Return to list

Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif.

 
image 0
Zoom inZoom inZoom inZoom in
Zoom outZoom outZoom outZoom out
Go homeGo homeGo homeGo home
Toggle full pageToggle full pageToggle full pageToggle full page
Rotate leftRotate leftRotate leftRotate left
Rotate rightRotate rightRotate rightRotate right
Title
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif.
Description
Looking west on Wilshire Blvd from Lafayette Park. The Bullock's Wilshire department store, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard, is on the left. The Town House facing Lafayette Park is on the right.
Physical description
1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm
Subject
Department stores--California--Los Angeles; Hotels--California--Los Angeles; Streets--California--Los Angeles; Parks--California--Los Angeles; Automobiles; Palms
Note
The Bullock's Wilshire building was designed as a luxury department store by local architects John and Donald Parkinson. When it opened in 1929, the building was one of the first Art Deco structures built in the United States. The exterior featured its famous 241-foot tower with a tarnished green top in copper. Bullocks Wilshire department store was regarded as innovative because it catered to the burgeoning automobile culture in Los Angeles. Its main clientele included Mae West, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, Alfred Hitchcock, and Greta Garbo, serving the upper class of the society. Operated as a luxury department store for more than 60 years, the Art Deco landmark building was purchased by Southwestern Law School in 1994. Opened in 1929, the Town House on Wilshire Boulevard was designed by Norman W. Alpaugh. This Beaux Arts style building made of bricks and terra cotta operated as a hotel from the 1930s to the 1990s. When it was sold to the Sheraton Hotels in the 1950s, the Town House was also known as the Sheraton Town House or the Sheraton West. The hotel closed in 1993. The Town House was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1994.
Collection Location
Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection
Type
Geographic Location
Wilshire Boulevard (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Language
eng
Return to list