Max Factor Building

Max Factor Building The Max Factor Building in Hollywood is a historic 1935 Art Deco structure originally commissioned by cosmetician Max Factor Sr. and designed by architect S. Charles Lee. Located on Hollywood Boulevard near landmarks such as the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the TCL Chinese Theatre, the building served as a cosmetology studio, film makeup laboratory, and public salon, intersecting with the careers of figures like Greta Garbo, Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow.

History

Construction began after Max Factor Sr., noted for work with Mabel Normand, Douglas Fairbanks, and Rudolph Valentino, expanded his business during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The building opened in 1935 amid projects involving studios such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., RKO Pictures, and 20th Century Fox. During World War II the facility interacted with initiatives linked to United Service Organizations, cosmetic production supported by suppliers connected to DuPont and Eastman Kodak, and personnel exchanges with theatrical unions like the Screen Actors Guild. In postwar decades, the property saw connections to entrepreneurs associated with Walt Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Harold Lloyd, and community leaders from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Renovations in the late 20th century engaged preservationists who had worked on properties alongside Frank Lloyd Wright restorations and collaborated with agencies analogous to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Architecture and design

S. Charles Lee’s design employed motifs found in projects by contemporaries such as Frank Gehry’s later Los Angeles interventions and echoed the streamlined language of Norman Bel Geddes and Paul R. Williams. Exterior elements reference the aesthetic of Streamline Moderne and Art Deco exemplars like the Eastern Columbia Building and the Bullocks Wilshire department store. The façade features vertical piers, stepped massing, and ornamentation comparable to works by John Parkinson and Albert C. Martin Sr., while interior finishes historically included terrazzo floors and custom lighting reminiscent of fixtures used at the Pantages Theatre and the Wiltern Theatre. Mechanical systems installed in 1935 paralleled innovations from firms such as General Electric and Westinghouse, and the cosmetic laboratory spaces were engineered with laboratory techniques influenced by practices from DuPont research facilities and cosmetic chemists trained at institutes like the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Uses and occupants

Originally the building housed Max Factor’s salon, film makeup laboratory, and retail showrooms, servicing leading studios including MGM and clients like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, and Greta Garbo. Over time the premises accommodated production offices for entertainment companies, art galleries linked to curators active with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and commercial tenants affiliated with retail corridors anchored by the Hollywood Walk of Fame and neighboring tourist sites such as the Hollywood Bowl. The upper floors hosted workshops and classrooms used by makeup artists trained through programs associated with institutions like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and private studios partnered with agencies similar to Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor.

Preservation and landmark status

Local advocates worked with municipal agencies and preservation organizations akin to the Los Angeles Conservancy to secure protections similar to those granted to the Bradbury Building and the Griffith Observatory. The structure was the focus of adaptive reuse strategies employed in projects with oversight comparable to the California Office of Historic Preservation and design review practices used in Hollywood Redevelopment Project initiatives. Landmark designation discussions referenced precedents set by listings in the National Register of Historic Places and municipal landmark ordinances enacted by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. Conservation work drew expertise from architects and consultants who had restored properties associated with Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler.

Cultural significance and media appearances

The building’s association with film makeup and star-making tied it to cinematic history involving films from studios such as MGM, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox and to personalities like Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Fred Astaire. Its exterior and interior have appeared in documentaries, television series, and travel programs alongside locations like the Dolby Theatre and Sunset Strip, and it has been featured in publications by critics and historians affiliated with outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. The site figures in tours organized by groups connected to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, cultural histories produced by scholars from UCLA, USC, and curators from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Category:Buildings and structures in Hollywood, Los Angeles