This exuberantly pink apartment building in Studio City is an excellent example of the dingbat style. The typical dingbat apartment is a two- or three-story “stucco box” with parking tucked underneath in a soft first story at grade level; it maximizes the use of a small urban lot by expanding to cover the whole thing.

This building type arose in the postwar period as a response to zoning regulations, new building materials, financial incentives, and most of all, the urgent need for more housing for Southern California’s exploding population. 

The Pink Flamingo displays multiple features commonly associated with dingbats, including a rectangular shape and horizontal orientation, along with applied decoration, building name, and lighting on the front façade.

The dingbat apartment building is a very common Mid-Century Modern building type in Los Angeles – so common, in fact, that it often goes unnoticed. But there are fewer of them than there used to be, so be sure to appreciate intact examples like this one when you see them.