The Wm. Fox Corp. building at 55th Street and 10th Avenue, 1921. Construction on the Fox building, a $2.5 million endeavor supervised personally by founder William Fox, began in 1919. The building was both a film production facility, with fireproof construction specifically designed to accommodate hazards associated with flammable filmmaking materials, and the corporate headquarters of the Fox Film Corporation. The 1929 stock market crash and litigation over an unsuccessful bid to acquire the Loew’s chain of theaters left William Fox bankrupt. He lost control of the Fox Film Corp in a 1930 hostile takeover; even so, 20th Century Fox continues to bear his name. Today, the former Fox building on 10th Avenue is the Independence High School.