[3] The building caught fire in 1935, after an acetylene tank used for exterior remodeling exploded, blowing out windows and injuring dozens.

In 1940, the building facade, which had been blackened by the fire, was completely altered, but the new design complimented the time period and blended well with the rest of the district.

[1][5][6] In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Norton Building listed as a contributing property in the district.

[7] Norton Building features a steel frame and was built with brick and concrete, making it the strongest building in Los Angeles, size considered, when it was built.

[1][3] The building is faced with terra cotta, marble, and tile, and its original facade was replaced with one in the Zigzag Moderne style.