Bob Hope Patriotic Hall is a 10 story building that was dedicated as Patriotic Hall by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in 1925 and was built to serve veterans of Indian Wars

Indian Wars

American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...

, Spanish American War, World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and to support the Grand Army of the Republic

Grand Army of the Republic

The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...

. Patriotic hall was rededicated to honor of Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 and renamed "Bob Hope Patriotic Hall" on November 12, 2004.

History

Patriotic Hall was built in 1925 and the building opened its doors in 1926 to serve the public. When it was built, the 85000 square feet (7,896.8 m²) building was the tallest building in the city.

Design

The building was designed by Allied Architects Association using Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

 features. The lobby was designed with vaulted arch construction and contains murals on the walls.

Awards

A certificate of Honor has been awarded for its exceptional merit by the Southern California Chapter of the American Society of Architects. The building was built on land deeded by Civil War

Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....

 veterans.

Other Notable Events

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...

 hosted a Shadow convention in Patriotic Hall while the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 took place in Staples Center

Refurbishment

In 2006, the building was temporarily closed so that it can be renovated. The renovations will include:

• Updated Mechanical systems
• ADA
  Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
  
   Upgrades including new parking stalls
• Updated meeting, conference and office spaces
• Refurbished gym
• 500 seat auditorium
• Full service kitchen

The total cost of the renovations is estimated to be $46,000,000 US Dollars.

Ownership & Management

Bob Hope Patriotic Hall is owned by the County of Los Angeles. Operations are managed by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Current Purpose

The hall is the home to military artifacts and memorabilia. It also houses documents from wars and conflicts starting with the American Revolutionary War, and including recent Middle East conflicts.

Mission Statement: to provide counseling and assistance to, and act as an advocate for veterans, their dependents and survivors regarding entitlement to benefits under Federal, State and Local laws and regulations.

Operate Bob Hope Patriotic Hall as a veteran's memorial building for the veteran's community, patriotic and civic events and the general public

Location

The building is less than a mile from Staples Center

Staples Center

Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...

 and LA Live. It is visible from both interstate 10

Interstate 10

Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...

 (Santa Monica Freeway) and State Route 110 (Harbor Freeway). The structure is located at 1816 S. Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street

Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...

, Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California, 90015.

Future

In more active years, Patriotic Hall was the headquarters and/or a mailing address for hundreds of organizations. Once renovation is complete and opened, at least seven veterans organizations will re-occupy the building, which will include :

• American Legion
  American Legion
  The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
  
   Post 8
• World War II Veterans Groups
• County offices such as the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

Collections

There are many artifacts stored in the hall. Until the building reopens, they remain in storage, but are also being documented and cataloged. The estimated worth of the collection is valued at more than $1,000,000.
Included are:

• Uniforms from Winston Churchill
  Winston Churchill
  Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
  
  , General George Patton, General Norman Schwartzkopf.
• Historic Flags
• Historic Weapons
• Original oil paintings by naval artist Arthor Beaumont.

Much of the collection is property of American Legion Post 8. Once the reconstruction is complete, refurbished display cases will again hold these valuable artifacts.

External links

• emporis.com