arthur H. Fleming was the owner of the new building, estimated to cost over $450,000 to build; Fleming leased the structure to Blackstone's company. The new store building featured cold storage for fur coats in the basement, for merchandise and for customers to store theirs during the off season. A colonial-themed tearoom/ lunchroom opened on the fifth floor, with Colonial-styled furniture, window frames, and a fireplace with heavy brass andirons. Besides a multi-mirrored evening gown showroom, the store included a debutante's room for young misses clothing and a baby room. A beauty parlor appeared in a Blackstone's for the first time with the new store. Blackstone's catered to a wealthier clientele; its garments were typically made of high-quality fabrics with detailed workmanship. Check out these prices from Blackstone's June 1920 Garment Sale: ladies' blouses starting at $2.50; sweaters at $8.75 and up; skirts from $16.75; and dresses at $28 and up.

Fleming sold the building in 1927 for about $1.5 million to a syndicate that included Louis B. Mayer, Joseph M. Schenck, and five others. Blackstone's (run by N. B. and his son) had a ten-year-lease at that time. The building was later sold to the Famous Department Store Company in 1939. The new owners hired noted architects Morgan, Walls, and Clements to oversee the extensive renovations. These alterations included a new, sleek Streamline Moderne style for the ground-floor façade, designed by Stiles O. Clements. Although not original to the building, this façade has gained significance over time as an example of later Moderne detailing.

The building later held offices and a U.S. Post Office branch. In 2010, the Blackstone Building was converted into 82 apartments with ground-floor retail space and an underground parking garage. The Los Angeles Conservancy holds an easement that protects the building's historic facade.

Anonymous. "Blackstone is in Broadway Store." Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles) June 23rd, 1907. 5-5.

Anonymous. "$450,000 Building Permit Smashes 6 Month Record." Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles) December 22nd, 1916. 3-3.

Anonymous. "Novelties Fill Blackstone's New Store." Los Angeles Evening Herald (Los Angeles) September 20th, 1917. 8-8.

Anonymous. "John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson." Long Beach Telegram (Long Beach) November 20th, 1922. 22-22.

Anonymous. "$1.500,000 Cash for L. A. Corner." Daily News (Los Angeles) March 29th, 1927. 1-1.

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Firnhaber, Bethany. Everything you need to know about Blackstone’s Los Angeles selling spree. The Real Deal. June 21, 2017. Accessed July 21, 2017. https://therealdeal.com/la/2017/06/21/everything-you-need-to-know-about-Blackstones-los-angeles-selling-spree/.

Grimes, Teresa. NRHP nomination, boundary increase, Broadway Theater and Commercial District, Los Angeles, CA. National Register of Historic Places. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 2001.

Los Angeles Conservancy. Blackstone Department Store Building, Historic Places in L.A. January 1st, 2025. Accessed April 21st, 2025. https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/blackstone-department-store-building/.

N. B. Blackstone Co. "What Blackstone's June Garment Sale Means." Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles) June 3rd, 1920. B3-B3.

Scott, J. E. Los Angeles: The Old and the New. Supplement to Western Insurance News Vol. 8 No. 12. January 1st, 1911.

Union Lime Company. "Bear Brand Portland Cement." Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles) December 30th, 1916. 20-20.