General Petroleum Building
- Architect
- Wurdeman & Becket
- Style
- Mid-Century Modern
- City
- Los Angeles, CA
The General Petroleum Building, also known as the Mobil Oil Building and now the Pegasus Apartments, is a 13-story modern office tower at 612 South Flower Street in Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket for General Petroleum Corp. Groundbreaking was July 11, 1947; the steel structure was essentially complete by December, and offices opened in February 1949. At its April 1949 dedication — attended by Governor Earl Warren and Mayor Fletcher Bowron — the tower held 504,000 square feet, making it the largest office building in Southern California.
the building
Sold mid-construction. While the steel frame was still going up, New York Life Insurance Co. bought the building in March 1948 for $11,750,000 and leased it back to General Petroleum Corp., which kept its name on the tower through completion.
Largest office building in the region. At its 1949 dedication, the tower's 504,000 square feet made it the largest office building in Southern California, reflecting General Petroleum's ambitions as anchor tenant.
the style
The tower is a straightforward example of postwar Modern architecture, built as a corporate office block for an oil company rather than for architectural display.
More on Mid-Century Modernthe architect
Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket designed the building together as Wurdeman & Becket; no further detail on their individual careers is recorded here.
significance
Designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #766 on November 7, 2003, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the tower has since been converted to residential use as the Pegasus Apartments.
nearby
- Engine Company No. 28
- Roosevelt Building
- California Club Building
- Fine Arts Building
- Richfield Tower
- Los Angeles Central Library Building and Grounds