The Theme Building is a structure at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), considered an architectural example of the

Space Age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 during 1957, and continuin ...

design style. Influenced by " Populuxe" architecture, it is an example of the Mid-century modern design movement later to become known as "

Googie Googie architecture ( ) is a type of futurist architecture influenced by car culture, jets, the Atomic Age and the Space Age. It originated in Southern California from the Streamline Moderne architecture of the 1930s, and was popular in the ...

". The Airport Theme Building Exterior and Interior was designated as a historic-cultural monument in 1993 by the city.

Architecture

The distinctive white building resembles a

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...

that has landed on its four legs. The initial design was created by James Langenheim, of

Pereira & Luckman Pereira & Luckman was a Los Angeles, California architectural firm that partners Charles Luckman and William Pereira founded in Los Angeles in 1950. They had been classmates at the University of Illinois’ School of Architecture and had each beco ...

, subsequently taken to fruition by a team of architects and engineers headed by

William Pereira William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pr ...

and

Charles Luckman Charles Luckman (May 16, 1909 – January 26, 1999) was an American businessman, property developer, and architect known for designing landmark buildings in the United States such as the Theme Building, Prudential Tower, Madison Square Garden, ...

, that also included Paul Williams and Welton Becket. The appearance of the building's signature crossed arches as homogeneous structures is a design illusion, created by topping four steel-reinforced concrete legs extending approximately 15 feet above the ground with hollow stucco-covered steel trusses. To counteract earthquake movements, the Theme Building was retrofitted in 2010 with a tuned mass damper without changing its outward appearance. Constructed near the beginning of the

, the building is an example of how aeronautics and pop culture, design and architecture came together in Los Angeles.

History

The original design for the airport created by Pereira & Luckman in 1959 had all the terminal buildings and parking structures connected to a huge glass dome, which would serve as a central hub for traffic circulation. The plan was eventually scaled down considerably, and the terminals were constructed elsewhere on the property. The Theme Building was subsequently built to mark the spot intended for the dome structure, as a reminder of the original plan. There are conflicting reports to whether the restaurant once had a 360 degree rotating floor when it originally opened. However, that is only legend and LAX officials confirmed the restaurant never revolved, yet because of its appearance and views, many visitors “think it revolves.” The building construction contract was awarded to Robert E. McKee General Contractor, Inc. of El Paso, Texas. The structure was dedicated on June 25, 1961, by Vice President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. The

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...

designated the building, which lies within the Westchester neighborhood of the city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, a historic-cultural monument (no. 570) in 1993. A $4 million renovation, with retro-futuristic interior and electric lighting designed by

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...

, was completed before the Encounter Restaurant opened there in 1997. Visitors are able to take an elevator up to the Observation Level to get a 360-degree view of arriving and departing planes. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, the Observation Level was closed for security reasons. Following a $12.3 million restoration of the building completed in 2010, the observation level re-opened to the public on Saturdays and Sundays starting July 10. Additionally, on September 9, 2003, a permanent memorial honoring those who perished in the attacks of September 11 was opened on the grounds of the Theme Building. The Encounter Restaurant closed for business in December 2013 with no future plans to reopen, although the building's observation level is still open on weekends. Previously, the restaurant was closed in March 2007 for repairs after a half-ton piece of the stucco skin on the upper arches crashed onto the roof of the restaurant, and reopened on November 12, 2007.

Delaware North Companies Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 55,000 people worl ...

Travel Hospitality Services operated the restaurant. The restaurant being in a non-secure area of the airport, where travelers are reluctant to spend time when a possibly lengthy security checkpoint lay ahead, or leave after being screened and have to go through security again upon returning, was cited as a reason for closing. In 2018, the Bob Hope USO at LAX relocated to the ground floor of the Theme Building, opening a 7,100 square foot facility described by its president as "the most technologically advanced USO in existence."

References

External links

Theme Building
– via USC
Theme Building
via Emporis {{Authority control 1961 establishments in California Buildings and structures in Los Angeles Buildings and structures completed in 1961 Googie architecture in California Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Los Angeles International Airport Modernist architecture in California Towers in California William Pereira buildings Westchester, Los Angeles Retrofuturism Paul Williams (architect) buildings

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links