Two of Them? NoHo and Highland Park Old Bank Clones

Upon a visit to Highland Park today I had to do a double take - could it be that overnight someone lifted the former Security Bank Building from Weddington and Lankershim and moved it to Figueroa Street in north east Los Angeles?

Highland Park Security Bank - Available
(Photo by Michael Higby)

Not quite.

Apparently back in the 20s the Security Trust and Savings Bank built at least a few banks with more or less the same design. The branch in NoHo (soon to become The Bank Heist Restaurant and Club), the aformentioned and currently empty Highland Park location and another branch in Eagle Rock that was razed in the 60s for a more "modern" structure.

The Hotspot Formerly Known as Security Bank
(Photo by Lindsay William-Ross for LAist)

Besides its tenure as a bank, the NoHo location has served as a bookstore (anyone remember The Paperback Shack?) and later was the temporary home of the Actors Renegade Theatre while it's Magnolia Boulevard theatre was under construction (now the NoHo Theatre Center). It's also been used for various events such as art exhibitions during the NoHo Arts Festival. Some of the upstairs offices have been used as loft living pre-NoHo Commons.

Maybe Bank Heist wants to open up a branch in the rapidly becoming hip Highland Park?