New Formalist

Photo by Lynne Tucker

Bank of America, Beverly Hills

Visitors looking up from the base of the Glendale Federal Savings Building see light streaming through the fifty-two rainbow-patterned glass of a dalle da verre cornice, cantilevered nine-and-a-half feet from the top of the ten-story building.

Photo by Nevin on Flickr

Beckman Auditorium, Caltech

Edward Durell Stone

A stunning juxtaposition of historic forms and modern materials come together to provide Caltech students with a modern interpretation of a Roman temple.

Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group

California State University, Dominguez Hills

A. Quincy Jones

Using the rolling topography and mild outdoor climate as his palette, the architect masterfully integrated broad landscapes of green lawns and concrete walkways, punctuated by an abundance of trees.

Photo by Sarah Gilbert

California State University, Long Beach

Killingsworth, Brady and Smith

Ed Lovell

Edward Killingsworth served as the master plan architect for over forty years, shaping the campus with an overall clarity and logic that resulted in a highly navigable, extremely pleasant place.

Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group

Cathay Bank

Eugene Kinn Choy

Designed by the first Chinese American architect to join the AIA in Southern California, Cathay Bank merges New Formalism with traditional Chinese decorative elements.

Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group

Chase Bank, Gardena

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Completed in 1961, the building was the prototype for all other Great Western Savings buildings and boasted an all-concrete design and walls made entirely of glass.

Photo by Tom Davies

Chase Bank, Glendale

Ladd & Kelsey

A beautiful example of a Modern style that truly glorifies its surroundings and a good reminder of the architectural aspirations many banks embraced during the postwar period.

Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group

Chase Bank, Hollywood

Millard Sheets, Architectural Designer

One of his favorite mural-bearing bank buildings, architectural designer Millard Sheets drew on the Hollywood history of its location in a simple white New Formalist structure.