Photos: Downtown L.A.’s historic Herald Examiner building

The Herald Examiner building, at Broadway and 11th Street, was designed by Julia Morgan, who also designed the Hearst Castle.

Marble columns and the stair balustrade in the lobby of the Herald Examiner building.

Marble columns flank the ornate lobby of the Herald Examiner building.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Floor tile detail in the lobby of the Herald Examiner building.

Another look at the lobby of the Herald Examiner building.

Several of many skylights shuttered since the blackout of World War II have been opened at the Herald Examiner buildin.

A view of the lobby entrance from the second floor at the vacant Herald Examiner building. Work is about to get underway to turn it into an office space with shops and restaurants on the ground floor.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The Herald Examiner building is on South Broadway.

Michael Fischer of Georgetown Co., the developer, shows a hidden vault and a couple of unopened safes discovered during demolition.

The former press room at the Herald Examiner building.

Another view of the former newsroom.

A view of downtown Los Angeles from the balcony at the Herald Examiner building.

The Herald Examiner building is at South Broadway and 11th street.

The Herald Examiner building has been mostly vacant for decades.