Los Angeles contains examples of almost any American architectural style you can think of, though it’s best known for its Spanish Mission Revival, Craftsman, and Art Deco structures. It’s an aesthetically eclectic city, with notable buildings including the gonzo Al Struckus House, the elegant skyscraper 777 Tower, and the Late Moderne style Burbank City Hall.
Also worth noting is the Googie-inspired interior of Brunswick Sands Bowl, a bowling center featuring an Egyptian theme.
Foremost among the city’s art museums is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, housing such seminal works as René Magritte’s “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” and Kanagawa’s “The Great Wave.” With over 150,000 total works, it’s one of the nation’s finest museums.
LA is also home to the Hammer Museum, dedicated to 19th-century French masters like Manet and Van Gogh; the Museum of Contemporary Art, a must-visit for fans of artists like Pollock, Rothko, and Warhol; and The Hollywood Museum, home to some of the world’s finest sartorial design.
A Local Perspective
"Los Angeles is a veritable museum of American domestic architectural styles. Not only are the emblematic Mission and Spanish Revival styles SoCal natives, but the California Bungalow & Craftsman styles (Green & Green) were also California born & raised - and that’s before we even get to Mid-century Modern (Neutra, Schindler, Eames…)! As you drive around Los Angeles neighborhoods in and around West Adams or Silverlake, you can see just about every style - from Colonial Revival to Queen Anne to Eastlake, Italianate Revival, Dutch Farmhouse Revival, Gothic or Tudor Revival, and Hollywood Regency, to name a few. The reason for this eclecticism is the various waves of emigration beginning with the Gold Rush, exploding with the rise of the film industry in the ’20s, and even accelerated with the completion of transcontinental Route 66. The architectural experience that is Los Angeles means no one style is preeminent, and the freedom to invent and reinvent abounds."
