About the Building
The Broadway Hollywood began life in 1927-28 as a department store at Hollywood and Vine, designed by Frederick Rice Dorn, with a 1938-39 annex by John and Donald Parkinson, the firm behind Los Angeles City Hall and Union Station. B. H. Dyas opened the store, The Broadway took over in 1931 and traded there until 1982. The Kor Group converted the building into 96 loft condominiums beginning in 2005, adding two floors to the annex. The rooftop neon sign reading 'The Broadway Hollywood' remains the corner's most recognisable landmark, and the residential entrance is at 1645 Vine Street.
The building's legal status matters as much as its architecture. It is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 664, designated in 1999, and a contributing structure to the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District on the National Register since 1985. Listing records consistently describe it as a Mills Act property, meaning qualifying owners are assessed under an income approach rather than market value, which can reduce property taxes substantially. The formula is complex and contract terms bind owners to maintenance obligations, so buyers must verify the contract's current status and their unit's treatment with the LA County Assessor.
These are true department-store lofts: ten storeys of Classical Revival architecture with a two-storey penthouse level, converted into 96 units that trade on volume rather than room count. Ceiling heights reach roughly fifteen feet in many units per listing records, with open plans, exposed original brick in places, and large steel-framed window walls from the retail era. Layouts vary widely because the conversion worked around an existing structural grid; some units are efficient open studios and one-bedrooms, others sprawling corner lofts. Interior condition ranges from developer-spec 2005 finishes to extensive custom build-outs.
Service is boutique-hotel in tone rather than resort-scale: a 24-hour front desk with concierge, valet parking with direct building access, and controlled entry. The amenity centrepiece is the rooftop, where a heated pool, spa and cabanas sit beside the neon sign with open views across Hollywood to the hills; a fitness room supports it. Listing records report association fees covering water, trash and the concierge, though the escrow budget is the authoritative source. The Hollywood/Vine subway station is one block away, and the Pantages Theatre, Capitol Records tower and the Boulevard's restaurant row surround the building.
Supply is permanently fixed at 96 units inside a protected historic shell, and nothing comparable can be built: the monument designation prevents demolition or exterior alteration, and Hollywood's remaining pre-war commercial buildings suitable for conversion are largely spoken for. Value therefore rests on three pillars: the Mills Act tax treatment where it applies, the scarcity of genuine high-ceiling loft space in Hollywood, and the corner's continuing revival. The offsetting realities are those of any 1928 building: original single-glazed windows in many units, street noise at a famous intersection, and maintenance obligations that come with historic status.
Amenities & Services
The Residences
The 2005 Kor Group conversion carved 96 condominiums from the 1928 store, so plans follow the original structural grid: open layouts, few interior walls and wide variation between units.
Retail floor plates gave the conversion unusual volume; listing records cite ceilings around fifteen feet in many units, with mezzanines and oversized art walls possible in ways new construction rarely allows.
Steel-framed window walls and exposed 1920s brick survive in many units. They define the aesthetic but are single-glazed in places, so ask about sound and heat performance at the unit level.
Frederick Rice Dorn's facade, with Corinthian pilasters and terra cotta detail, is protected as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 664, so the building's exterior character cannot legally be altered away.
A two-storey penthouse tops the main building, and the conversion added two floors to the Parkinson-designed annex, creating a small tier of newer-construction units within the historic envelope.
The heated rooftop pool, spa and cabanas sit directly under the landmark 'The Broadway Hollywood' neon sign, with open views to the Hollywood Hills and the Pantages marquee below.
Due Diligence
Parking is valet with direct building access rather than self-park deeded stalls, per listing records, with guest parking available. Confirm the parking rights conveying with any specific unit through escrow.
Listings indicate pets are allowed subject to association rules, but current limits on number, size and breed are not published. Request the current rules and regulations before removing contingencies.
Units appear on the rental market, so leasing is permitted in some form, but minimum lease terms and any caps are not publicly documented. Verify the association's current rental policy directly.
Listing records report association fees covering water, trash and the 24-hour concierge, alongside valet operations and rooftop amenities. The escrow budget package is the authoritative statement of inclusions.
The building is consistently marketed as a Mills Act property, which can cut property taxes substantially via income-approach assessment. Verify the contract status and a specific unit's tax treatment with the LA County Assessor.
The 1928 structure was renovated during the 2005 conversion, but the scope of any seismic strengthening is not publicly documented. Ask the association for engineering reports and review the reserve study.
Monument status and any Mills Act contract restrict exterior changes, including windows, and impose maintenance obligations. Interior remodels need association approval and may face review where they touch protected fabric.
The building runs a 24-hour front desk with concierge and a valet operation, a significant service payroll for a 96-unit association and a structural component of the monthly dues.
Everything above is drawn from public records, city permit data and published sources. The association’s statutory disclosure package is the only authoritative answer on dues, rules, reserves, insurance and litigation — Ben will request it and read it with you before you remove contingencies.
Common Questions
Keep Exploring
More about the neighbourhood: Hollywood
Off Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
Work With Ben
Units here often trade before they are ever listed. Tell Ben what you are looking for and hear first when something opens up, including off market.
Start the ConversationOff Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
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