Walker & Eisen

Walker & Eisen (1919−1941) was an architectural partnership between Albert Raymond Walker and Percy Augustus Eisen best known for the numerous historic buildings they designed throughout California, particularly in and around Los Angeles. They were considered one of the top firms in the city for several decades.^[1]

Walker & Eisen
Practice information
Partners	Albert R. Walker Percy A. Eisen
Founded	1919
Dissolved	1941
Location	Los Angeles, California
Significant works and honors
Buildings	Taft Building Hollywood Plaza Hotel United Artists Theatre James Oviatt Building Beverly Wilshire Hotel El Cortez Hotel Valley National Bank Building

Partners

Albert Raymond Walker

Albert Raymond Walker
Born	(1881-05-09)May 9, 1881 Sonoma, California
Died	September 17, 1958(1958-09-17) (aged 77) Los Angeles, California
Education	Brown University
Occupation	Architect
Spouse	Jesse R. (Morgan) Eisen
Parent(s)	Albert Walker, Elizabeth Stevens
Practice	Walker & Vawter (1910-1916) Walker & Eisen (1919-1941)

Early life

Albert Raymond Walker was born on May 9, 1881, in Sonoma, California. His parents were Albert Walker, an immigrant from Norway, and Elizabeth Stevens, from New York. They married in Sonoma around 1880, where Albert Walker worked as a carpenter.^[2]

Albert Walker died during or before 1900, at which point Elizabeth and Albert R. moved to San Diego to live with Elizabeth's sisters.^[2] Albert R. studied at Brown University beginning in 1902.^[3]

Early career

From 1901 to 1904, Albert Raymond Walker worked as a draftsman for William S. Hebbard and Irving Gill, where amongst other projects he drafted the George W. Marston House. In 1905 or 1906, Walker moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a draftsman for John Parkinson and George Bergstrom (1905), as a designer for Alfred Rosenheim (1906), and as a designer for Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey (1907).^[2]

Walker earned his California architecture license in February 1908, after which he started his own firm located in Los Angeles's Homer Laughlin Building.^[2] During this time, he designed the Fullerton First Methodist Episcopal Church, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.^[4]

In 1910, Walker partnered John Terrell Vawter. Their projects included the Edward Strasburg House in Pasadena, Frank C. Hill House in Echo Park, Grible Store Building in Montrose, and the original Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Walker and Vawter's partnership dissolved in 1916, and Walker worked alone from 1917 to 1918.^[2][5]

Personal life and death

Walker and Jesse R. Morgan, six years his junior, married on August 25, 1909. The couple lived in Hollywood during the 1910s and by 1930, they lived in a $40,000 ($752,908 in 2024) Beverly Hills residence with their daughter Eleanor and Jesse's mother. The family's gardener and his family also lived on the property.^[2]

Walker died on September 17, 1958, in Westwood, Los Angeles and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His wife Jesse died in 1961.^[2]

Percy Augustus Eisen

Percy Augustus Eisen
Born	(1885-12-17)December 17, 1885 Los Angeles, California
Died	November 18, 1946(1946-11-18) (aged 60) Los Angeles County, California
Occupation	Architect
Parent(s)	Theodore Eisen Annie (Bennett) Eisen
Practice	Eisen and Son (1908-1917) Walker & Eisen (1919-1941)

Early life

Percy Augustus Eisen was born in Los Angeles, California on December 17, 1885 to Theodore Eisen, a renowned architect, and Annie (Bennett) Eisen.^[6]

Early career

Eisen partnered with his father Theodore from 1908 to 1917, similar to how Theodore partnered with his father in San Francisco in the 1870s.^[7] Together they designed the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood and Gates Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.^[8]

Death

Eisen died on November 18, 1946, in Los Angeles County.^[6]

Partnership

Walker & Eisen was founded in late 1919 as an association between Albert Raymond Walker, Percy Augustus Eisen, and Charles M. Hutchison, Sr.. Hutchinson left the association in 1921 and Walker and Eisen's association dissolved two decades later, in 1941.^[9] During their time together, Walker & Eisen was considered one of the top architectural firms in Los Angeles.^[1]

Although primarily based in Los Angeles, Walker & Eisen designed numerous buildings throughout California over the two-plus decades they worked together, many of which have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) either standalone or as historic district contributing properties.^[10] Several of their buildings have also been designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments (LAHCMs).^[11]

In the 1920s and 1930s, Walker & Eisen often worked with movie theater-specialist Clifford A. Balch.^[9] They also employed Clifford's brother William Glenn Balch as a draftsman from 1922 to 1928^[12] and John E. Costello as a civil engineer in San Francisco from 1927 to 1931.^[13]

List of works

Contributing properties in the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District (clockwise from upper-left): Taft Building, Hollywood Plaza Hotel, Regal Shoes Building

Notalbe Walker & Eisen designed buildings include:^[9][14]

Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District

• Taft Building (1923),^[15] LAHCM #666
• Hollywood Plaza Hotel (1924),^[15] LAHCM #665
• Regal Shoes Building (1939)^[15]

Non-contributing

• 6356 Hollywood Boulevard (1921)^[15]

Broadway Theater and Commercial District

Contributing properties in the Broadway Theater and Commercial District (clockwise from upper-left): Wurlitzer Building, United Artists Theatre, F. and W. Grand Silver Store Building, Platt Building,

• Apparel Center Building (1923)^[16]
• United Artists Theatre, with C. Howard Crane (1927),^[16] LAHCM #523
• Platt Building (1927)^[16]
• F. and W. Grand Silver Store Building (1931)^[16]

Elsewhere in Los Angeles

• Roosevelt Theater (1921)^[17]
• National City Bank of Los Angeles (1924), LAHCM #871^[18][19]
• Hotel Normandie (1925), LAHCM #1013

Fine Arts Building

• Fine Arts Building (1927), LAHCM #125
• James Oviatt Building (1927−1928), NRHP #83004529^[20]
• Ambassador Hotel entrance pylons (1930)
• Farmer's Insurance Company Office Building (1930)
• Four Star Theatre (1931−1932, demolished 2015), with Clifford Balch
• Sunkist Building (1935, demolished 1972)

Elsewhere in California

• Empire Theater, Long Beach (1922, demolished 1952)
• Southern Counties Gas Company Building, Santa Ana (1923), NRHP #83001223^[21]
• Breakers Hotel, Long Beach (1925)
• El Cortez Hotel, San Diego (1926), NRHP #01001458^[22]
• Beverly-Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills (1926−1928), NRHP #87000908^[23]
• El Mirador Hotel, Palm Springs (1927−1928, demolished 1989)
• Clock Tower Building, Santa Monica (1929−1930)
• Upland City Hall and Police Station, Upland (1930)
• Farmer's Insurance Company Headquarters (1937)
• Torrance City Hall, Municipal Auditorium and Public Library^[1]
• San Luis Obispo County Court House^[1]
• Mar Monte Hotel, Santa Barbara^[1]
• Hilton Hotel, Long Beach^[1]

With Clifford Balch

• United Artists Theaters
  • East Los Angeles, 1931^[24]
  • Inglewood, 1931^[24]
  • Long Beach, 1931^[24]
  • Pasadena, 1931^[24]
  • Berkeley, 1932
  • El Centro, 1932
  • Los Angeles, 1932^[1]
  • Ventura, 1932

Elsewhere

• Valley National Bank Building, Tucson, Arizona (1929), NRHP #75608928^[25]

In popular culture

Walker & Eisen are mentioned in the film (500) Days of Summer.^{[citation needed]}