Gilmore Associates has spent two years restoring the Bank of Hollywood Building at Hollywood and Vine to its original splendor. In the process preservationists have uncovered some unexpected architectural wonders

Changing tastes often renders one person’s art into an eyesore, and it takes generations to realize the value of the original work. Such was the case when Gilmore Associates bought the former Bank of Hollywood building at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

The classic elements of the 1929 building, a focal point of the halcyon Hollywood now trying to be revived, was hidden beneath drop ceilings, Formica tiles, tattered carpets and dreadful wood paneling.

Tom Gilmore, best known for his residential conversion projects in the Old Bank District downtown, had a hunch there was plenty of history and beautiful architectural detail under all those layers. He spent $4 million to buy the building in 1999 and charged Sheila Hollincheck and Barry Milofsky with returning it to its original splendor.

As with all archeological expeditions, Hollincheck, general manager of the building, said the more layers they peeled away, the more work they found to be done.

Covered treasures

Over the course of 70 years, tenants had taken liberties with their space, covering marble floors, mahogany molding and ceiling light fixtures. That left Gilmore and company with a two-pronged project, according to Robert Nudelman, president of Hollywood Heritage, a conservation group. First was the rehabilitation of the remaining historical portions. Next came replacing the missing parts.

The first 12 feet of the fa & #231;ade had been covered up by tile, and when it was removed Milofsky, a partner with M2A Architects, he found the better part of a gargoyle from the original building. From old pictures of the building they discovered there had been two additional gargoyles. Using the remnant and photographs, they created molds and produced replicas of the original terra cotta icons out of lightweight cement.

“It’s a lot of work with photographs,” Milofsky said. “It’s a lot of, ‘Remove what’s there and hope there’s something behind it.'”

Armed with original construction drawings, a generous base of historical knowledge and a healthy curiosity, the search revealed clues to the past under paneling and carpet and paint. The findings were not always in the most desirable condition, but they were there and workable.

“There was always one of something,” Milofsky said.

Crews found one of the original elevator lobby lanterns in the lobby of the third floor. From that, workers created a mold, as with the gargoyles, and produced 35 more. Now there are three lanterns, one for each elevator on each floor.

The elevator lobby is a good snapshot of the type of peel-and-see process Milofsky pursued to bring back history. Crews had to rip up a yellow starburst tile floor and tear down a drop ceiling slung low, just above the elevators. What they found were the original tile checkerboard marble floor and an art deco, raised-panel ceiling.

Inside the elevators, workers replaced walnut-colored Formica with wood paneling dressed in metallic paint that recalled the original design.

Kerry Morrison, executive director of Hollywood Entertainment District Property Owners Association, said the modernizing touches that Gilmore has ripped out served an inadvertent purpose.

“It’s been a blessing in disguise because by covering up facades, ceilings and wall treatments those elements were protected for decades,” Morrison said.

The U.S. Department of Interior maps out criteria for developers to follow in order to receive tax credits for restoration of historical buildings, encouraging developers to spend the extra 10 percent to 15 percent on a project to restore it rather than gut or demolish it.

More than fresh paint

For each cost-saving and aesthetic advantage, there are additional costly requirements. The paint, for instance, that Gilmore had to use is more expensive and not as durable as what he would have chosen given the discretion.

Most of the woodwork throughout the building is mahogany, which Milofsky said had to be replaced with mahogany. That’s not cheap, but it is necessary. “It’s a color, it’s a grain, it’s a pattern,” Milofsky said of the mahogany. “It’s more than just ‘Hey, it’s wood painted brown.'”

Milofsky said there’s no way to jump into a restoration with a definitive plan from start to finish.

“Inevitably, when you do the demolition and start construction you find something. There’s always a discovery process,” he said.

That’s why Milofsky compares historic restoration to tugging on a frayed strand of a knit sweater. When engineers and architects start peeling back the years of so-called modernization of classic buildings, they often find intricate designs, expensive building materials and records of history. There are so many layers and encouraging revelations that the preservationist is challenged to draw the line.

“There’s always a dollar sign somewhere that stops it,” Hollincheck said.