Meyer & Holler

Meyer & Holler was a Los Angeles architecture and design-build firm that became one of Southern California's most prominent building enterprises during the 1910s and 1920s. The organization was also known as the Milwaukee Building Company, a name associated with its construction operations. Rather than functioning solely as an architectural office, it combined architectural design, project organization, and construction, an early form of the design-build model. This arrangement allowed the firm to retain substantial control over the appearance, materials, and execution of its projects. The Milwaukee Building Company was established in 1906. Its early leadership included Mendel Meyer as president, Gabriel Holler as vice president, and Julius C. Schneider as secretary; Phillip W. Holler joined the organization in 1911. Historical accounts also associate the firm's architectural identity with Gabriel S. Meyer and Philip W. Holler. Because the surviving accounts describe the firm's formation and leadership in somewhat different ways, the exact founding partnership is not fully settled. The business developed from a design and construction concern into an architectural office identified with Meyer & Holler. In its early years, the firm concentrated increasingly on residential work, including houses and larger apartment projects. After the First World War, it shifted its emphasis toward commercial and institutional buildings. Its growth depended partly on the decision to offer architectural services of unusually high quality alongside construction. During the 1910s and 1920s, the organization recruited prominent Southern California design talent, including chief architect Donald Wilkinson and associated architects and draftsmen such as Raymond M. Kennedy, Lewis Elbert Blaize, and Kenneth Wing. Meyer & Holler became particularly associated with the theatrical and entertainment architecture of Los Angeles. Its best-known works include Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, completed in 1922, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, completed in 1927. These buildings used highly decorative historical and exoticizing vocabularies suited to Hollywood's emerging entertainment culture. The firm's portfolio also included the Café Montmartre, the Fox Fullerton, the Alex Theatre, the Aztec Theatre in San Antonio, banks, hotels, churches, department stores, studios, office buildings, motor facilities, and private residences. The organization generally designed its own construction projects and only rarely undertook buildings designed by independent architects. This integrated approach helped make the Milwaukee Building Company one of the largest contracting firms in Los Angeles during the 1920s, while Meyer & Holler was regarded as one of the city's most esteemed architectural practices. Numerous surviving buildings are recognized as local landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reflecting the firm's lasting influence on the architectural character of Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Glendale, Fullerton, and other communities. The firm entered a period of legal and financial difficulty in the early 1930s. Litigation connected indirectly with California's architectural registration laws contributed to the company's problems, and Meyer & Holler declared bankruptcy in 1932. Court proceedings involving Meyer & Holler continued after the bankruptcy, including cases concerning contractual or project-related disputes. The business is therefore best understood as a defunct historic architecture and construction firm rather than an operating contemporary brand. Its reputation today rests on the preservation and continued cultural visibility of its buildings, especially its landmark movie theaters and other structures from Los Angeles's major interwar building boom.

Meyer & Holler emerged from the Milwaukee Building Company, established in 1906 as a Los Angeles design and construction business. Early officers identified in historical accounts include Mendel Meyer, Gabriel Holler, and Julius C. Schneider. Phillip W. Holler joined the organization in 1911. Other accounts describe the firm's architectural partnership through Gabriel S. Meyer and Philip W. Holler, so the precise division between the company's corporate, construction, and architectural identities is not entirely clear. The firm adopted an integrated design-build method unusually early. Meyer & Holler's architectural office generally designed the buildings that the Milwaukee Building Company constructed, rather than treating design and construction as entirely separate services. The company only occasionally built projects designed by outside architects. This model gave the organization control over design development, contracting, and execution, and helped it compete for substantial work during Los Angeles's rapid growth. Residential commissions were important in the firm's earlier period. Its work included private houses, apartment buildings, and residences for wealthy clients in Los Angeles and nearby communities. After the First World War, the firm increasingly pursued commercial, entertainment, and institutional commissions. Its strategy combined construction capacity with a strong architectural service, supported by the recruitment of skilled designers. Donald Wilkinson served as chief architect from approximately 1920 through 1932, while Raymond M. Kennedy, Lewis Elbert Blaize, Kenneth Wing, and other designers were associated with the office or its projects. The 1920s represented the firm's most influential period. Meyer & Holler designed and built theaters, hotels, banks, stores, office buildings, churches, studios, clubs, and private residences across Southern California and, in at least some cases, beyond the region. Its movie-theater work was especially important. Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, completed in 1922, and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, completed in 1927, became defining buildings of Hollywood Boulevard. The company also worked on the Alex Theatre in Glendale, the Fox Fullerton, the Granada Theatre, the Fox Cabrillo Theatre, and the Aztec Theatre in San Antonio. Other notable commissions included the Henry Weaver House and Isaac Milbank House in Santa Monica, the Mount Washington Hotel and Inn, the Culver Studios complex when it was known as the Thomas H. Ince Studios, the Hollywood Athletic Club, the First National Bank of Hollywood, the Petersen Building, the Petroleum Building, the E. Clem Wilson Building, and numerous churches and commercial structures. In Long Beach, the firm was responsible for buildings including the Walker Building, Ocean Center Building, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson House, and Marti's department store. The variety of these projects shows that Meyer & Holler was not limited to theater design; it was a broad architectural and contracting enterprise. Many surviving works later acquired landmark status or were included in historic districts. The firm's buildings appear in the National Register of Historic Places, Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument designations, Santa Monica landmark listings, and Long Beach landmark records. Their ornate façades and carefully staged interiors are associated with the development of early twentieth-century Los Angeles, particularly the commercial and entertainment expansion of Hollywood. The company's success did not survive the economic and legal pressures of the early 1930s. Litigation connected indirectly to California's architectural registration laws contributed to its difficulties. Meyer & Holler declared bankruptcy in 1932, bringing the operating history of the firm to an end, although related litigation continued. The firm's historical importance now derives primarily from its preserved buildings and from its role in demonstrating how architecture and construction could be combined within one Los Angeles enterprise during the city's interwar expansion.

• 1935

  Ramona Village appellate case reported

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  A California appellate decision involving Meyer & Holler and Ramona Village was reported after the firm's bankruptcy.

• 1932

  Bankruptcy

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  Meyer & Holler declared bankruptcy amid financial and legal difficulties.

• 1929

  Major Long Beach and Los Angeles projects completed

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  The firm completed or worked on several prominent late-1920s projects, including the Walker Building, Ocean Center Building, Marti's department store, and Hillcrest Motors.

• 1927

  Grauman's Chinese Theatre completed

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  The firm completed Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which became one of Hollywood's most recognizable architectural landmarks.

• 1925

  Alex Theatre and Fox Fullerton completed

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  Meyer & Holler designed the Alex Theatre in Glendale and Fox Fullerton in Fullerton, expanding its theater portfolio in Southern California.

• 1922

  Grauman's Egyptian Theatre completed

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  The firm completed Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, one of its signature entertainment buildings.

• 1911

  Phillip W. Holler joins the organization

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  Phillip W. Holler joined the firm, strengthening the Holler family's connection with the enterprise.

• 1910

  Henry Weaver House completed

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  The firm completed the Henry Weaver House in Santa Monica, one of its early residential works and a building later recognized as a local landmark and listed on the National Register.

• 1906

  Milwaukee Building Company established

  [1]Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org

  The design and construction business that became associated with Meyer & Holler was established in Los Angeles, with Mendel Meyer, Gabriel Holler, and Julius C. Schneider listed among its early officers.

An integrated, high-design architecture and construction firm specializing in opulent commercial, entertainment, residential, and institutional buildings, with particular prominence in 1920s Los Angeles.

• Professional services · 1906

  Architectural design

  Meyer & Holler provided architectural design for residential, commercial, entertainment, religious, and institutional buildings. Its work was often characterized by elaborate façades, historically themed decoration, and attention to the visual identity of major urban projects.

• Construction services · 1906

  Design-build construction

  Through the Milwaukee Building Company, the organization constructed many of the projects designed by its architectural office. This integrated model joined design and construction within one enterprise and was central to its position as a major Los Angeles contracting firm.

• Entertainment architecture · 1922

  Movie theaters

  The firm's theater portfolio included Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Alex Theatre, Fox Fullerton, Granada Theatre, Fox Cabrillo Theatre, and the Aztec Theatre. These projects helped define the lavish architectural style associated with the expansion of cinema in the 1920s.

• Commercial architecture · 1914

  Commercial and institutional buildings

  Meyer & Holler designed banks, office buildings, department stores, hotels, churches, clubs, studios, and other public-facing structures. Examples include the First National Bank of Hollywood, Petersen Building, Petroleum Building, Hollywood Athletic Club, and several Church of Christ Scientist buildings.

• Residential architecture · 1910

  Residential architecture

  Residential work ranged from private houses to larger apartment projects. Notable examples include the Henry Weaver House, Isaac Milbank House, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson House, Herivel House, and a residence in the Whitley Heights district.

• 1932

  Enter bankruptcyOther

  Background

  Legal and financial pressures, including litigation indirectly related to California architectural registration laws, weakened the company.

  Action taken

  Meyer & Holler declared bankruptcy.

  Aftermath

  The operating firm became defunct, while related litigation continued in California courts.

  Source

• 1919

  Shift toward commercial and entertainment workStrategy

  Background

  After the First World War, Los Angeles experienced strong expansion in commercial development and the entertainment industry.

  Action taken

  The firm reduced its relative emphasis on residential work and pursued theaters, offices, hotels, banks, studios, churches, and other commercial or institutional commissions.

  Aftermath

  This strategy led to the firm's most visible commissions, including major Hollywood theaters and commercial buildings throughout Southern California.

  Source

• 1910

  Adopt an integrated design-build modelStrategy

  Background

  The organization operated through an architectural office linked to a construction company, rather than separating design and building into unrelated businesses.

  Action taken

  Meyer & Holler generally designed the structures that the Milwaukee Building Company constructed and only rarely accepted construction work designed by independent architects.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement gave the firm control over both design quality and execution and supported its growth into one of Los Angeles's largest building enterprises.

  Source

1. 1Meyer & Holleren.wikipedia.org