An art deco building at the edge of Echo Park in Los Angeles has served for more than a decade as the West Coast home of one of the world’s most visible animal rights groups. Now, the Bob Barker Building — named for the late game show host and longtime animal welfare advocate — is up for sale.
PETA has listed the property for $6.5 million. The 16,000-square-foot building, built in 1930, was renovated for creative office use in 2012 and includes a rooftop terrace, a small warehouse and an extra income source in the form of a Clear Channel billboard on the roof with a lease that expires in 2026.
The animal rights organization, also known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, bought the building at 2154 W. Sunset Blvd. from a family trust for about $2 million in 2009, according to public records. Barker, best known as the host of "The Price is Right," donated $2.5 million toward the purchase and renovation of the former car showroom, and the nonprofit named the building in his honor. It opened in 2012 with a "red carpet, all vegan, dog-friendly" party attended by animal-loving celebrities and influencers.
Now, PETA wants to offload the building as it reevaluates its real estate footprint, according to listing brokerage Kidder Mathews. The firm is marketing the building as an owner-user opportunity.
The asking price breaks down to just over $418 per square foot, significantly higher than the $324 average for office sales in the East Hollywood/Silver Lake area, according to CoStar data.
“This is a stunning example of a true creative office — original design, modern upgrades, and a rooftop built for collaboration,” listing agent Christopher Steck of Kidder Mathews writes in a marketing memo.
An address for activism
The building sits on a 13,000-square-foot corner lot at Sunset and Alvarado. Behind its preserved 1930s facade, the interior was reimagined by KAA Design with cork flooring, vintage casement windows, skylights and exposed ductwork throughout.
A 1,500-square-foot warehouse space with a roll-up door that faces Sunset offers potential for light industrial, production or hybrid office use. The rooftop terrace spans 4,500 square feet and has served as an outdoor event and workspace with views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign.
PETA’s renovation also included 88 rooftop solar panels and a high-efficiency lighting system, both meant to cut operating costs and support the group’s environmental values.
For years, the building served as the organization’s West Coast base of operations, housing campaign teams, media staff and celebrity outreach efforts. From this location, PETA staged protests and media stunts just a few miles from Hollywood’s red carpets.
The surrounding neighborhood has evolved into a hub for independent creative businesses and small studios, attracting foot traffic from Silver Lake, Echo Park and downtown.
Despite broader headwinds in the office market, East Hollywood/Silver Lake remains relatively stable. The submarket had a 4.2% vacancy rate in the second quarter, with 980,000 square feet listed as available and 610,000 square feet under construction, more than triple the 10-year average, per CoStar.
That said, investment activity has slowed. Just six office buildings traded in the submarket over the past year, totaling 60,000 square feet and $23.4 million in volume. That's well below the five-year average of $65.9 million.
PETA has long used real estate as a storytelling tool. Its East Coast headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, occupies a former warehouse named for "The Simpsons" co-creator and donor Sam Simon. In Los Angeles, the nonprofit also owns the James Cromwell Empathy Center, a former Safeway down the street named for the "Succession" actor and activist.
Barker, who died in 2023, was one of the first celebrities to go vegetarian in the 1990s, according to PETA. He worked with the group on various animal rights issues over the years, including encouraging Hollywood to take action to protect animals used in film and television.