If you’ve been around Los Angeles for awhile, then you may recognize these Black & Gold Art Deco buildings. The first one located at 5209 Wilshire is in pristine shape. The second one, located in Korea Town on the corner of 3rd and Western, is horribly run down and in desperate need of some TLC. The latter one, The Richfield Oil Building, has been gone for nearly 50 years.

What I find so thrilling about these buildings is the sexy combination of  black terra cotta tile with real gold leaf trim. Besides being highly ornamental, these materials have proven to be very durable, which is  why they’ve held up so well for over 80 years. Because of the rarity of their design, they truly stand out in our ever changing urban jungle. The Deco Building in the Miracle Mile is happily in an area of town where art deco is valued and is also the design standard for new buildings being constructed.  There’s a beauty to the simplicity of the clean lines and the continuity of the  elegant materials.

When developing new buildings in an area such as LA’s Miracle Mile, every effort is made to ensure that new construction is complimentary to the existing art deco vibe of the neighborhood. Sometimes it works beautifully, as in the case of 5550 Wilshire.  This newer project is an exercise in restrained elegance (this photo doesn’t do it justice). Tone on tone color values combined with strong horizontal lines similar to the Streamline Moderne era, helped this mixed use building feel as if it has been around for years.

However, sometimes the newer buildings don’t quite hit the mark, which was the case in the mixed use building at the corner of La Brea and Wilshire. Curbed LA referred to it as possibly LA’s most hated building  (click here to read the article). The initial drawings for the complex weren’t that bad, however, every time they went for a revision to appease the city planning department or the neighborhood council, it got worse and worse. I couldn’t find the original drawing online that I actually liked, but I did find the one below.  It isn’t entirely bad, even though it has no resemblance to anything art deco. I think they were trying to invoke the feeling of the May Co. Building down the street at Fairfax and Wilshire with the orange flanked spire.

Sadly, this is what the final building ended up looking like.

If we could start by simply white washing the entire building and then making the wanna be spire black, it would be so much better. It appears the developers tried to make it uber urban with layers and layers of colors and materials, hoping we’d believe it evolved over time… major fail. This trend thats been happening for the last decade is so over, not to mention that the fact that it already looks terribly dated. If you thought the post modern architecture of the 80’s was bad, just wait and see how this wears on you. Architecture by committee, at least this committee, reminds me of failed movie making where everyone wants to take credit and have their two cents worth. In the end, no clear vision prevails, and we’re stuck with a $100 million dollar flop and wasted natural resources.

Therefore, I wear blinders when I drive by some of these newer buildings, and take great delight in feasting on these little gems that have survived for nearly a century. My next blog post will take you inside the Black & Gold building being branded as The Deco Building at 5209 Wilshire Blvd.