The photographs in this collection show the headquarters for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner newspaper, located at 146 West 11th Street in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. The location was formerly occupied by the Giambastiani Fuel Co. Photographs in this album show an old wooden house structure and oil derrick on the site, presumably left from the previous occupant. The album shows that horses and wagons were used in the construction of the building, designed by Julia Morgan (1872-1957), the first female architect licensed in the state of California. However, one photograph in this album throws the question of the building's architect into question. A large banner hanging from the building during the laying of the cornerstone reads: "J. Martyn Haenke & W.J. Dodd Architects." Scholars dispute to what extent Dodd, one of the great Midwestern architects, was involved in the design of the building. During this period, Dodd moved to Los Angeles and designed several buildings with J. Martyn Haenke. According to historians, Hearst was so pleased with Morgan's Mission Revival design for the Los Angeles Examiner building that he hired her for the now-famous Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

Part of the Hearst Syndicate, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Southern California daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. The afternoon Los Angeles Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in the city since the turn of the last century, merged in 1962. For a few years after this merger, the Herald Examiner claimed the largest afternoon newspaper circulation in the country. The newspaper ceased operation in 1989 and the building has since been vacant. However, the owners of the five-story, 100,000-square foot building announced in 2019 that it will undergo a $56 million renovation.