Los Angeles is known for being home to some fairly unusual people; it’s also built upon the back of Hollywood, a very unusual industry. So it goes without saying that Los Angeles has a few unusual buildings. Here are a few that stand out from the crowd.
Randy’s Donuts
It says something when you can claim that you’re probably the most iconic donut shop in the world. Have you ever seen a donut store on TV with a giant donut up top? This is where it came from. The building was originally constructed in 1952 as part of the “Big Donut Drive-In” chain. When the chain disbanded, the first independent owner of the building renamed it “Randy’s Donuts and Sandwiches” after his son. The current owners, who have had the business since 1978, kept the name and have maintained the building in immaculate condition.
Location: 805 West Manchester Ave., Inglewood, CA
Watts Towers
photo credit: ikkoskinen
Built by one man over a 33 year period, the Watts Towers are a testament to what one can do when they think big. The towers are actually a collection of 17 interconnected structures. The actual towers themselves reach between 16.76 to 99 meters into the sky. The man who built them, Sabato “Simon” Rodia was an Italian immigrant. Little is certain about his history, but it is generally believed he immigrated to the United States as a teenager to stay with his brother in Pennsylvania before eventually moving west and settling in Watts. Rodia had an uncanny energy. He would work during the day as a laborer only to arrive home at night and set to work on his towers.
Location: 1761-1765 East 107th St., Los Angeles, CA
Hollywood Sign
Hoolywoodland Sign Image via Wikipedia
Not necessarily a building, but you can’t do an article about unusual structures in Los Angeles without mentioning the most famous giant letters in the world. While many are familiar with the sign, few know its origin or even that it originally didn’t just say “Hollywood”. The sign original read “HOLLYWOODLAND”. It was constructed in 1923 to advertise the Hollywoodland housing development within the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. It was initially intended to remain on the hillside for 18 months, but with the rise of the American film industry in the 1920’s, the sign became an icon, so it remains. The sign would go on to fall into disrepair, but was restored in 1949, which was when the “LAND” was removed. The sign then fell into disrepair again, but was rebuilt in 1978 and still stands today.
Location: Mount Lee, Los Angeles, CA
Sunset Tower
Sunset Tower image via Wikipedia
This building could have been a dinosaur, a laughable throw-back. It’s not. Instead, the Sunset Tower stands in breath-taking, beautiful defiance of the modern buildings that surround it. The building is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in southern California. It was deigned in 1929 and opened in 1931 to become one of the most esteemed places to live in Hollywood. Howard Hughes and John Wayne have both lived in its penthouse. The building was in dire need of repair in the 80’s, but today it has been fully restored to its original splendor, and is one of the best hotels on the Sunset Strip.
Location: 8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA
The Witch’s House
Spadena House
Formally known as “The Spadena House”, this is the most well known storybook home in Los Angeles. One may even claim that due of its appearance in movies, it is the most well known storybook home in the United States. The house was designed by art director Harry C. Oliver in 1921 and used in several silent films. Originally located in nearby Culver City, the home was later moved to Beverly Hills where it has remained since. Not only does the home unquestioningly look like a witch’s house, its landscaping has also been decorated to be equally bizarre. The home has served as a private residence for quite some time and has recently undergone a full restoration.
Location: 516 N. Walden Drive, Beverly Hills, CA
Tail O the Pup
Built in 1946, this is the famous hot dog stand sometimes seen on television that is in the shape of a hot-dog in a bun. The hot dog stand stood at its first location for several decades across the street from where the Beverly Center now stands on La Cienega Blvd. The stand was then moved just a few yards around the corner where it stayed for some time until 2006 when it was evicted so its landlords could develop the land for other purposes. All is not lost though; the stand was not torn down. Instead, it was moved into storage where it remains, somewhere in the Los Angeles area. It is a growing Los Angeles urban legend that some day the Tail O’ the Pup will emerge at a new location, ready for business.
Location: Unknown/In Storage
Capitol Records Building
The world’s first circular office building. Ironically, this building is well known as a great example of programmatic architecture. This is when a business shapes its building to resemble what it sells (Randy’s Donuts and Tail O’ the Pup are two other examples). In this case, the Capitol Records building was built in the shape of a stack of 45 vinyl records on a turntable. The irony is, this was just a lucky coincidence. The building also features subterranean echo-chambers that are renowned throughout the music industry. The tall spike emerging from the top of the building bears a blinking light. The light is actually signaling in Morse code the word, “Hollywood” and has been doing so for most of the building’s history.
Location: 1750 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA
Whether it be their shape, their history, or just their purpose, the unusual buildings of Los Angeles are a collection of sites worth seeing just as much as the celebrities and movie studios the great city is known for.
