Royal Laundry Complex

The Royal Laundry Complex is a historic laundry plant located at 443 S. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena, California consisting of close to 72,500-square-foot.[2] Gordon Kaufmann, a prominent architect who also designed the Hoover Dam and several buildings at the California Institute of Technology, designed the plant. Kaufman's Spanish Colonial Revival design for the plant signified a shift in his style to include modern elements, which ultimately came to dominate his work.[3] The complex currently serves as the world headquarters of Bluebeam, Inc. and was formerly the company headquarters of the Disney Store.

Royal Laundry Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	443 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, California
Coordinates	34°8′17″N 118°8′54″W
Area	1.9 acres (0.77 ha)
Built	1927
Architect	Kaufmann, Gordon B.
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial Revival, Streamline Moderne
NRHP reference No.	07000996[1]
Added to NRHP	September 27, 2007

History

The site's main plant was constructed in 1927 for the Royal Laundry Company, a laundry service founded in 1910. The plant's south annex, a Streamline Moderne building topped by a pylon, was added to the complex around 1930. An additional building providing drive-up service was constructed in 1939, an adaptation to the rise of the automobile; this building was topped by an overhead sign advertising the business in 1955. The laundry complex, which is located in an industrial neighborhood of Pasadena, has been described as one of the most architecturally significant industrial buildings in the city.[3] The Royal Laundry ceased operations in 1980s and became a vacant property.[4]

A parking ramp was built in 2005 with 4 stories and hold 225 autos.[2] The complex interior was converted to corporate office space by October 2008 by Clive Wilkinson Architects.[5]

Hoops Retail Stores, DBA Disney Store and a subsidiary of Children's Place, commenced a 13-year lease of the building in 2006.[2] The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 2007.[1] Disney Consumer Products took over Disney Stores back from a bankrupt Hoops Retail on May 1, 2008[6] but maintained its headquarters here.[2]

In 2012, Karlin Real Estate, a West L.A. real estate investment company, purchased the complex for $19.3 million only to place back up for sale in mid-February 2014.[2] In late August, the complex was sold to Swig Co., a San Francisco real estate investment company.[7] In mid-November 2018, the Disney Stores USA headquarters moved out of the complex to Disney's secondary headquarters, Grand Central Creative Campus.[8][9]

Since April 2019, it is the headquarters of Bluebeam Inc.

443 S. Raymond Avenue

See also

• Home Laundry: another laundry on the NRHP in Pasadena

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Firnhaber, Bethany (February 17, 2014). "Historic Pasadena Site Touts Creative Appeal". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
3. McAvoy, Christy (April 27, 2007). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Royal Laundry Complex". National Park Service. Retrieved September 30, 2013. Accompanied by photos.
4. Vincent, Roger (September 3, 2014). "Historic Royal Laundry complex in Pasadena sold to S.F. investors". LA Times. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
5. "The Disney Store Headquarters, Pasadena on The National Design Awards Gallery". National Design Gallery. Cooper Hewitt. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
6. Chmielewski, Dawn C. (September 6, 2011). "Head of Disney Consumer Products group steps down". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
7. "Disney Store Headquarters in Pasadena Acquired". Los Angeles Business Journal. August 26, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
8. "Statement of Information: Disney Stores USA, LLC". Business Search. California Secretary of State. March 23, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
9. "Statement of Information: Disney Stores USA, LLC". Business Search. California Secretary of State. November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2019.