Welcome to Los Angeles, the sun-drenched city filled with aspiring artists and glamorous stars. There’s no limit to the things to do in LA — journey beyond the crowded streets and you’ll find a world of extraordinary architecture.
From the mid-century modern mansions of the Hollywood Hills to the bold performance venues of downtown, LA is home to masterworks and hidden gems alike. Whether you’re an architect aficionado or a casual fan, join us as we explore the most dazzling buildings LA has to offer.
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is a hotspot for some of the city’s most show-stopping structures. Explore these monuments of architectural expertise, and be sure to take plenty of pictures along the way.
1. Walt Disney Concert Hall
When you think of Disney, you might imagine castles, fairy godmothers, and enchanted mansions. That’s why the architecture of Walt Disney Concert Hall is so unexpected. Whether it’s New Years’ Eve events in Los Angeles or a spur-of-the-moment celebration, the Hall is ready to impress.
Sitting at Grand Avenue and First Street, the towering structure embodies curving stainless steel plates that beautifully shimmer against the California sun. It’s more postmodern than classic Disney, and we love it.
Venture inside, and you’ll find a stunning auditorium encased in Douglas fir wood paneling. Light pours in from the ceiling, emphasizing the sloping angles and curved lines of the walls. Frank Gehry finished designing the hall in 1991, and it opened in 2003. It’s been a must-visit destination for architecture fans ever since, so don’t miss it!
2. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Towering over West Temple Street, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angles is an architectural masterpiece of concrete and bronze. Designed by José Rafael Moneo, the structure borrows elements from brutalism, deconstructivism, and post-modernism to form a contemporary collection of bold, powerful lines.
Get closer, and notice the adobe-like quality of the exposed concrete, calling to mind the classic homes of Southern California. Move to the southeast side of the building, and marvel at the massive bronze doorway, which features placed geometric shapes.
The Cathedral offers something new at each viewing angle, so take some time to explore this tremendous masterwork.
3. The Bradbury Building
The exterior of the Bradbury Building, designed by Sumner Hunt and George Wyman, shows hints of Romanesque and Renaissance Revival design, but you need to go inside for the true Bradbury experience. Upon entering, you’re greeted by a central atrium with brick walls. Light streams in from the vaulted glass ceiling, as staircases of Italian marble and wrought iron ascend to the sky.
One of the oldest and most original buildings in LA, it was commissioned by gold-mining millionaire Lewis L. Bradbury. The structure feels Victorian and fantastical. Visitors feel like they could find secret passageways to other worlds hidden among the elaborate railings. Maybe that’s why it’s been featured in so many movies.
From Double Indemnity to Blade Runner, the Bradbury Building is seen in a total of eight films, offering a unique glimpse into the history of filmmaking and architecture in Los Angeles.
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4. Union Station
Union Station is a must-see building if you’re fascinated by classic California styles like Mission Revival and Art Deco. The train station was completed in 1939 according to designs by John and Donald Parkinson, a father-son duo who contributed to much of Los Angeles’ architecture before World War II.
With a blend of styles now known as Mission Moderne, Union Station is still a functioning transportation hub. It’s also open to architecture enthusiasts who want to experience a key part of Los Angeles history.
5. The Theme Building
You’ll be teleported straight into the Space Age as soon as you lay eyes on The Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport. Built between 1960 and 1961, the building evokes a flying saucer or retrofuturistic moon base. The main circular building has panoramic windows and an observation deck atop an 85-foot-tall core of reinforced concrete.
Above this structure, arches of stucco-covered steel bend through the sky while down below, an exterior wall forms a circular lawn, doubling down on the alien spaceship imagery.
The LA architecture firm Pereira + Luckman envisioned the structure as a gargantuan central dome connecting LAX’s terminals and parking lots, but the design was scaled down. Over the years, the final structure served as a unique restaurant for air travelers. At one point, the Disney Corporation renovated it to emphasize the spaceship-style atmosphere.
Today, the building is no longer open to the public, but you can still admire this mid-century modern gem from afar.
If you’re looking for some of the tallest buildings in Los Angeles, consult our curated list of must see LA skyline wonders.
6. Griffith Observatory
Proudly standing on Mount Hollywood and overlooking the southern end of Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory is a jaw-dropping monument to views of the Los Angeles skyline and the galaxy. The structure opened to the public in 1935 following the death of Griffith Jenkins Griffith, a wealthy industrialist who left plans for a free public observatory in his will.
On the outside, you’ll witness a masterwork of Art Deco design, from the gorgeous concrete archways that radiate warmth during the golden hours to the copper-paneled domes reaching for the cosmos. Travel indoors, and you’ll dive into a world of science and wonder. Look through the massive central telescope or admire the marble flooring.
No matter where you look, there’s something enthralling to explore.
7. Hollyhock House
We love to challenge the status quo, and that’s why we’re captivated by Frank Lloyd Wright’s boundary-pushing Hollyhock House. As Los Angeles’ one and only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the building is a breathtaking example of Wright’s visionary Mayan Revival architecture.
The first of Wright’s West Coast constructions, this complex home resists categorization and blends Aztec, Mayan, Asian, and modernist styles, forming what Wright himself called California Romanza. Exploring the property, you’ll find a puzzle-like collection of design features, from rooftop terraces to pergolas and colonnades that form a world of clay and plaster.
Take a guided tour inside before exploring the broader 11.5-acre estate it occupies.
8. Stahl House
Stahl House is a shining symbol of mid-century modern LA architecture. Even if you don’t know the name, you’ve probably seen pictures of this iconic private residence sitting above Los Angeles. This famous building of Los Angeles was created by Pierre Koenig, an American architect born in San Francisco.
Upon completion in 1960, the Stahl House entered John Entenza’s Case Study House Program, a curated collection of homes designed to inspire solutions for the housing shortage of the 1940s. Today, the home offers an exquisite example of indoor/outdoor living.
With massive steel-lined windows overlooking the Hollywood Hills and a pool deck that organically lines the terrain, standing inside Stahl House connects you to the Southern California
9. Cinerama Dome
A beacon of Hollywood’s iconic film industry, Cinerama Dome is the world’s only concrete geodesic dome. Crafted over the course of 16 weeks, the structure opened as a unique movie theater on Sunset Boulevard in 1963. Architect Welton Becket conjured up the design with inspiration from Buckminster Fuller, a creative thinker known for his lattice shell structures.
The final design plans called for 316 interlocking concrete panels arching over a central auditorium. Inside, moviegoers would find more than 900 seats in front of a massive, curving screen. Upon opening, the theater hosted premieres for movies like The Battle of the Bulge and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
It's also made appearances in modern movies, including Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, binding it even closer to the center of cinema in Hollywood.
10. The Queen Mary
Take a step off the mainland and you’ll find The Queen Mary, a historic ship with unique architectural design elements. Before the City of Long Beach purchased it in the 1960s, The Queen Mary transported millions of people and over 800,000 soldiers during World War II. After the sale, the ship was soon transformed from a working ocean liner into a museum and event space.
Even more exciting, you can actually spend a night on this famous ship, thanks to the guest quarters on board! Explore the sumptuous design language during your stay. Take in its 50 types of wood, glamorous pillars, and smooth, curving surfaces characteristic of Art Deco.
9. Cinerama Dome
A beacon of Hollywood’s iconic film industry, Cinerama Dome is the world’s only concrete geodesic dome. Crafted over the course of 16 weeks, the structure opened as a unique movie theater on Sunset Boulevard in 1963. Architect Welton Becket conjured up the design with inspiration from Buckminster Fuller, a creative thinker known for his lattice shell structures.
The final design plans called for 316 interlocking concrete panels arching over a central auditorium. Inside, moviegoers would find more than 900 seats in front of a massive, curving screen. Upon opening, the theater hosted premieres for movies like The Battle of the Bulge and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
It's also made appearances in modern movies, including Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, binding it even closer to the center of cinema in Hollywood.
10. The Queen Mary
Take a step off the mainland and you’ll find The Queen Mary, a historic ship with unique architectural design elements. Before the City of Long Beach purchased it in the 1960s, The Queen Mary transported millions of people and over 800,000 soldiers during World War II. After the sale, the ship was soon transformed from a working ocean liner into a museum and event space.
Even more exciting, you can actually spend a night on this famous ship, thanks to the guest quarters on board! Explore the sumptuous design language during your stay. Take in its 50 types of wood, glamorous pillars, and smooth, curving surfaces characteristic of Art Deco.
Pacific Palisades
The glamor of Hollywood meets the coastal calm of Southern California in Pacific Palisades. This affluent neighborhood of western Los Angeles has been home to silver-screen icons and influential leaders alike, from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg to Ronald Regan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Drive the beautiful streets, and keep an eye out for these architectural icons along the way.
11. Eames House
As the home of the innovative designers Charles and Ray Eames, you’d expect the Eames House to be bold and exciting — and it doesn’t disappoint. Made of two glass and steel boxes, the rectangular home was built in 1949 and is celebrated for its groundbreaking design language.
Across the glass exterior, you’ll find panels of metal, plaster, Cemesto, and other materials placed to form a unique, eye-catching facade. Beautiful landscaping complements this form, including green lawns and eucalyptus trees.
Take an interior tour and see the Eames House frozen in time, from the couple’s book collections to their fascinating pieces of folk art. The entire property is a testament to the duo’s creative prowess — you won’t want to miss it.
12. Greystone Mansion and Park
Compared to other famous buildings in Los Angeles, Greystone Mansion and Park takes a bigger step back in time. Construction was completed in 1928 under the care of Edward “Ned” Laurence Doheny, Jr., the heir to a wealthy oil company. Upon completion, the 46,000-square-foot mansion displayed a beguiling use of gray stone, hence its name.
The mansion pays homage to the Tudor style with its steep roofs, clusters of windows, and multiple chimneys. At the time, the home was among the most expensive properties in California, valued over $1.2 million. By 1965, the estate had left the Doheny family and the City of Beverly Hills purchased the property to use as part of the public water system.
The estate was turned into a park in 1976, and although interior tours are rare, you can still admire the beautiful stonework from the lawn.
Pasadena
Pasadena is something of a hidden gem among Los Angeles’ flashier architecture. Visit the area for a quieter ambiance, and experience a distinguished example of Craftsman-style architecture.
Gamble House
Many consider the Gamble House to be the best example of Craftsman-style architecture in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. Outside, you’ll find classic Craftsman features like low-pitched roofs, impressively overhanging eaves, and exposed wood.
Follow a tour guide into the home, and you’ll be greeted by a jaw-dropping front door. Intricate stained glass spreads across the ornate entrance, forming a Japanese-style tree that foreshadows the magnificent woodwork to come.
Upon entering the home, you’ll be greeted by a staircase with exaggerated joints along the railing, beckoning you to consider its artistry. Then there’s the dining room, which brings a warm bath of sunlight through large windows with subtly beautiful wooden frames.
Go deeper and you’ll find more than a dozen species of wood throughout the home, from teakwood and mahogany to cedar and oak. Wherever you turn, the Gamble House offers striking visions of master woodworking — set aside several hours to explore this architectural marvel!
Watts
Watts may not be the first name you think of when you imagine LA, but this small neighborhood is ready to take you on a sky-high journey through some of the city’s most extraordinary architecture.
14. Watts Towers
We're obsessed with pushing the limits of acrobatics, which is why we love Watts Towers. Designed by Simon Rodia and crafted by Sabato Rodia over the course of 33 years, the mind-boggling creation features 17 towers that soar to acrobatic heights above southern Los Angeles. The tallest tower shoots nearly 100 feet into the sky, yet it stands on an unassuming 14-inch foundation!
All that height is carefully supported by a steel core wrapped in wire mesh. That mesh is then covered in mortar and a mosaic layer of shells, glass, rocks, and other objects. The whole creation holds the world record for the largest structure made by a single person. Add the Towers to your list and stop by to marvel at this architectural spectacle!
Beyond the City
Los Angeles architecture is an exciting whirlwind of design and history. But venture beyond the downtown LA buildings, and you’ll find even more to explore.
15. Hollywood Sign
Blurring the lines between sculpture and architecture, the Hollywood sign is a classic destination that you shouldn’t miss. Just think of the history! Tinseltown’s brightest stars have crafted masterpieces under the sign for decades, so finish your architectural tour of Los Angeles by ascending Mount Lee and getting a closer look at those massive letters.
Take some pictures and watch the city from above — bonus points if you enjoy the view during sunset!