Construction and design play an integral role
in the history and future of Los Angeles.
Transforming and reinventing
the city’s landscape over time,
architecture has repeatedly redefined
the look of the city.
Here are some of Los Angeles’ most ambitious
and iconic projects for their time.
[Music]
The Bradbury Building was commissioned by
mining and real estate millionaire
Louis Bradbury in 1891 as a “vision of the future.”
Architect Sumner Hunt started the building’s design,
which was later taken over and completed
by George H. Wyman.
In the style of Renaissance Revival,
it was made from Italian marble, brick,
Mexican tile, glass and French wrought iron.
The project’s original budget was estimated
at $175,000, but it cost $500,000
by its completion in 1893.
The Bradbury remains the oldest in-use
commercial building in downtown Los Angeles,
still housing offices for
marketing and media companies.
[Music]
At 13 stories high, the Eastern Columbia held the
prestige of being the tallest building in
Los Angeles upon its construction in 1930.
Designed by architect Claud Beelman and
commissioned by the Eastern Outfitting Co.
and the Columbia Outfitting Co.,
the building took nine months to complete
at a price tag of $1.25 million.
A unique retail experience for
Angelinos at the time,
the steel reinforced concrete building
covered with brilliant gold, blue and turquoise
terracotta chevrons and zigzags
is an icon of art deco architecture.
It’s still in use today as luxury loft condominiums.
[Music]
Dubbed the last of the great train stations, 
Union Station is one of Los Angeles’ most popular 
examples of Mission Revival architecture. 
Adorned with hand-painted mission tiles 
and terra cotta floors,
Union Station is connected by 
a vast steel beam ceiling 
painted to look like wood. 
The building, designed by John and Donald Parkinson, 
cost $11 million to build over 13 years. 
At its completion, in 1939,
1 million people attended its opening. 
Still in use by Angelenos today after 
a five-year renovation project ended in 2014, 
Union station services 100,000 commuters per day.
[Music]
One of L.A.’s most recognizable constructions,
the Theme Building at LAX International Airport, 
designed by Pereira and Luckman,
is an icon of California’s
Googie architecture style. 
Completed in 1961 with a budget of $2.2 million,
Pereira and Luckman designed the building to 
seemingly suspend a disc-shaped restaurant in mid-air. 
The structure was built atop 
an 85-foot concrete core 
and reinforced using two crossed arches 
made of 900 tons of structural steel, 
effectively creating the vision of a space age 
that still resonates today.
[Music]
One of the most epic construction ventures
in postmodern L.A. architecture is
the Walt Disney Concert Hall. 
Commissioned by Lillian Disney in 1987, 
the concert hall became a massive project
that defined architect Frank Gehry’s career. 
Originally estimated to cost $50 million, 
the concert hall’s budget ultimately swelled
to $265 million over its 
16-year construction period. 
Made of structural steel, Douglas fir interior
and a stainless-steel exterior that required 
aerospace technology to engineer,
 the Walt Disney Concert Hall instantly became
became one of L.A.’s most popular cultural attractions,
which it remains to this day.
Thanks for watching. 
If you liked this video and want to see more
in addition to Bluebeam video resources, 
please make sure to “like” this video 
and also subscribe to our channel.
