One of very few Late Moderne buildings in downtown Los Angeles, the Gerry Building stands near the corner of South Los Angeles and East Ninth Streets as an orange beacon of gorgeous industrial architecture in the heart of the Fashion District. It was designed by Maurice H. Fleishman and Herbert O. Alden for the Gerry Realty Corporation and completed in 1947, one of the first buildings built downtown after World War II. The Gerry Building has continuously housed garment manufacturers and fashion showrooms since its establishment, and currently contains fashion showrooms displaying over seventy fashion lines.

Nine stories tall and confidently industrial in a streamlined way, the building was built of concrete with scored concrete panels decorating the front façade.

It is effectively punctuated by eight wide, curving bands of operable steel sash windows separated by curving concrete canopies. The main entrance features a round tile-clad column, rust-colored like the rest of the building, and a terrazzo floor that continues into the main lobby. It is capped by a projecting canopy supporting the building’s name in free-standing stainless steel letters.

The building was rehabilitated in 2002, repairing windows, removing inappropriate modern finishes and extending its life. As a rare example of the Late Moderne style downtown, an early example of post-World War II Modernism, and a wonderfully functional, vibrant industrial space, the Gerry Building is a true treasure of Los Angeles.