The Bon Marché (Los Angeles)

Bumiller Building

Company type	Building
Industry	Real estate, residential, retail, theater
Founded	1906
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Products	Residential apartments, retail space, theater venue

The Bumiller Building is a residential structure situated in the Historic Broadway Theater District of Los Angeles. Completed in 1906, its design was crafted by the architectural firm Morgan & Walls. Constructed using reinforced concrete, the building exemplifies the Renaissance Revival architectural style. Over its history, the building has served as both a department store and a theater.

Inception

When it opened in 1906, the Bumiller Building housed the Bon Marché, a department store operated by the Le Sage Brothers. The retail space occupied the basement and first three floors of the building. Two freight elevators located at the rear provided access from the basement through to the third floor exclusively for store operations. In September 1907, Bon Marché sold off its inventory to the J. M. Hale (Hale's) department store and ceased operations; following this closure, the freight elevators were decommissioned and removed. Meanwhile, two passenger elevators manufactured by Otis serviced the lobby area, connecting the basement to the sixth floor.

The following month, a branch of The Hub, a prominent clothing retailer established in 1896 with its flagship at 157 N. Spring Street, took over occupancy of the building.

Early history

During the development of the Broadway Theater District, the New York-based Eden Musée established itself as a venue showcasing motion pictures and vaudeville performances. Promoting "a show on every floor," Eden Musée drew crowds with its afternoon and evening shows. After Eden Musée vacated the premises, the Bumiller Building housed the Wonderland Theater followed by the Jade Theater, named after the distinctive jade-colored exterior of the building. In 1921, amid Prohibition, firefighters responded to a fire caused by a whiskey still inside the building. The blaze originated beneath a gas flame, and after an explosion was heard by tenants, one room was found ablaze upon firemen's arrival. They discovered remnants of sour mash and a destroyed ten-gallon still, while the individual renting that space had already fled.

Current status

Following significant restoration, the Bumiller Building has been transformed into the Broadway Lofts, a residential rental complex featuring 58 apartments. The adaptive reuse and architectural redesign were executed by Los Angeles-based firm Omgivning.

Ownership

Caroline Bumiller Hickey, George C. Hickey, 1905

File:Blakefn2.jpg

Carroll W. Blake, University of Nebraska, 1908

The ownership history of the Bumiller Building mirrors the district’s evolving character.

Bumiller Estate

Caroline Bumiller Hickey (née Gerstenberg, 1848–1932), a prosperous Los Angeles socialite born in Germany, was the widow of Jacob Bumiller, a Bavarian wine merchant who relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles around 1871. Her residence at 1049 South Elden Avenue is recognized as a historic-cultural monument within the Wilshire Historic District. She managed the Bumiller Estate and was involved in a widely publicized divorce from her second husband, George C. Hickey. During court proceedings, she claimed deafness and appeared elegantly dressed while using an ear trumpet. After eighteen years of marriage, George Hickey accused her of abandonment, which the court upheld. Despite this, he returned ownership of the 430 South Broadway lot, which Caroline contended he had previously defrauded from her. By 1912, legal ownership of the Bumiller Building was held by Caroline’s children from her first marriage: Arthur W. Bumiller, Edna B. Sullivan, and Stella B. Burks.

Albert J. Wallace

Albert Joseph Wallace (February 11, 1853 – February 23, 1939) served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1907 to 1909 and held the office of lieutenant governor of California between 1910 and 1914. In 1935, he acquired the Bumiller Building from Isabelle M. Anderson, trading it for his two-story property at 425 South Broadway, which was leased by the W. T. Grant Company.

Carroll White Blake

Carroll White Blake was a prominent figure in real estate investment and film exhibition. Born on April 12, 1885, in Bowdoinham, Maine, he graduated from the Industrial College at the University of Nebraska in 1908. Blake relocated to Los Angeles in 1909 and later served in World War I. In 1942, he purchased the grand California Theater located at 810 S. Main Street from Jack Lankershim, son of James Boon Lankershim, who had originally constructed it during the First World War. After acquiring the Bumiller Building, Blake renamed it the Carroll W. Blake Building and established his offices there. He divorced his wife Josephine Terzenbach Blake in 1934 and lived with his mother, Frances Blake, until her passing in 1942. Subsequently, he became engaged to Lillian Schramm, a divorcée; however, Blake died on November 28, 1948, shortly before their planned Christmas wedding.

Lillian E. Schramm

Lillian Evelyn Schramm (née Pugh; 1898–1952), originally from Arkansas, was previously married to Dr. Alfred J. Schramm, Executive Secretary of the American College of Osteopathic Physicians. Notably, he was the sole official within the College who declined to utilize the 1962 California law that permitted osteopaths to convert their degrees to MDs. Following the death of her fiancé Carroll W. Blake, Schramm inherited most of his estate despite a legal challenge by six of Blake’s cousins who alleged she had feigned affection toward him. The cousins were represented by attorney Jerry Giesler. At the time of her death, Schramm operated a beauty salon and bequeathed the majority of her substantial estate toward cancer research. The California State Board of Cosmetology maintained its offices on the second floor of the Bumiller Building and conducted certification examinations there.

Dr. Harry Lehrer

Dr. Harry Lehrer (1904–1972) earned his degree from the College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons in 1938, an institution now known as the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. Following the 1962 California legislation permitting osteopaths to convert their qualifications to a Doctor of Medicine degree, Lehrer obtained his MD. In 1958, he acquired the Bumiller Building from the Schramm estate and maintained his medical practice there until his passing in 1972. He was responsible for installing the ramp that transformed the basement area into a parking garage. Dr. Lehrer was married to the fashion designer Anne T. Hill.

See also

• List of contributing properties in the Broadway Theater and Commercial District