History and architecture
The Art Deco Sofia Brothers Warehouse was designed by the firm of Jardine, Hill & Murdoch as one of two Kent Automatic Parking Garages. Built in 1929-30, the garage used a patented automatic parking system in which an electrical "parking machine" engaged cars by their rear axles and towed them from the elevator platform to parking spots. As the use of automobiles increased after the First World War, the creation of parking facilities became a necessity in urban areas and the design of garages a new field for architects.
However, in September of 1931, the Kent garage enterprise failed, and the company was reorganized without the Kent Brothers. The building was operated as a garage until 1943, when the Central Savings Bank (holder of the mortgage), sold it to the Sofia interests, who removed the garage apparatus blocked up the original vehicular entrance on Columbus Avenue, and converted the building to a storage warehouse. The architect of the alteration was George S. Kingsley.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.