Bullock's Wilshire Building, Los Angeles: architect, style and history

Bullock's Wilshire opened in September 1929 as a 230,000-square-foot luxury department store for John G. Bullock, flagship of a seven-store chain, designed by Los Angeles architects John and Donald Parkinson. The interiors were the work of Eleanor Lemaire and Jock Peters of the Feil & Paradise Company, and the building stands today as one of the city's most complete Art Deco statements.

the building

The tower. A 241-foot tower sheathed in copper, now tarnished green, once carried a light visible for miles around, turning a department store into a landmark on the Wilshire skyline.

Entrance relief. The stylized relief above the Wilshire Boulevard entrance was designed by George Stanley, the same sculptor who designed the Academy Award statuette, and the porte-cochere ceiling was painted with a mural by Herman Sachs.

the style

Art Deco (c. 1925–1940): Jazz-age glamour: towers stepping back as they rise, strong vertical lines, and zigzag or sunburst ornament.

significance

Bullocks Wilshire was Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #56, designated in 1968, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Macy's folded the Bullocks Wilshire chain into I. Magnin in 1989 and closed I. Magnin entirely in 1994; the building is now owned by Southwestern Law School.

nearby

First Baptist Church of Los Angeles 0.2 mi · Gothic Revival · 1927
The Town House 0.2 mi · Spanish Colonial Revival · 1929
Hotel Chancellor 0.3 mi · Beaux-Arts · 1924
Immanuel Presbyterian Church 0.3 mi · Gothic Revival · 1929
Brown Derby 0.5 mi · novelty · 1926
Chapman Park Market Building 0.5 mi · 1929

All 315 buildings in Los Angeles