U.S. Bank Tower | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy

U.S. Bank Tower

This seventy-three-story skyscraper was originally known as the Library Tower because of its close association – both physical and historical – with the 1926 Central Library across the street.

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.

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.

Light-colored cladding and bright-green glass contrast sharply with surrounding structures in darker tones. Its richness of materials, stylized Art Deco imagery, and elegant ornamentation embody the variety and vitality of corporate design in the late twentieth century.

Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy

Ninth and Broadway Building

Visitors stepping into Claud Beelman's 1930 Ninth and Broadway Building are treated to a dramatic two-story entrance, recessed with heavy piers capped by a segmented arch.
Pavilion for Japanese Art, LACMA
Photo by Nigel Lo

Pavilion for Japanese Art, LACMA

Divided into two volumes, the Pavillion features a sweeping, prow-like roof some have compared to a Shinto temple, an ancient samurai helmet, or even a building in Disney's Tomorrowland.
Photo from Tom Gardner Collection/Conservancy archives

CBS Television City

CBS' Television City was one of the first and largest complexes built expressly for television production and broadcasting, and clearly signified L.A.'s intent to become the capital of television broadcasting.