Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established as a museum in 1961. Prior to this, LACMA was part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, founded in 1910 in Exposition Park near the University of Southern California. Howard F. Ahmanson, Sr., Anna Bing Arnold and Bart Lytton were the first principal patrons of the museum.

Historical Notes

Ahmanson made the lead donation of $2 million, convincing the museum board that sufficient funds could be raised to establish the new museum.  In 1965 the museum moved to a new Wilshire Boulevard complex (seen above) as an independent, art-focused institution, the largest new museum to be built in the United States after the National Gallery of Art.*^

Historical Notes

Designed by LA architect William Pereira, the museum was built in a style similar to Lincoln Center and the Los Angeles Music Center, consisted of three buildings: the Ahmanson Building, the Bing Center, and the Lytton Gallery (renamed the Frances and Armand Hammer Building in 1968).

Historical Notes

When the museum opened, the buildings were surrounded by reflecting pools, but they were filled in and covered over when tar from the adjacent La Brea Tar Pits began seeping in.

Historical Notes

To house its growing collections of modern and contemporary art and to provide more space for exhibitions, the museum hired the architectural firm of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates to design its $35.3-million, 115,000-square-foot Robert O. Anderson Building for 20th-century art, which opened in 1986 (renamed the Art of the Americas Building in 2007).  Museum-goers would now enter through the new partially roofed central court, nearly an acre of space bounded by the museum's four buildings.

In 1994 LACMA purchased the adjacent former May Company Department Store Buiolding, an impressive example of streamline moderne architecture designed by Albert C. Martin Sr. LACMA West increased the museum's size by 30 percent when the building opened in 1998.

Historical Notes

In June 2014, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved $5 million for LACMA to continue its proposed plans to tear down the structures on the east end of its campus for a single museum building.  Later that year, they approved in concept a plan that would provide public financing and $125 million toward the $600-million project.

The museum received a $500 million donation of art from businessman Jerry Perenchio in 2014. The 47-piece collection contains works by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, René Magritte, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso. LACMA executive director Michael Govan said it was the biggest gift in the museum's history, and The Washington Post called it "conceivably one of the greatest art gifts ever, to any museum." Perenchio's donation, which becomes effective upon his death, occurs only if the museum completes construction of the new building designed by Peter Zumthor.*^

Historical Notes

Peter Zumthor has designed a new building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that he believes will give context to displaced art objects from around the world. The building project entails the construction of one modern and efficient building to replace four aging buildings (Ahmanson, Art of the Americas, Bing, Hammer), as well as the construction of a parking structure on Ogden Drive to replace the spaces on the existing Spaulding Avenue parking lot.

Historical Notes

The proposed new museum is an amoeba-shaped concrete form that will bridge Wilshire Boulevard from LACMA’s current site to what was a parking lot opposite, with all the new galleries flowing together on one floor. Functions such as education, retail, and restaurants will be housed in the seven pavilions holding up the floating gallery space nearly 30 feet in the air.

Historical Notes

The new building spans Wilshire in order to provide 3.5 acres of new park and outdoor space for visitors in Hancock Park and the Natural History Museum’s research. This public outdoor space will be home to even more public sculptures .

Historical Notes

The Villa, modeled after a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, was constructed in the early 1970s by the architectural firm of Langdon and Wilson. Architectural consultant Norman Neuerburg worked closely with J. Paul Getty to develop the interior and exterior details, based on elements from ancient Roman houses in the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae.*

Historical Notes

Between 1997 and 2006, the Getty Villa underwent a major renovation by architects Rodolfo Machado and Jorge Silvetti, seeing modifications to its site plan, landscaping, and buildings. The museum now houses only Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art, with the rest of Getty’s collection now housed at the massive Getty Center in Brentwood.*

Historical Notes

The Getty Villa consists of a two-story building with a 300-foot-long peristyle of Doric and Corinthian columns surrounding a landscaped courtyard with a reflecting pool, Roman-style plantings, and bronze statues.

Historical Notes

Construction of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion started on March 9, 1962, and it was dedicated September 27, 1964. The Pavilion was named for Dorothy Buffum Chandler who led the effort to build a suitable home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and rejuvenate the performing arts in Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

In April 1955, Dorothy Chandler, wife of Los Angeles Times publisher Norman Chandler, began fundraising toward a permanent home for the Philharmonic. Ultimately Mrs. Chandler raised almost $20 million in private donations; the County provided the site and raised the remaining $14 million using mortgage revenue bonds.

The rest of the complex was completed in April 1967. The additional venues, the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, were dedicated on April 19 and 12, 1967, respectively.*^

Historical Notes

In 1969 a sculpture designed by Jaque Lipchitzwas was placed in the center of the plaza surrounded by water-jet fountains. The mammoth bronze sculpture shows a dove descending to Earth as a spirit of peace, further symbolized by a Madonna standing inside a tear-shaped canopy, supported by reclining lambs.  In 2018 it was moved and re-installed 100 feet to the west in order to open up the center of the plaza and provide greater accessibility.*

Historical Notes

The Plaza re-opened in 2019 after a $41 million renovation.  It marked the return of The Music Center Plaza fountain, a centerpiece of the space, while the Jacques Lipchitz-designed “Peace on Earth” sculpture was relocated to a more prominent position within The Music Center complex.*

Historical Notes

The interior of the theater is an elegant five-story space draped in honey-toned onyx and features 78 crystal light fixtures including three stunning chandeliers each made with 24,000 individual pieces of hand-polished crystal from Munich. #*^*

Historical Notes

The opening concert was held on December 6, 1964 with Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic with soloist Jascha Heifetz. The program included Fanfare by Richard Strauss, American Festival Overture by William Schuman, Roman Festivals by Ottorino Respighi, Beethoven's Violin Concerto.*^

Historical Notes

The parking lot seen above is the current site of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, built in 2003.

Historical Notes

The Mark Taper Forum opened in 1967 as part of the Los Angeles Music Center, the West Coast’s equivalent of Lincoln Center. The smallest of the three, the Taper sits between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Ahmanson Theater at opposite ends of a plaza. The three buildings of the Music Center were designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket.

The building bears an architectural resemblance to Carousel Theatre at Disneyland, also built by Welton Becket and Associates in 1967. It is similar in design concept and size to the Dallas Theatre Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and the original Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, in Minneapolis.

In 1969, a sculpture, "Peace on Earth" by Jacques Lipchitz, was dedicated. It portrays a dove descending to earth with the spirit of peace, symbolized by the Madonna standing inside a tear shaped canopy, supported by a base of reclining lambs. Lawrence E. Deutsch and Lloyd Rigler donated $250,000 to commission a work for the fountain.

The architects of The Music Center, Welton Becket and Associates, opposed placing sculpture in the plaza between the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum. However after a two-year search, the Art Committee of The Music Center commissioned Lipchitz. Today, no work of public art in Los Angeles is more photographed.*^

Historical Notes

S. (Sydney) Mark Taper was a real estate developer, financier and philanthropist in Southern California. His 1962 gift to the Los Angeles Music Center resulted in the Mark Taper Forum being named for him in 1967.

Mr. Taper was born in Poland, moving to England at a year old, where he opened five shoe stores. In 1929, he began successfully investing in real estate and by the late 1930s, had retired and moved his family to Long Beach.*^

Historical Notes

A $30-million renovation of the Taper led by the Los Angeles firm Rios Clementi Hale Studios began in July 2007 after the 2006/2007 season. The theater reopened on August 30, 2008.

The Taper, as originally designed, was a case study in what happens when a theater is built without a tenant in mind. Fitting the auditorium into the circular building left a tiny backstage and only a narrow, curved hallway for a lobby.

The renovation updated nearly everything that was not concrete and did not disrupt the building’s circular shape. To create a larger main lobby, the designers reduced the ticket booth and removed about 30 parking spaces from the lower-level garage to move the restrooms below ground as part of a stylized lounge with gold, curved couches and mosaics of mirrored tiles that fit the era in which the building was designed. The theater seats are wider and total capacity was reduced from 745 to 739. The entrance was moved to the plaza level and an elevator added to increase the accessibility of the theater.*^

Historical Notes

The Garcia House (also known as The Rainbow House) is a private home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, designed by architect John Lautner. Located on Mulholland Drive, it sits on stilts 60 feet above the canyon below.*^

Historical Notes

Also known as the "Rainbow House" for its parabolic roof over colored stained glass windows and a curved ceiling that rises to 30 feet in height, it has been described as "one of the 10 most important residences from the midcentury period in Los Angeles." *^

Historical Notes

The building was originally designed in 1962 for Russell Garcia. By 2002 it had undergone many changes from its original design and was in need of renovation. In 2002, actor Vincent Gallo sold the house for $1.3 million to Bill Damaschke, a Dreamworks executive, and his partner, business manager John McIlwee. Damaschke and McIlwee then invested another $1 million on an extensive renovation, supervised by the Marmol Radziner design firm. They ultimately also added a fence to obstruct public views from the street into the glass-sided, transparent house. *^

Historical Notes

The pool added a few years ago was actually in the original plans, but the first owners ran out of money to build it. It sits on a concrete terrace below the house.

Historical Notes

The house was prominently used as a location for the film Lethal Weapon 2, as well as in a 2011 commercial for Oliver Peoples eyewear featuring singer Devendra Banhart and his girlfriend Rebecca Schwartz. *^

Click HERE for contemporary view.

Historical Notes

Once inside the house, the inhabitant or guest is treated to panoramic views of Hollywood through the vast walls of clear and colored glass.

2011 marked the 100th birthday of John Lautner, who was as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesen West. His brillaince was evident early on and even Wright himself boldly claimed that Lautner was “the world’s second greatest architect”.  Like Wright, Lautner is recognized for creating dramatic architecture that blends naturally into the surrounding landscape and he does so while working with powerful geometric designs. “I love lakes, mountains,” Lautner is quoted as saying, “and none of them are square”.

With designs that are completely unlike anyone else’s (in fact, his designs are unique even among themselves), it’s no wonder at all that several of his houses have been made prominent appearances in Hollywood films. For instance, the Garcia Residence (seen above) was featured in Lethal Weapon 2, where Mel Gibson used cables to attach the house to a pick-up truck and pull it down the side of the mountain.^^

Historical Notes

Penguin Coffee Shop was first constructed in 1959. The coffee shop was designed by architects Armét and Davis, who are also responsible for the appearance of La Cienega Boulevard’s Norms Restaurant, which is the oldest Norm’s establishment that is still standing today.

Googie architecture has a futuristic Space Age look, that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Its name comes from the defunct West Hollywood Googie's Coffee Shop.

Historical Notes

Armét and Davis also designed the landmark Pann's coffee shop in Ladera Heights, Johnie's Coffee Shop at Fairfax and Wilshire, Norms Restaurant on La Cienega, and several Bob's Big Boy restaurants.*^

Historical Notes

When Penguin Coffee Shop closed, the building became a dentist’s office in 1991. The establishment closed in 2016.  Mel’s Drive-in owner Steven Weiss recently signed a long-term lease for the Googie-style building and plans to add it to his chain of restaurants.

Click HERE to see contemporary view.

Historical Notes

Designed by Stiles O. Clements and with its sweep of windows and arched roof, this Ralphs was a great example of 60's architecture. Clements was a partner of Hearst Castle designer Julia Morgan and did several local Ralphs and the North Hollywood Sears.*#*#*

Click HERE to see an 1886 photo of George Ralphs standing in front of his original store in the Early LA Buildings (1800s) Section.

Historical Notes

Designed by acclaimed architect Frank Ehrenthal, the building was completed in 1964. Its bizarre shape led to the nickname "The Onion." In addition to its church service, the building also operated as a nursery school, and held small theatrical performances.

Historical Notes

In 2010, the Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society Sanctuary was dedicated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 975. Click HERE to see complete listing.

Historical Notes

Fotomat was a retail chain of photo development drive-through kiosks located in shopping center parking lots. Fotomat Corporation was founded by Preston Fleet in San Diego in the 1960s, with the first kiosk opening in Point Loma, California in 1965. At its peak around 1980 there were over 4,000 Fotomats throughout the United States, primarily in suburban areas. Fotomats were distinctive for their pyramid-shaped gold-colored roofs and signs with red lettering, usually positioned in a large parking area such as a supermarket or strip mall, as the Fotomat huts required a minimal amount of land and were able to accommodate cars driving up to drop off or pick up film.*^

Historical Notes

Photomat sold Kodak-brand film and other photography-related products, and offered one day photo finishing. They often hired female employees to work in the small buildings and called them "Fotomates." The Fotomate uniform was a royal blue and yellow smock top. Male employees were called "Fotomacs" and their uniform was a light blue polo shirt.

The company's main product, overnight film development, was rendered noncompetitive by the late 1980s development of the minilab, which provided one-hour photo development and could be installed on-site without a large capital investment.*^

Historical Notes

The Crocker-Citizens Plaza was  designed by William L. Pereira & Associates and completed in 1968. The building was commissioned by the now-defunct Crocker Citizen's Bank, and served as its headquarters for many years before being bought by AT&T. It was the tallest building in Los Angeles upon completion, and the first building to surpass Los Angeles City Hall in terms of structural height (many buildings had surpassed City Hall with decorative spires, the first being Richfield Tower).*^

Historical Notes

The Crocker-Citizens Building (now known as 611 Place) consists of a cross-shaped tower clad in vertical aluminum beams, and supported on its west side by an immense, blank slab of concrete running the entire height of the building, which is used to display corporate logos.*^

Historical Notes

The bank traces its history to the Woolworth National Bank in San Francisco. Charles Crocker, who was one of The Big Four of the Central Pacific Railroad and who constructed America's First Transcontinental Railroad, acquired a controlling interest in Woolworth for his son William Henry Crocker. The bank was renamed Crocker Woolworth National Bank, later Crocker-Anglo Bank, Crocker-Citizens National Bank, then Crocker First National Bank and finally Crocker National Bank. It had many branches, mostly in the northern half of California. In 1963, Crocker-Anglo Bank later merged with Los Angeles' Citizens National Bank, to become Crocker-Citizens Bank and later, Crocker Bank.*^

Historical Notes

The building appeared in several movies: it appeared twice in 2004, first in The Day After Tomorrow where it mysteriously appeared in shots of Manhattan, and later in Along Came Polly, where it was the starting point of an ill-fated BASE jump. 611 Place is also destroyed by an earthquake in the 2000 movie Epicenter.*^

Historical Notes

The Crocker Bank Building was bought by AT&T and is now known as 611 Place.*^

The iconic neon "Jesus Saves" sign in downtown L.A. has quite the story. It was once part of the Church of the Open Door, then moved to the United Artists Theater, which served as the Los Angeles University Cathedral. Now the building that the sign sits on houses the Ace Hotel.

Historical Notes

The new Hall of Records building was co-designed by Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander and built in 1962.  Originally envisioned as two separate buildings, one for storing records and the other for workers, Neutra and Alexander combined the buildings into one. The T-shaped building has odd number floors on the north side, with double high ceilings and tall windows. The records block on the south side, has floors at 8-ft intervals.

The building was designed to be energy efficient, with large aluminum louvers on the south face running the height of the building. Originally, they turned with the angle of the sun throughout the day to allow more indirect light into the building. No longer operable, they are now locked in one position.

The Temple Street side of the building is covered with a Mosaic Mural titled Water Sources in Los Angeles County by Joseph Young. The mural and reflecting pool were restored in 2007.*^

Historical Notes

The 17-story Department of Water & Power Office Building (GOB) was constructed on Bunker Hill with the purpose of consolidating 11 building offices scattered across Downtown LA and was formally dedicated in June 1965.

Historical Notes

The A.C. Martin and Associates designed building offered some unique high-technology features in that It was designed to utilize the pool surrounding the structure as part of the air conditioning system and to heat the building without the use of a boiler.

Historical Notes

The first occupants moved into the DWP General Office Building on May 14, 1965. One month later the building was formally dedicated in a ceremony attended by civic officials and business leaders. The eight fountains outside the building were turned on by Elizabeth Scattergood and Rose Mulholland, granddaughters of the two men who were DWP's first chief engineers. ##^*

Historical Notes

On September 21, 2011, the DWP Building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 1022. One of Los Angeles' most notable examples of Corporate International architecture, the DWP Building (John Ferraro Office Building) opened in 1965 and has been an L.A. icon ever since.

Historical Notes

Los Angeles County had gone nearly twenty-six years without a dedicated courthouse structure after the previous 1891 sandstone courthouse was damaged in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. The Los Angeles Times noted that the architects of the present courthouse, which is home to both municipal courts and superior courts, designed it to last 250 years.^

Historical Notes

The $24 million Los Angeles County Courthouse was dedicated on October 31, 1958, and opened for public business at 9 a.m. on January 5, 1959. With 850,000 square feet of space, it was the largest courthouse in the United States. Its entrances featured mosaic tile columns. The marble floors were quarried in Italy and polished in Vermont. White oak paneling lined the 110 courtrooms. The courthouse included eight large courtrooms, with prominent slabs of Tennessee Rosemont marble on the walls behind each bench.*

Historical Notes

The clock on its eastern facade links the current courthouse to its predecessors. The hands and numerals of the clock were also on the Clocktower Courthouse, which was used from 1861 to 1891, and the Red Sandstone Courthouse, in use from 1891 to 1933. When the Red Sandstone Courthouse was demolished, the clock was preserved and later incorporated into the current courthouse, which opened in 1959.*

Historical Notes

The County Courthouse was renamed in 2002 in honor of Stanley Mosk, who was the longest serving justice on the California Supreme Court and earlier served as Attorney General of California.^

Historical Notes

Donal Hood designed the “Justice” sculpture on the Hill Street façade.  The terra cotta work was manufactured by Gladding McBean at its Lincoln, California, factory.*

Historical Notes

Albert Stewart created the three “Foundations of the Law” figures on the Grand Avenue side, to represent the legal traditions upon which America was founded.

Through more than 150 years the county has used at least eight buildings as its county courthouse. All have been situated within a mile of each other in downtown Los Angeles south of the original plaza in what has for the past 80 years been called the Civic Center.

◆ The first county courthouse was in the adobe Bella Union Hotel, where court was held in rented rooms from 1850 to 1852.
◆ From January 1852 until November 1853, the county rented the home of county attorney (and later judge) Benjamin Hayes on Main Street.
◆ The Roche (or Rocha) House, an adobe on the corner of Spring and Court Streets, which the county and city jointly purchased from Jonathan “Don Juan” Temple, was used from November 1853 to March 1860.
◆ From 1860 to 1861 the county rented a building, probably a two-story brick house on Main Street, from John Nichols, former mayor of Los Angeles.
◆ The Temple Market Block — where City Hall now stands — was rented by the county in May 1861, purchased in 1867 and used until 1891. This was the Clocktower Courthouse, known for its rectangular tower with a clock on all four sides.
◆ The Red Sandstone Courthouse on Pound Cake Hill, completed in 1891, was damaged beyond repair by the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 and demolished in 1936. It is now the site of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, constructed in 1972.
◆ The Hall of Records, built next door to the Red Sandstone Courthouse in 1911, was used along with other buildings as the courthouse from 1934 until 1959, when the current courthouse was occupied. It was demolished in 1973.
◆ The current courthouse, the Stanley Mosk County Courthouse, is located at 111 N. Hill Street.  Dedicated in 1959, it was the largest courthouse in the United States.*

Historical Notes

Parker Center was the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1954 until October 2009 and is located in downtown LA at 150 N. Los Angeles Street.  Often called "The Glass House", the building was named for former LAPD chief William H. Parker. Originally called the Police Administration Building (PAB) (or Police Facilities Building), groundbreaking for the center began on December 30, 1952, and construction was completed in 1955. The architect was Welton Becket. The building combined police facilities that had been located throughout the Civic Center area. The location was previously home to the Olympic Hotel. *^

Historical Notes

Designed by Welton Becket, the 7-story, Modernist structure includes a horizontal slab with bands of windows on the long east and west sides, and glazed terra cotta panels on the short north and south sides. Horizontal 2-story wings extend out into the surrounding parking lots, defining an entrance plaza and a visual base for the building.

Historical Notes

Parker Center appears in many episodes of the television drama Dragnet, beginning with the fifth season in 1955. It also appears in several establishing shots for the Perry Mason TV series between 1958 and 1966. It appeared in several episodes (seasons 3, 4 & 10) of Columbo. The popular NBC drama Hunter also used the Parker Center in the sixth and seventh seasons. Parker Center is also the location of the Priority Homicide Division, and later, Major Crimes on the television series The Closer. *^

Historical Notes

With time, the Parker Center became outdated and was in need of expensive seismic retrofits. After considering a number of downtown sites for a new facility, the city council selected a property directly south of City Hall, Caltrans' former Los Angeles headquarters. Ground was broken for the new building in January 2007, which was dedicated on October 24, 2009.

On January 15, 2013, the City of Los Angeles permanently closed Parker Center.  In 2014 the City Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Engineering recommended razing the now vacant Parker Center in favor of building a 27-story tower in its place.

The LA City Council, on March 24, 2017, voted unanimously to approve a proposal to demolish Parker Center, and replace it with an office tower that would consolidate offices of city employees.*^

Historical Notes

The new headquarters building was designed by the architectural firm Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall (DMJM) - Roth Sheppard Designs and was constructed by Tutor-Saliba Corporation. 

The Headquarters is a 500,000 square-foot structure that features 10 floors, a Café called LA Reflections, both underground parking and a parking structure, and a 400 seat civic auditorium.  The building received the Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.  The new building utilizes energy efficient mechanical systems, day-lighting, high-performance glass and recycled or renewable building materials.

A significant feature of the facility is a new Police Memorial to be dedicated to the 202 Los Angeles Police Officers who gave their lives while serving the people of this City.  The Los Angeles Police Foundation has championed the beautiful Memorial Sculpture and garden area which stands on the top tier of the plaza.  All architectural work for the Police Memorial was provided pro bono by the distinguished firm of Gensler.* 

Historical Notes

The Sports Arena became a companion facility to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and home court to the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA from October 1960 to December 1967, the Los Angeles Clippers also of the NBA from 1984–1999, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL from October to December 1967 during their inaugural 1967-68 season, the USC Trojans basketball team of the NCAA from 1959–2006, the UCLA Bruins Basketball team of the NCAA from 1959–1965 and again as a temporary home in 2011-2012, the Los Angeles Blades of the Western Hockey League from 1961 to 1967, the Los Angeles Sharks of the WHA from 1972–1974, the Los Angeles Cobras of the AFL in 1988, and the original Los Angeles Stars of the ABA from 1968–1970. The arena played host to the top indoor track meet on the West Coast, the annual Los Angeles Invitational track meet (frequently called the "Sunkist Invitational", with title sponsorship by Sunkist Growers, Incorporated), from 1960 until the event's demise in 2004.

Since the Trojans left, the arena has taken on a lower profile. The arena still holds high school basketball championships, as well as concerts and conventions. The UCLA men's basketball team played the majority of their home games at the Sports Arena during the 2011-12 season while Pauley Pavilion underwent renovations.*^

Historical Notes

While Dodger Stadium was under construction, the Dodgers played in the league's largest capacity venue from 1958 through 1961 at their temporary home, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which could seat in excess of 90,000 people.

Despite their inept play and seventh-place finish, the Dodgers drew a record 1,845,556 fans in their first year in Los Angeles when they played at the Coliseum.*

Historical Notes

The land for Dodger Stadium was purchased from local owners and inhabitants in the early 1950s by the city of Los Angeles using eminent domain with funds from the Federal Housing Act of 1949. The city had planned to develop the Elysian Park Heights public housing project, which included two dozen 13-story buildings and more than 160 two-story townhouses, in addition to newly rebuilt playgrounds and schools.

Before construction could begin on the housing project, the local political climate changed greatly when Norris Poulson was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1953. By then, the proposed public housing projects like Elysian Park Heights lost most of their support. Following protracted negotiations, the city purchased the Chavez Ravine property back from the Federal Housing Authority at a drastically reduced price, with the stipulation that the land be used for a public purpose. It was not until June 3, 1958, when Los Angeles voters approved a "Taxpayers Committee for Yes on Baseball" referendum, that the Dodgers were able to acquire 352 acres of Chavez Ravine from the city.*^

Historical Notes

Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962. It was constructed from 1959 to 1962 at a cost of $23 million ($177 million in 2012 dollars) and financed by private sources.*^

Notes

Dodger Stadium is currently the third oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball (behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago) and is the largest ballpark by seating capacity. It has always held 56,000 fans, due to a conditional-use permit limiting its capacity. Every time the Dodgers add seats, they always remove an equal number of seats in the upper deck or in the pavilion to keep the capacity the same.*^

Hisorical Notes

A former door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, the Canadian-born Cooke bought the Lakers in 1965 for $5.2 million. After acquiring the rights to an NHL expansion team, Cooke couldn't reach a deal with the Sports Arena (where the Lakers played). He then built the 17,000-seat, $16 million Forum across the street from Hollywood Park; the Kings debuted there on December 30, 1967. In 1979, Cooke sold the Lakers, the Kings, the Forum (and his California ranch) to Jerry Buss for a reported $67.5 million.*

Historical Notes

The circular structure was designed by renowned Los Angeles architect Charles Luckman and was intended to evoke the Roman Forum.

The Forum was the site of the 1972 and 1983 NBA All-Star Games, the 1981 NHL All-Star Game, Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics and hosted the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1983–1988 and also the 1989 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament.

In 2000, it was acquired by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which used it for occasional church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.

In 2012, Madison Square Garden, Inc. bought the facility for $23.5 million and announced plans to renovate the arena for use as a top-niche concert venue.*^

Historical Notes

The distinctive white building resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. It was designed by a team of architects and engineers headed by William Pereira and Charles Luckman, that also included Paul Williams and Welton Becket. The initial design of the building was created by James Langenheim, of Pereira & Luckman.*^

Historical Notes

Originally the the restaurant on top rotated slowly giving the visitors a 360-degree dining experience, however, it is now stationary.*^

Historical Notes

In 1992, the Los Angeles City Council designated the Theme Building as LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 570 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

The Century Plaza Hotel opened its doors on June 1, 1966 in the Los Angeles district of Century City on a former backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios. Fox still has its backlot in the district as well as its headquarters, Fox Plaza. Century City was dominated for much of its early history by the Century Plaza Hotel, as it was the highest building on the hill, where the Presidential Suite looked all the way to the Pacific Ocean.*^

Historical Notes

In 1961, developer William Zeckendorf and Alcoa bought about 180 acres from 20th Century Fox after the studio had suffered a string of expensive flops, culminating in the box-office disaster Cleopatra. The new owners conceived Century City as "a city within a city" with the arc-shaped, 19-story, 726-room Minoru Yamasaki-designed Century Plaza as the centerpiece of the new city.*^

Historical Notes

Apart from its architectural significance, the Century Plaza Hotel is linked to countless events of historic importance as the Hotel immediately became the City’s preferred prestige site for awards presentations, presidential press conferences, political fundraisers, peace rallies and protests, inaugural celebrations, and all types of social gatherings, including charity balls, galas, and annual awards presentations.  Of all the events in the Hotel’s history, the most important occurred in August 1969 when one of only a small handful of Presidential state dinners ever held outside the White House honored the Apollo 11 Mission.   This state dinner was the first ever to have been nationally televised live and was reported to have been “one of the largest, most prestigious, and most publicized state dinners in history.”1    Popular with U.S. presidents, the Hotel is perhaps most closely associated with the political career of President Ronald Reagan who stayed at the Hotel for long stretches and was among the first guests of the Hotel’s tower addition (Tower).  The 30‐story Tower was constructed adjacent to the Hotel (to the south) in 1984 as part of a 322‐room expansion of the Century Plaza.  The Tower was demolished circa 2006.*

Historical Notes

On June 1, 2008, Next Century Associates bought the Century Plaza Hotel from Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc. for $366.5 million. The sale price of $505,000 per room is one of the highest-paid for a hotel in California. Sunstone bought the Century Plaza for $293 million in 2005 and then spent $22 million upgrading the guest rooms and common areas.

On December 18, 2008, the new owners announced plans to demolish the hotel and build a pair of fifty-story towers in its place.

On April 28, 2009, The Century Plaza Hotel was added to The National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the 11 most endangered historic places in America.

In February 2010, the developer announced that it would renovate the hotel and convert some of the floors to condominiums, rather than demolishing and replacing the building as previously proposed.*^

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Century City.

Historical Notes

The Century Towers is the first residential project constructed in Century City. The buildings were developed under the aegis of Alcoa Properties, and they are located along the southern boundary of Century City on the Avenue of the Stars.

Built in 1964 by Alcoa, William Zeckendorf and Welton Becket Associates, the Century Towers was originally designed as apartments by architect I.M. Pei. Perhaps best known for the “Pyramide du Louvre,” his landmark glass pyramid addition to the Louvre Museum (Paris, France) Pei brought his signature styling to the creation of the mid-century towers. The towers were converted to condominiums in 1973 by S. Jon Kreedman & Company. Located on 6 acres of land (making it the largest luxury condominium property in Los Angeles), the towers are made up of one-, two-, and three-bedroom single-story (and a few double-story) residences on 28 floors. The development also includes a swimming pool, gymnasium, putting green, and tennis courts.*^

Historical Notes

The Century Towers has been home to many celebrities and notables over the years. Those include Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Burt Lancaster, David Janssen, Jack Benny, Sebastian Siegel, Diana Ross, Karen Carpenter who purchased two condos & converted them into her own duplex in 1976, Josh Flagg, Ruth Handler (founder of Mattel), Edith Flagg and Berry Gordy. David Janssen's widow Dani is known for an annual Oscar party thrown in her penthouse.*^

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Century City.

Historical Notes

Westfield Century City opened in 1964 as the Century Square Shopping Center, anchored by The Broadway. In 1976, the mall's parking lot was turned into an expansion of the mall, bringing a Bullock's and several new retail stores. An AMC cinema and a new food court, referred to as "The Marketplace" opened in 1987. In 1996, both The Broadway and Bullock's closed when The Broadway's struggling parent Carter Hawley Hale was acquired by Federated Department Stores. Federated converted The Broadway store into Bloomingdale's and the Bullock's into a Macy's.

Australian shopping center developer Westfield Group acquired a 50% stake in the shopping center in 2002 and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown Century City". The Shoppingtown moniker was dropped from all Westfield properties in 2005.

In 2004, Westfield initiated a $160 million renovation. The renovation replaced the 1980s-era food court and movie theater with an alfresco Dining Terrace and a flagship 15-screen AMC cinema. The renovation also brought a new two-level retail building housing a Borders bookstore and a Container Store on the top level and numerous retailers on the bottom, a reskin of the existing Bloomingdale's store, the addition of a restaurant row facing Santa Monica Boulevard, and a general remodeling of the center. Borders went out of business in 2011.*

Historical Notes

Historical Notes

Designed by Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket and Associates, the tower was the world’s first circular office building, constructed of reinforced concrete and punctuated by a series of porcelain enamel sun shades stepping down each floor of the building.

Historical Notes

The 13-story Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, became one of Hollywood's Landmark (also LA). Construction was contracted by British company EMI soon after its 1955 acquisition of Capitol Records, with completion in April 1956. Located just north of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine and consolidating the West Coast operations of Capitol Records, the structure is home to the recording studios and echo chambers of Capitol Studios.*

Historical Notes

The wide curved awnings over the windows of each floor and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable, although it was not originally designed with that idea in mind.

Historical Notes

The first Du-par's was founded in 1938 at the Los Angeles Farmers Market by James Dunn and Edward Parsons, who combined their surnames to create the restaurant's name. The chain was purchased in 2004 by an investor group led by W.W. "Biff" Naylor, the son of noted California restaurateur Tiny Naylor. Du-par's expanded in 2009 to include several locations from the bankrupt Bakers Square chain.*

Historical Notes

The blinking light atop the tower spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code, and has done so since the building's opening in 1956. This was an idea of Capitol's then president, Alan Livingston, who wanted to subtly advertise Capitol's status as the first record label with a base on the west coast. The switch was initially activated by Leila Morse, the granddaughter of Samuel Morse.  In 1992 it was changed to read "Capitol 50" in honor of the label's fiftieth anniversary. It has since returned to spelling "Hollywood". A black and white graphic image of the building appeared on the albums of many Capitol recording artists, with the phrase, "From the Sound Capitol of the World".*

Historical Notes

Designed by Stewart Romans of Ollsen Lighting and featuring 4,373 bulbs (at 25 watts each), the Christmas tree on top of the Capitol Records Building was the first of its kind, and it has been a part of the Hollywood skyline each December since 1958, save for 1973, when L.A. experienced an energy crisis.^^*^^

Historical Notes

In 2006, the Capitol Records Building and Rooftop Sign were dedicated as LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 857 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

The wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building coincidentally resembling a stack of records on a turntable. The rectangular ground floor is a separate structure, joined to the tower after completion. The tower incorporates 13 stories, to conform to the 150-foot zoning height limit that was in place at the time of its construction. Earthquake height restrictions were later lifted in 1964.*^

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl reflecting pool in front of the stage was installed in 1953 and removed only 19 years later in 1972.*^

Historical Notes

Between 1926 and 1929 the Hollywood Bowl shell went through a series of four design modifications all in an effort to improve the acoustics. The 1929 shell stood until 2003.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a somewhat larger one beginning in the 2004 season. The shell is set against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood Sign to the Northeast.*^

Historical Notes

The 42-story Union Bank office building was designed by Albert C. Martin and completed in 1967.

Historical Notes

The Union Bank Building was the first high-rise built in the Central Business District after the 1920s. It was one of the first skyscrapers erected after the 150’ height limit was repealed in 1957 and the first building taller than City Hall. It was also the first structure to be completed as part of the Bunker Hill redevelopment project that began an era of skyscraper building in the Central Business District.^#^

Historical Notes

By 1968, all of the residences on Bunker Hill had been razed, except "The Castle" and its neighbor, "The Salt Box". The two buildings were relocated to their new home, Heritage Square in Highland Park.*

Click HERE to see more on "The Castle" and "The Salt Box".

Historical Notes

As the first structure completed as part of the Bunker Hill redevelopment project, the Union Bank Building was an important step in making the area attractive to new development.^#^

Historical Notes

The developers of the Union Bank Building were the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, which purchased the land in 1965. Placed on a sloped site, the forty-story tower rises uninterrupted from a plaza, which itself is set back above a two-story retail court which is at street level. The tower’s recessed windows are heavily framed with a grid of concrete panels. The effect of the panels is to give the building the sense of a monolithic skyscraper from a distance, but close up it looks as if a net or cage of concrete has been lowered over a glass tower.^#^

Historical Notes

To the north of the Union Bank Building is a garden plaza designed by important modernist architect Garret Eckbo of Eckbo, Dean, Austin, and Williams).^#^

Historical Notes

In 1950, New York developer Norman Tishman stopped in Los Angeles on the way to a Palm Springs vacation and stayed overnight at the Ambassador Hotel. When he looked out his window, he saw a golf driving range west of the hotel and considered it a waste of prime Wilshire Boulevard frontage.

Tishman Realty and Construction bought the driving range and by 1958 had constructed five major office buildings on the boulevard. The first entries in 'Tishmanville' were the three small towers built at Mariposa Avenue. These buildings heralded Wilshire Center's transition into a home for Fortune 500 companies.

When asked to explain why his company invested so heavily in postwar Wilshire Boulevard, Tishman explained: "We think Wilshire will be the New York of the West Coast." ^

Historical Notes

In 1952, on the driving range on the south side of Wilshire between Mariposa and Normandie, the first three 12-story Tishman Plaza buildings were built (they're now known as Central Plaza), designed by Claude Beelman.

Insurance companies began locating their West Coast headquarters in Wilshire Center because of tax incentives provided by the State. Some 22 high-rise office buildings were erected on Wilshire Boulevard from 1966 to 1976 to provide office space for such companies as Getty Oil Co., Ahmanson Financial Co., Beneficial Standard Life Insurance, Wausau, and Equitable Life Insurance. The Chapman Park Hotel, built in 1936, was torn down to make way for the 34-story Equitable Plaza office building erected in 1969. By 1970, firms such as CNA, Pacific Indemnity, and Pierce National Life were starting construction of their own high-rise buildings. Southwestern University School of Law moved from its downtown location of 50 years to a four-story campus just south of Wilshire Boulevard on Westmoreland in 1973.

In the 1970s and 1980s, commerce moved to the city's less congested Westside as well as the San Fernando Valley, and businesses and affluent residents eventually followed. I. Magnin closed, while Bullocks Wilshire held out until 1993. Rental rates in office buildings plummeted from an average of $1.65/sq ft to a dollar between 1991 and 1996; property values dropped from a high of $120/sq ft to $30 or $40 per foot in 1998
Wilshire Center lost most of its remaining original glitter following the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Subsequently, the Wilshire Center Streetscape Project used federal funds to rejuvenate Wilshire Boulevard. It was one of the most ambitious and significant urban rehabilitation projects found anywhere in America and in 1999 was awarded the Lady Bird Johnson Award from The National Arbor Day Foundation. New buildings include the Aroma Center on Wilshire, which is topped by a large digital billboard, and a modern retail building facing 6th Street on the former parking lot of the Equitable Building.*^

Historical Notes

When dedicated, June 16, 1969, the Equitable Building was the tallest (454 feet) structure on Wilshire Boulevard.*

The site encompasses the original address of the Brown Derby cafe, and also was the location of the Chapman Park Hotel. In the above photo you can make out the 2nd Derby-Shaped Brown Derby (NE corner of Wilshire and Alexandria) and the Gaylord Apartments (both at center-right). Also, at center-left, can be seen the Chapman Park Studio Building, located on the NW corner of 6th and Alexandria).

Historical Notes

The thirty-four story Equitable tower was designed by Welton Becket & Associates and was the twenty-fifth major building along the boulevard designed by Becket's firm. It was finished in 1969, the year of Becket's death.

Historical Notes

The Equitable Life Building is the tallest skyscraper in Koreatown LA. It is 454 feet (138 meters) high and has 34 floors. It is tied with the Los Angeles City Hall for the 26th tallest building in Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

The building's facade is made of precast concrete that was sandblasted to expose the beige Texas limestone aggregate.*^

Historical Notes

California Federal Bank's historic building, opened in 1965, on Wilshire was one of the original bank corporate headquarters in the Miracle Mile area. It was designed by Charles Luckman Associates.*^

Historical Notes

California Federal Bank, often abbreviated to "Cal Fed", was a savings and loan bank in California with the corporate headquarters being located at 5670 Wilshire Boulevard. It existed from 1926 until 2002, when its parent company, Golden State Bancorp, was acquired by Citigroup, resulting in the bank being merged into Citibank.*^

Historical Notes

Cal Fed first ceased to be an independent banking company after its acquisition in 1997 by First Nationwide Bank of San Francisco, California. First Nationwide Bank changed the name of the new merged banking entity to CalFed Bank due to the appeal of the CalFed brand name. A few years later the bank was bought out by Citigroup.*^

Historical Notes

The 32-story SBE Entertainment Group Building was built for the Mutual Benefit Life by the Shorenstein Co. of San Francisco and completed in 1971.  It is the tallest building in the Miracle Mile district, the second tallest in the Wilshire Area, and the 30th tallest in Los Angeles. The international-style building was designed by architect Gin Wong of William L. Pereira & Associates.*^

Historical Notes

In the building's front lawn is a memorial to the Berlin Wall, containing ten original segments. Together, they form the longest stretch of the Berlin Wall in the United States. The segments were installed in 2009 by the Wende Museum.*^

Historical Notes

The SBE Building was dubbed the Variety Building. It has the headquarters of Variety and Tokyopop.*^

Historical Notes

Designed by Albert C. Martin and Associates, the twin tower high-rise complex located 515 South Flower Street was constructed between 1970 and 1972. In 2003, the towers became known as City National Plaza.

The skyscraper complex was built as the ARCO Plaza, with a pair of 700-ft, 52-story office towers. One became the new world headquarters for the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), the present day The Paul Hastings Tower.  An underground shopping complex was accessed by open escalators from the street level plaza.*^.

Historical Notes

The ARCO Towers were built on the site of the Richfield Building (1928, demolished 1968), an Art Deco masterpiece. To the rear of the plaza, between the low building and the northern tower, are two bronze plinths. They are salvaged elevator doors and decoration from the original building.^

Historical Notes

Upon completion in 1972, the ARCO Plaza towers were the tallest buildings in the city for one year before being overtaken by Aon Center, and were the tallest twin towers in the world until the completion of the World Trade Center in New York City. The towers are the tallest twin buildings in the United States outside of New York City, where the 55-floor Time Warner Center stands at 750 ft.*^

Historical Notes

The ARCO Plaza Towers were built as the world headquarters for Atlantic Richfield Co. and the Southern California headquarters for Bank of America.

The towers, now known as City National Tower and Paul Hastings Tower, encompassing an entire city block, with two-level subterranean shopping and one-level parking located below ground. Both towers are physically the same, except that City National Tower does not have a helipad on its roof, which is rare for a high-rise of that size in Los Angeles.*

Historical Notes

In 1986, joint owners ARCO and Bank of America sold the buildings to Shuwa Investments Corp., the American subsidiary of Shuwa Co. of Tokyo, for $650 million while both remained tenants in their respective named towers. Shuwa later sold the property in 2003 to Thomas Properties Group and other investors for $270 million.*^

Historical Notes

The ARCO Plaza complex was renamed City National Plaza in 2005, and the south and north towers, respectively, were renamed City National Tower and Paul Hastings Tower.  The low-rise building at the back of the plaza is known as the Jewel Box, and is occupied by the Gensler architectural firm.*^

Historical Notes

At the center of the plaza is a low fountain with a striking orange sculpture at its center. Titled “Double Ascension,” it is by Herbert Bayer.

Historical Notes

Upon completion in 1972, the ARCO Plaza Towers were the tallest buildings in the city for one year before being overtaken by Aon Center (originally United California Bank Building), and were the tallest twin towers in the world until the completion of the World Trade Center in New York City. ^*

Historical Notes

Rising fifty-two stories each, the two towers are nearly identical in their “glass box” design. Dark windows subtly contrast with greenish-black polished granite (quarried in Canada, cut and polished in Italy), emphasizing the massive yet sleek qualities of the building. The towers flank a two-story structure of the same polished granite, and the three buildings are tied together visually by a plaza, also of dark granite.^

Historical Notes

City National Plaza (as of 2005), originally known as the ARCO Towers and Plaza, is a textbook example of the Corporate International style, which emerged in the 1970s and has since formed the basis of design for many office building in downtown L.A. and around the country.

The complex also includes an underground mall, which was reported to be the nation’s largest subterranean shopping mall at the time of its construction. Now primarily a food court, the mall was remodeled in 2004, and the lower level converted to parking. Interior escalator bays retain their original striped pattern of brightly colored subway tile and mirrors.^

Historical Notes

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel was designed by architect John C. Portman, Jr. and constructed between 1974 and 1976. In no time at all the hotel became a Los Angeles landmark.  It is one of the most photographed buildings in Southern California.

Historical Notes

At 35-stories tall, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites is the largest hotel in the city.  The top floor has a revolving restaurant and bar. It was originally owned by investors that included a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Corporation and John Portman & Associates. The building is managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts (IHR).^

Historical Notes

Although the top floor is numbered "35", there are no floors numbered "7" or "13"; so technically this is only a 33-story building. The four elevator banks (each containing three cars for a total of 12) are named by colors and symbols: Red Circle (the only one that goes to "35"; the other three only go to "32"), Yellow Diamond, Green Square, and Blue Triangle.^

Historical Notes

Owner Fred E. Engstrum built the 220-room, six-story Engstrum Hotel at 623 Fifth Street. Its dedication in 1914 was reported as an evening of continual music and dancing without intermission. Residents of the hotel included film stars Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino. One of the last hotels to be razed as part of the redevelopment project, it was replaced by the 73-story Library Tower.

Historical Notes

With 1,474 rooms, the 35-story Westin Bonaventure is the largest hotel in Los Angeles (574 more rooms than any other hotel in Downtown Los Angeles).

This unique structure evokes a 1970s vision of the future using circular shapes, massive forms, and the concept of space as experience.

The exterior of the hotel is comprised of four mirrored cylinders surrounding a slightly taller central tower. The towers sit atop a six story high concrete base, much like a rocket ship on a launch pad. Adding another futurist dimension to the hotel, pedestrian skywalks high above the city streets connect the second through sixth floors of the hotel to buildings in the surrounding area.^^

Historical Notes

A revolving cocktail lounge which offers 360º views of Los Angeles is located on the 35th floor of the central tower.

Historical Notes

Inside, massive circular concrete forms rise seven stories from reflecting pools to connect with curved walkways that lead to lounging, dining, and shopping areas. In each quadrant of the atrium, dark glass elevators surrounded by reflecting pools shoot through the glass roof to climb up the exterior of the building.^^

Historical Notes

The hotel and its architect John Portman have been the subject of documentaries and academic analysis.
In his book Postmodern Geographies: The Reassertion of Space in Critical Social Theory (1989), Edward Soja describes the hotel as:

...a concentrated representation of the restructured spatiality of the late capitalist city: fragmented and fragmenting, homogeneous and homogenizing, divertingly packaged yet curiously incomprehensible, seemingly open in presenting itself to view but constantly pressing to enclose, to compartmentalize, to circumscribe, to incarcerate. Everything imaginable appears to be available in this micro-urb but real places are difficult to find, its spaces confuse an effective cognitive mapping, its pastiche of superficial reflections bewilder co-ordination and encourage submission instead. Entry by land is forbidding to those who carelessly walk but entrance is nevertheless encouraged at many different levels. Once inside, however, it becomes daunting to get out again without bureaucratic assistance. In so many ways, its architecture recapitulates and reflects the sprawling manufactured spaces of Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

The Westin Bonaventure’s futuristic atrium, a signature element of John Portman, Jr.'s 1970s buildings, rises 7 stories. The hotel has been the scene for a number of motion pictures, most notably Wolfgang Petersen's "In the Line of Fire," (1993). In 2004, the Bonaventure Brewing Company occupied Suite #418A in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel; in 2010, the Bonaventure contained 1,354 rooms, 19 restaurants and lounges, 110,000 square feet of conference space, a 15,000-square-foot spa, a small shopping mall, a health club and indoor jogging track. Architect Michael Bednar observed of the Bonaventure in 1989: "Five cylindrical guest towers, containing 1,318 rooms and 150 suites, rise from a four-story, fortresslike podium containing the atrium. The space is exciting, but is also extremely disorienting."*

Historical Notes

In February 1963, Cinerama Inc. unveiled a radically new design for theaters which would show its movies. They would be based on the geodesic dome developed by R. Buckminster Fuller, would cost half as much as conventional theaters of comparable size, and could be built in half the time. Cinerama's goal was to see at least 600 built worldwide within two years. The following April, Pacific Theatres Inc. announced plans to build the first theater based upon the design, and had begun razing existing buildings at the construction site.

Located on Sunset near Vine Street, it would be the first new major motion picture theater in Hollywood in 33 years, and would be completed in time for the scheduled November 2 press premiere of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The design was adapted by the noted architectural firm of Welton Becket and Associates.*^

Historical Notes

In 1998, the Pacific Cinerama Dome Theater was designated Historic-Cultural Monument No. 659 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

With its 86 feet (26 m) wide screen, advanced acoustics and 70mm film capability, the Cinerama Dome remained a favorite for film premieres and "event" showings.

Historical Notes

Built in 1927, the theatre rises 90-feet high with two gigantic coral red columns topped by wrought iron masks holding aloft the bronze roof. Between the columns is a 30-foot high dragon carved from stone. Guarding the theatre entrance to this day are the two original giant Heaven Dogs brought from China. #^*#

In 1968, Grauman's Chinese Theatre was dedicated LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 55 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

In 2013, the world famous Chinese Theatre teamed up with one of China’s biggest electronics manufacturers, TCL, aka “The Creative Life” in a 10-year naming rights partnership. 

Historical Notes

The DWP Building (John Ferraro Office Building) opened in 1965 and has been a Los Angeles icon ever since. The A.C. Martin and Associates designed building offered some unique high-technology features in that It was designed to utilize the pool surrounding the structure as part of the air conditioning system and to heat the building without the use of a boiler.

Historical Notes

In November 2000, in honor of longtime council member John Ferraro, the General Office Building (GOB) was renamed the John Ferraro Office Building (JFOB).

John Ferraro (1924–2001) was the longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city—thirty-five years, from 1966 until his death in 2001—and the president of the council for fourteen of them. He had been an all-American football player at the University of Southern California.

Historical Notes

On September 21, 2011, the John Ferraro Building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 1022.

Historical Notes

This may have been the place where Wyatt Earp lived while he was a consultant on two Tom Mix films.*

Historical Notes

The Freeway Lady was painted by well-known muralist Kent Twitchell in 1974.  The mural was on the side of a building on Temple Street, overlooking the 101 Freeway.  The model for the "Lady" in the mural was Lillian Bronson, a character actress who resembled two of the artist's great-grandmothers.*

Historical Notes

The 30 ft. x 22 ft. mural shows an elderly woman standing with a granny-squared afghan wrapped around her.

Historical Notes

In 1986 the mural was painted over, without informing the artist, in order to sell the space for advertising. Citing California Art Preservation Act (passed in 1980), Twitchell sued the building's owner. In March, 1992, a settlement was reached, providing $125,000 for restoration of the mural.*

Historical Notes

Kent Twitchell re-painted The Freeway Lady on the side of the Student Services Building at L.A. Valley College (Fulton Ave., near Hatteras St., Van Nuys).

Historical Notes

The first major project on Bunker Hill was the residential, 32-story Bunker Hill Tower. Construction of the Robert Evans Alexander-designed towers began in 1966. Bunker Hill Tower, Bunker Hill West, and Bunker Hill South opened in 1968.

Historical Notes

Built in 1968, the 32-story Bunker Hill Tower was one of the original buildings in the extensive Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project. The project was proposed by the City of Los Angeles in 1955 and is scheduled to end in 2015.

Historical Notes

The 17-story AT&T Madison Complex Tandem Office Building is a 259 ft. skyscraper completed in 1961. With its microwave tower, used through 1993, bringing the overall height to 449 ft, it is the 29th tallest building in Los Angeles. The mixed-use building and tower was designed by architects Architects: C. Day Woodford and Leonard Bernard.

The building's official name is the AT&T Madison Complex Tandem Office but is also known as the AT&T Switching Station.  It formerly went by other names including the SBC Tower, the Pacific Bell Tower, and the Pacific Telephone Tower.

Historical Notes

With today's World Wide Web and fiber optics, the AT&T tower is a relic that no longer is used in the way it was originally designed. It, however, is one of the better looking and better preserved communications relic that is found in most major cities. Its towers starts off as a solid four-sided rectangle, but gracefully unfolds as it gains height into an eight-sided platform for two levels of microwave horns. A much more complicated version of this architectural origami is performed at the building's roof where the middle of the platform has 52 sides as it transitions from one solid square into a catwalk lattice. +^+

Historical Notes

The Victorian-era brick Vickrey Building was among the earliest five-story buildings in Los Angeles.  When it opened in 1888, the building housed ground floor retail with lodging on the upper floors.

The two-story Plaza House (built in 1883) was commissioned by Frenchman Philippe Garnier, whose name appears at the base of the decorative false gable parapet rising above the roofline. It was once the site of La Esperanza Bakery.*^

After enduring three decades of vacancy and deterioration, the County rehabilitated both buildings to house LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a Mexican and Mexican-American cultural center which opened in 2011.

Historical Notes

In 1868, Pío de Jesús Pico constructed the three story, 33-room hotel, Pico House (Casa de Pico) on the old plaza of Los Angeles, opposite today's Olvera Street. At the time of its opening in 1869, it was the most lavish hotel in Southern California. Even before 1900, however, it began a slow decline along with the surrounding neighborhood, as the business center moved further south. After decades of serving as a shabby flop house, it was deeded to the State of California in 1953, and is now a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Monument. It is used on occasion for exhibits and special events.*^

Historical Notes

Designed by Charles Luckman and opened in 1974, this shopping center later became Macy's Plaza.*

Historical Notes

The MCI Center skyscraper was completed in 1973 and has 33 floors. It is the 32nd tallest building in Los Angeles. On March 21, 2005 Jamison Properties bought the building for $150 per square foot. This purchase included 925 West Eighth Street (originally known as the "Broadway Plaza", now known as Macy's Plaza) and the 3,000 space parking garage.*^

Historical Notes

The World Cruise Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles (passenger and cargo ternminals at Berth 93), opened in 1963. It was designed by AIA award-winning architect Edward H. Fickett, F.A.I.A. 

The terminal which hosted the original Love Boat TV series from 1977 to 1986 was modernized and expanded in 2010-11 to accommodate the most modern megaships.*^#^*

Historical Notes

Located in the San Pedro District beneath the Vincent Thomas Bridge, the World Cruise Center is th largest cruise ship terminal on the West Coast.  It has three passenger ship berths and transports over 1 million passengers annually.*^

Cruise lines served: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silver Sea Cruises.*^#^*

Historical Notes

Constructed in 1987, according to An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles, it was designed in the Programmatic style of architecture, although it's unclear if a Cadillac dealership ever actually occupied the space. Lee Oakes of architectural firm Matlin and Dvoretzky designed the two-story building for developer CBS Realcorp.

Historical Notes

The building has angular corner turrets like the jutting front fenders of a ca. 1970 Caddy, punctuated by four “headlights” of circular neon, central windows arranged like a radiator grill, and first-floor masonry walls painted black to look like tires. It was designed expressly to draw attention to the block, and that it does, in a way that could not be more weirdly appropriate to its Ventura Boulevard setting.*

Historical Notes

Tragically, the building's stucco finish is currently painted a subdued white, a far cry from its original shocking pink.*

Click HERE to see more examples of Programmatic Architecture in Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Construction broke ground in 1998 and the Staples Center was opened a year later (October 17, 1999). It was financed privately at a cost of $375 million and is named for the office-supply company Staples, Inc., which was one of the center's corporate sponsors that paid for naming rights.

Staples Center is owned and operated by the L.A. Arena Company and Anschutz Entertainment Group.*^

Historical Notes

The Staples Center is home to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The tall building in the background is the 54-storey Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles, part of the L.A. Live development.*^

Historical Notes

The arena seats up to 19,060 for basketball, 18,118 for ice hockey and arena football, and around 20,000 for concerts or other sporting events.*^

Historical Notes

Site excavation for the 62-story, 860 ft Modernist office skyscraper started in late 1970, and the tower was completed in 1973. Designed by Charles Luckman, the rectangular bronze-clad building with white trim is remarkably slender for a skyscraper in a seismically active area.*^

Historical Notes

Aon Center was originally named the United California Bank Building from its completion in 1973 until 1981, when it became First Interstate Tower. During the 1984 Summer Olympics the 1984 Olympic logo was displayed on the north and south sides of the building's crown, as First Interstate Bank was a major sponsor of the games. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River when built, until 1982 when it was surpassed by the Texas Commerce Tower in Houston. It remained the tallest building in Los Angeles until 1989, when Library Tower (now U.S. Bank Tower) was completed. Between 1998 and 2005, there were no logos on the building.*^

Historical Notes

On May 4, 1988, a fire began on the 12th floor just after 10:00 PM; it burned for about four hours. The fire destroyed five floors, injured 40 people, and left a maintenance worker dead because the elevator opened onto the burning 12th floor. The fire was so severe because the building was not equipped with a sprinkler system, which was not required for office towers at the time of its construction. A sprinkler system was 90 percent installed at the time of the fire; however, the system was inoperative, awaiting the installation of water flow alarms. The fire was eventually contained at 2:19 AM, and caused $400 million in damage. Repair work took four months. Because of the fire, building codes in Los Angeles were modified, requiring all high-rises to be equipped with fire sprinklers. This modified a 1974 ordinance that only required new buildings to contain fire sprinkler systems, grandfathering older buildings. Existing all-concrete construction high-rises are still exempt from this ordinance.*^

Historical Notes

The 1988 fire was highlighted in a 1991 ABC TV-movie Fire: Trapped on the 37th Floor starring Lee Majors, Lisa Hartman-Black and Peter Scolari.

The building was featured in the 2015 disaster film San Andreas, where a massive earthquake destroys Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Aon Center Building Ranking as of 2018:

◆ Global Ranking          #310 Tallest in the World 

◆ Regional Ranking        #49 Tallest in North America 

◆ National Ranking         #44 Tallest in United States 

◆ City Ranking                  #3 Tallest in Los Angeles

Historical Notes

Should a skyscraper's spire count towards its total height? It's a hotly contested issue amongst architects and designers. Does a building's height stop at the highest usable floor, or should the spire above it count, too? What's the difference between a spire and an antenna? Does it really matter?

Adding spire is a cheaper way to increase height of the building, the cost for a skinny mast is much cheaper than solid concrete core and habitable floors.

Developers build skyscrapers not only for its functionalities, they also want their buildings higher than others, so that to show prestige and draw more attention.*

Historical Notes

The 48-story, 891,056-square-foot office tower is located at 444 South Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles. Designed by A.C. Martin & Associates and completed in 1981, the modern office tower - made famous as the backdrop of the 1980s television series LA Law - occupies a premier site on the corner of Flower and 5th Streets in the Bunker Hill/financial district.

Historical Notes

The former Los Angeles headquarters building for Wells Fargo Bank (renamed Citigroup Center) is set back from the northeast corner of 5th and Flower Streets, in the heart of the central city. The stepped tower rises 48 stories above a four-level, tiered base interwoven with garden offices, plazas and pedestrian bridges. These bridges connect with the City National Plaza Garage on the north and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel across Flower Street. The site is handled as a transitional development, connecting upper Bunker Hill with the downtown financial community.

Historical Notes

Citigroup Center stands where the old Sunkist Building stood. Formerly known as 444 flower building and L.A. Law building, it was seen in the opening credits of the TV show for years.

Historical Notes

When completed in 1981, the tower was the 5th tallest in the city. In 2019 it was the 16th tallest.^

Historical Notes

Originally, the building’s entry plaza at the corner of 5th and Flower featured a grid of gray and white paving, planted with large palms. In 2011, the plaza was reconfigured, and terraced planters filled with drought-tolerant plants, fountains, and built-in benches were added. Partially blocking the corner from the street, it turned the plaza from a de facto grand entrance to the building into an urban park, fitted with tables, chairs, and umbrellas for cafés that front the plaza. The original palms were included in the redesign, as was the grid pattern.*

Historical Notes

As a crowd of steelworkers, engineers, architects, developers and politicians watched the ceremonial raising of the last girder to the top of the city's tallest building, the 73-story First Interstate World Center tower on 5th Street downtown, City Councilman Gilbert Lindsay said he wanted more.

"I thought I told them to build a 100-story building. What happened?" Lindsay, one of the shorter people present, asked jocularly. Lindsay has represented downtown Los Angeles for 26 years.

About 200 people gathered to watch the last girder go up. Many of them signed the beam. Some were moved to write more than their names. "Hail Library Tower. Stand tall and forever," said one. Another wrote, "We love LA. But we hate this building." …

Historical Notes

The building was first known, and is alternatively known today, as the Library Tower because it was built as part of the $1 billion Los Angeles Central Library redevelopment area following two disastrous fires in 1986, and its location across the street. The City of Los Angeles sold air rights to the developers of the tower to help pay for the reconstruction of the library. The building was also known for a time as First Interstate Bank World Center but the name Library Tower was restored after First Interstate Bancorp merged with Wells Fargo Bank. In March 2003, the property was leased by U.S. Bancorp and the building was renamed U.S. Bank Tower. Residents, however, generally continue to refer to it as Library Tower.*^

Historical Notes

U.S. Bank Tower, formerly Library Tower and First Interstate Bank World Center, is the third-tallest building in California (2018), the second-tallest building in Los Angeles, the fifteenth-tallest in the United States, the third-tallest west of the Mississippi River after the Salesforce Tower and the Wilshire Grand Center, and the 92nd-tallest building in the world, after being surpassed by the Wilshire Grand Center. Because local building codes required all high-rise buildings to have a helipad, it was known as the tallest building in the world with a roof-top heliport from its completion in 1989 to 2010 when the China World Trade Center Tower III opened. It is also the third-tallest building in a major active seismic region; its structure was designed to resist an earthquake of 8.3 on the Richter scale. It consists of 73 stories above ground and two parking levels below ground. Construction began in 1987 with completion in 1989. The building was designed by Henry N. Cobb of the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and cost $350 million to build. It is one of the most recognizable buildings in Los Angeles, and often appears in establishing shots for the city in films and television programs.*^

Historical Notes

In 2013, Hines was hired as property manager for U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest building in the Western United States. The 75-story, 1,432,539-square-foot, Class A office building was completed in 1989 and was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Historical Notes

U.S. Bank Tower was sold to Overseas Union Enterprise Ltd (OUE), a hotel and property group controlled by Indonesia's Lippo Group in 2013. OUE, a Singapore-based hotel and property company run by Indonesian billionaire Stephen Riady, acquired the tower and other related assets for $367.5 million. OUE acquired the 72-floor office building, the adjacent Maguire Gardens park, and a car park from a unit of Los Angeles-based real-estate investment trust MPG Office Trust Inc..*^

Historical Notes

Designed by Henry N. Cobb of the internationally celebrated firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the building was specifically designed to complement and not overpower the library. Based on concentric geometries, one circular and the other composed of right angles, the round high-rise features four soaring setbacks leading to a glass crown that shines like a beacon at night.*

Historical Notes

The building was developed by Maguire Partners, who purchased the air rights above the historic library to add more height to the tower. This purchase also helped prevent the demolition of the library, helping to finance its rehabilitation and expansion.

Historical Notes

US Bank Tower: Opened 1989- Designed by Henry N. Cobb & Partners (1,018 feet/73 floors) Formerly called 'The Library Tower'.

Biltmore Hotel: Opened 1923- When built was the largest hotel west of Chicago (70,000 sq ft) Designed by Schultze & Weaver. The style is Spanish/Italian/Mediterranean Revival & Beaux Arts.

Historical Notes

In July 2014, OUE Ltd. (OUE), the new owners of the skyscraper, announced construction of an observation deck named OUE Skyspace  on the 69th and 70th floors and a restaurant named 71Above on the 71st floor. The facilities opened on June 24, 2016, following remodeling and construction costing $31 million that included a makeover of the ground floor lobby as well as a separate second floor entrance for tourists, and a skylobby and exhibit hall on the 54th floor. Access to the observation deck costs $25 per person.  For an additional $8 visitors can take a trip down a transparent glass slide affixed to the outside of the building between the 70th and 69th floors.*^

Historical Notes

On February 28, 2004, two 75 ft “U.S. Bank” logo signs were installed on the crown, amid controversy for their effect on the aesthetic appearance of the building, much like the previous First Interstate Bank logos were placed on the crown between 1990 and 1998. First Interstate Bank's “I” logo on the crown was in the 1993 Guinness Book of World Records for highest-placed logo.

The tower's 69th floor and 70th floor have been renovated into a multi-layer observation deck, including outdoor space on 69th floor. And 71st floor serves as a 360 degree panoramic restaurant.*

The large glass crown at its top is illuminated at night, in the following colors:
◆ White (every day)
◆ Red and green during the Christmas holiday season
◆ Pink and red for Valentine's Day
◆ Red and gold for Chinese New Year
◆ Red, white, and blue for Independence Day and Veterans Day
◆ Orange for Halloween
◆ Red, green, gold, blue, and purple leading up to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games
◆ Blue and white when the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing in the postseason
◆ Purple and gold when the Los Angeles Lakers are playing in the NBA Finals
◆ Blue and gold for the return of the Los Angeles Rams
◆ Black and white when the Los Angeles Kings are playing in the Stanley Cup Final
◆ Purple for Alzheimer's Association and World Prematurity Day
◆ Red for Blood Cancer Awareness Month
◆ Pink for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Historical Notes

Should a skyscraper's spire count towards its total height? It's a hotly contested issue amongst architects and designers. Does a building's height stop at the highest usable floor, or should the spire above it count, too? What's the difference between a spire and an antenna? Does it really matter?

Adding spire is a cheaper way to increase height of the building, the cost for a skinny mast is much cheaper than solid concrete core and habitable floors.

Developers build skyscrapers not only for its functionalities, they also want their buildings higher than others, so that to show prestige and draw more attention.*

Historical Notes

Developed in 1991 by South Figueroa Plaza Associates as Citicorp Plaza, the building contains approximately 1,025,000 sq ft and a three-story Italian marble lobby. The exterior is clad with sculpted white metal and glass. The tower is adjacent to the 7+Fig Shopping Center (originally “Seventh Market Place” including Bullock's and May Co. department store branches) and was purchased from Maguire Properties by owner, Brookfield Office Properties.^

Historical Notes

Designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the fifty-three-story building was completed in 1990 and set a new standard for downtown’s commercial architecture.

It epitomizes the Postmodern use of a stretched skin style with reimagined classical details in a simple and elegant design. The tower is bowed on the east and west sides, and the piers between windows are wider at the center of these elevations than at the edges, emphasizing the curves and accentuating the vertical force of the design. Each pier, acting as an exaggerated mullion between windows, is made of a pair of round semi-cylinders divided by a sharp rectangular fin. The piers are nearly sculptural in nature and serve to manipulate the changing light, generating patterns of highlights and dark shadows along the length of the tower.

In 1990, Pelli said he tried to create “a poetry of precision” in the design, in homage to Southern California’s postwar tradition of high-tech industries like aerospace. The result is one of downtown Los Angeles’ most graceful high-rise office buildings.*

Historical Notes

The 777 Tower is located at 777 South Figueroa Street, where it is almost completely unobstructed by other buildings. This makes the building a very prominent landmark when viewed from the south.

Historical Notes

As of 2015 the tallest building in Los Angeles is the 73-story U.S. Bank Tower, which rises 1,018 feet in Downtown Los Angeles and was completed in 1989. It also stands as the tallest building in the state of California, tallest building west of the Mississippi, and the 11th-tallest building in the United States. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city and the state is the Aon Center, which rises 858 feet.  Seven of the ten tallest buildings in California are located in Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

The 17-story AT&T Madison Complex Tandem Office Building is a 259 ft. skyscraper completed in 1961. With its microwave tower, used through 1993, bringing the overall height to 449 ft, it is the 29th tallest building in Los Angeles. The mixed-use building and tower was designed by architects John B. & Donald D. Parkinson.*

The complex is actually made up of three adjoining buildings built during different years as load growth warranted.  The original building is long gone but was built on the same site in the 1900s as part of the Home Telephone Company.  During 1907 this office had the capacity of 10,000 lines, quite a difference from today.  Two new offices were built at the site in 1925, the second office was enlarged in 1945 to allow for load growth.  The third office was constructed in 1961 and is 17 stories tall and 449 feet high.^