The Theme Building is a structure at
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), considered an
architectural example of the
Space Age design style. Influenced by "
Populuxe" architecture, it is an example of the
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
design movement, later to become known as "
Googie". In 1993, the city designated the exterior and interior of the Theme Building as a historic-cultural monument.
Architecture
The distinctive white building resembles a
flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. The initial design was created by James Langenheim, of
Pereira & Luckman, subsequently taken to fruition by a team of architects and engineers, headed by
William Pereira and
Charles Luckman, that also included
Paul Williams and
Welton Becket. The civil engineer was Richard Bradshaw.
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
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
-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
Space Age, 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.
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. The
Los Angeles City Council designated the building, which lies within the
Westchester neighborhood of the city of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, a historic-cultural monument (no. 570) in 1993.
A $4 million renovation, with
retro-futuristic interior and electric lighting designed by
Walt Disney Imagineering, 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. An airport spokeswoman said that because of its appearance and views, some people thought
it revolved after visiting it, even though it did not.
After the
September 11 attacks, 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. The reason cited was that the restaurant was in a non-secure area of the airport, so travelers were reluctant to spend time there when a possibly lengthy security checkpoint lay ahead, or leave after being screened and have to go through security again upon returning.
The observation level of the building was then open on weekends until 2016 when its schedule was reduced to one weekend per month,
before closing permanently in September 2018.
Previously, the restaurant had been closed for repairs in March 2007, after a piece of the stucco skin on the upper arches crashed onto the roof of the restaurant. The restaurant reopened on November 12, 2007.
Travel Hospitality Services operated the restaurant.
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."
See also
*
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum
References
External links
Theme Building – via USC
* via Emporis
{{Authority control
1961 establishments in California
Buildings and structures in Los Angeles
Buildings and structures completed in 1961
Landmarks in Los Angeles
Culture of Los Angeles
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