email: roadarch@outlook.com

Los Angeles Art Deco & Streamline Moderne Buildings (page 1)

(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)

Mole-Richardson Building [gone]
Los Angeles, CA
The Mole-Richardson Building was built in 1930 for the ModernCraft Laundry. It was designed by Morgan, Walls & Clements. The was originally a tower over the entrance. In recent years, the building housed the Studio Depot, a lighting equipment company and a division of Mole-Richardson. The building was demolished in 2014. For more, see this website. [left photo thanks Glenda Campbell]

Moxley Veterinary [gone]
Los Angeles, CA
The Moxley Veterinary building was designed by Ted R. Cooper and built in 1930. Originally, there was a blade sign reading "Moxley's." I believe the Great Dane sign was added in the 1950s. The building later housed offices. In 2022, the building had been gutted and the Great Dane sign was missing. The building is now gone as well. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Hollywood Palladium
Los Angeles, CA
2008: 2013:
The Hollywood Palladium opened in 1940 as a dance hall. Over the years, the facility has hosted big band concerts, the Lawrence Welk show, and rock concerts. The building was renovated in 2008. The sign and facade now replicate the building's original style. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Comedy Union
Los Angeles, CA
The Comedy Union building appears to be from the 1930s. Does anyone know what business was here originally? [map]

3130 W. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA
This building at 3130 W. 6th St. was designed by M.T. Cantell and built in 1939. It may have been a medical office originally. [map]

Howard Hughes Headquarters
Los Angeles, CA
The Howard Hughes Headquarters building was built in 1930 as a color film processing plant. That business closed in 1932 and it then housed a brewery. The building now houses office space. For more, see this website. [map]

Hollywood Post Office
Los Angeles, CA
The Hollywood Post Office was designed by Claud Bellman and built in 1937. [map]

Film Exchange Building
Los Angeles, CA

2013:
2020:
The Film Exchange Building was designed by T. H. Pettit and built in 1937. It was the home of Afga Ansco, a German film manufacturer. In order to be fireproof, the building was built from concrete. It was restored in 2019. [map]

former May Co. Department Store
Los Angeles, CA
2012: 2021:
The former May Co. Department Store was built in 1940. It was the company's first store outside of downtown. The corner design incorporates black granite and gold tile, while the rest of the building is concrete. In the early 1990s, the building was nearly demolished. In 1998, it became home to LACMA West, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This photo is from 2012. In 2014, it was announced that the building would be adapted for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Museum. The museum opened in 2021. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Security First National Bank
Los Angeles, CA		 California Bank
Los Angeles, CA
The Security First National Bank was built in 1929. It was designed by Morgan, Walls and Clements who also did the Wiltern Theatre, the El Capitan Theatre, and other noteworthy L.A. buildings. The bank's original vault remains. The building is faced with black and gold terra cotta. The grillwork is aluminum. [map]

This California Bank branch was built in 1930. It was designed by John & Donald Parkinson. The building also featured retail space. [map]

Dominguez-Wilshire
Building
Los Angeles, CA		 Green Dog & Cat Hospital
Los Angeles, CA		 Sontag Drug Store
Los Angeles, CA
The Dominguez-Wilshire Building was designed by Morgan, Walls & Clements and built in 1930. This was the flagship store for Myer Siegel Department Stores. For more, see this website. [map]

The Green Dog & Cat Hospital was built in 1934. This is the original tenant. [map]

The Sontag Drug Store was built in 1935. The interior featured a soda fountain and coffee shop. The building is now occupied by Wilshire Beauty. For more, see this website. [map]

Staples Building
Los Angeles, CA
This Staples Building is contemporary and was built in recent years in the Art Deco style. The spaceship-shaped feature is a tribute to the Flying Saucer restaurant which used to occupy that corner. The restaurant building itself was ordinary looking. It was demolished in the 1990s.

The portion of the Staples Building below the pylon may have originally housed Loman Foods Mart and/or Roman's Food Mart in 1935. I don't know if the pylon is original or an interpretation of the original. Does anyone know more about this building or have vintage photos? [map]