Traffic Building

 1927_construction, commercial building, American Craftsman (architecture)

6-story commercial building completed in 1927. Designed by Abraham Fisher for the Traffic Cafeteria Company, it is clad in a rich tapestry of orange, brown and umber brick, laid in a variety of patterns, with complementary terra-cotta. The upper floors have three bays of double-windows, divided by grey metal mullions. The terra-cotta pilasters on the side of the 2nd floor are made of interwoven Celtic-type ornament. The bricks in the spandrel panels at various locations are rendered in herringbone and checkerboard patterns. Twin spiral colonnettes run up the facade of the building, topped by medieval-style capitals and eagles. Above is a gable crowning the facade. A frieze across the 3rd floor carries large wreaths of floral ornament flanking a terra-cotta plaque with the building's name.

In June 1942 the building was leased to the Comet Express Company. From the mid-1940s through the 1950s Standard Phono Corporation, distributors and sellers of vinyl records, was here. The ground floor, now covered with stone tiles in place of the original terra-cotta and brick, is occupied by Malibu Diner.

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