History The colorfully tiled two-story building located at 3800 East Cesar Chavez Avenue (formerly Brooklyn Avenue) in East Los Angeles was completed in 1927 to house the Brooklyn State Bank. Designed by local architectural firm Postle & Postle, the building was to have four stores, a market and banking rooms on the ground floor, and a banquet hall, lodge room, offices, and apartments on the second floor. It appears the Brooklyn State Bank never occupied the building, as there is no record of it ever doing business at this location. It’s possible that either the bank never received its charter or it failed. In 1944, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles purchased the building for use by the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). CYO opened in the building that same year, creating an important community venue to engage Mexican youth, curb violence, and counter systemic racism related to the Zoot Suit Riots in 1943.