Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A wandering.. Sohmer Piano Building

As I go a wandering....
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From last Tuesday's walk.
I happened upon this building - The Sohmer Piano Building, which I find draws me in like an air conditioned speak-easy on a Santa Ana night.
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I am oddly fond of tall, thin New York Beaux-Arts buildings.  Perhaps it is due to the utter lack of them in Los Angeles.  Or perhaps it is the absolute uselessness of them.  I mean it is over embossed, over designed and over indulgent.  It is the architectural equivalent of eccentricity - which I so admire in people, buildings and dogs.
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Anyway, I was on my way to the doctor's the other day (nothing serious, I am getting ready for my first  colonoscapy - yuck!).  ps - Even auto correct doesn't suggest a word for colonoscapy - except yuck.
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But I digress.
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I was struck by this building right across the street.  It is the "Sohmer Piano Building", so named because the company used to have it's offices and showroom there.  It was part of the "ladies mile" which was an area on 6th (although this is on 5th) where women were allowed to shop in the olden days.  It would probably attract more attention, but for that gaudy attention whore, the "Flatiron" building - which is the grand dame of the area.
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Apparently early in the 2000s, more than 100 years after it was built in 1897, it was converted to condos.  The picture below is from Wikipedia of the top of the building - a crown so unnecessary it makes the place!
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