The white stucco walls and the towering, recessed arch of the main entrance mark Los Angeles Union Station. It opened in nineteen thirty-nine to consolidate three separate railroad terminals into a single hub. Architects John and Donald…
Downtown Historic Landmarks
Walk through the architectural evolution of Los Angeles and see the grand pre-war masterpieces of the historic core.
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1. Los Angeles Union Station
2. Olvera Street
The brick-paved path of Olvera Street creates a narrow, pedestrian-only corridor lined with colorful stalls and historic adobes. In nineteen thirty, Christine Sterling campaigned to transform this decaying alleyway into a celebration of…
3. Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall rises above the downtown skyline as a twenty-eight story tower capped by a distinctive wedding cake pyramid. Completed in nineteen twenty-eight, the building was the first to break the city's strict height limit that…
4. Million Dollar Theater
The Million Dollar Theater features a Churrigueresque facade covered in intricate terra cotta carvings of sirens, ships, and cornucopias. Sid Grauman opened this movie palace in nineteen eighteen as the first venue built specifically for…
5. Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building rises from the corner of South Broadway with a facade of brown brick, sandstone, and terra cotta that seems muted against the street. Inside, a cavernous Victorian court reveals iron open-cage elevators and marble…
6. Grand Central Market
The neon sign arched over the Broadway entrance spells out Grand Central Market in letters twelve feet tall. Since nineteen seventeen, this structure has occupied the ground floor of the Homer Laughlin Building, serving as a permanent home…
7. Angels Flight Railway
The two orange cars, Sinai and Olivet, crawl up and down the steep incline of Bunker Hill on parallel tracks. This funicular railway opened in nineteen oh one to connect the bustling commercial district below with the fashionable…
8. Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel occupies an entire block, defined by its massive Italian Renaissance style facade and the series of arched windows stretching along the base. When it opened in nineteen twenty-three, it was the largest hotel…
9. Los Angeles Central Library
The Central Library features a massive concrete tower topped by a blue and gold tiled pyramid. Bertram Goodhue designed this structure in the nineteen twenties to blend Egyptian and Mediterranean styles, departing from the typical…