Janss Investment Company Building
Encyclopedia
The Janss Investment Company Building, also known as the Janss Dome, is an historic building in Westwood Village
, Los Angeles
, California
. The building is located at the five way intersection of Westwood Boulevard
, Kinross and Broxton Avenues.
In 1929 the Janss Dome was the first building erected in the Mediterranean-themed Westwood Village. It housed the headquarters of the Janss Investment Company
run by the Janss brothers, Edwin and Harold Janss, who were the developers of the village. The village was built as a shopping and cinema precinct to serve the adjacent University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). The second floor of the Janss building was the first male dormitory for UCLA students.
The Janss Dome was designed by the architectural firm of Allison & Allison
who also designed UCLA’s Royce Hall
and Kerckhoff Hall. Architectural features of the building include a high portico
and arched windows with the main part of the building having an octagonal shape and being surmounted by its signature dome with its Moorish style
aqua and white zig-zag pattern and gold leafing. Atop the dome is a cupola
. This dome ranks alongside the white Spanish Revival
/Moderne
tower of the Fox Theater
as an iconic landmark of Westwood Village.
Around the beginning of the 1990s renowned architectural firm Morphosis adapted the Dome for use as a clothing store by Contempo Casuals, and later it was occupied by a Wherehouse Music store. In 1998 restaurateur Michael Chow remodelled the interior for a Eurochow restaurant but had the time-honored aqua and white zig-zag on the rotunda painted over in white. This caused the Westwood Design Review Board to order that the dome be restored to its traditional decoration. The Janss Dome currently houses a Japanese restaurant, the Yamato.
The Janss Investment Company Building was dedicated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
on 21 June 1988 (HCM #364).
Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California
Westwood Village is the main shopping and commercial center of the Westwood district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is located north of Wilshire Boulevard, east of Gayley Avenue, south of Le Conte Avenue, and west of Hilgard Avenue.-History:...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The building is located at the five way intersection of Westwood Boulevard
Westwood Boulevard
Westwood Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles that runs through the heart of Westwood Village and further south in West Los Angeles.Westwood Blvd begins south of Sunset Boulevard in the campus of UCLA as Westwood Plaza. After exiting UCLA, it is one of two major thoroughfares in the Village...
, Kinross and Broxton Avenues.
In 1929 the Janss Dome was the first building erected in the Mediterranean-themed Westwood Village. It housed the headquarters of the Janss Investment Company
Janss Investment Company
The Janss Investment Company was a family run, Los Angeles, California, real estate development company that operated from 1895 to 1995.-First generation:...
run by the Janss brothers, Edwin and Harold Janss, who were the developers of the village. The village was built as a shopping and cinema precinct to serve the adjacent University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA). The second floor of the Janss building was the first male dormitory for UCLA students.
The Janss Dome was designed by the architectural firm of Allison & Allison
Allison & Allison
Allison & Allison was the architectural firm of James Edward Allison and his brother David Clark Allison . Originally based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Allisons moved to southern California in 1910 and at first specialized in public schools.Among the notable projects by this firm are:*...
who also designed UCLA’s Royce Hall
Royce Hall
Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles . Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1929, it is one of the four original buildings on UCLA's Westwood campus and has come to be the...
and Kerckhoff Hall. Architectural features of the building include a high portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
and arched windows with the main part of the building having an octagonal shape and being surmounted by its signature dome with its Moorish style
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
aqua and white zig-zag pattern and gold leafing. Atop the dome is a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. This dome ranks alongside the white Spanish Revival
Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
/Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
tower of the Fox Theater
Fox Theater, Westwood Village
The Fox Theater, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theater, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. It is currently operated by Regency Theaters under the name Regency Village Theater...
as an iconic landmark of Westwood Village.
Around the beginning of the 1990s renowned architectural firm Morphosis adapted the Dome for use as a clothing store by Contempo Casuals, and later it was occupied by a Wherehouse Music store. In 1998 restaurateur Michael Chow remodelled the interior for a Eurochow restaurant but had the time-honored aqua and white zig-zag on the rotunda painted over in white. This caused the Westwood Design Review Board to order that the dome be restored to its traditional decoration. The Janss Dome currently houses a Japanese restaurant, the Yamato.
The Janss Investment Company Building was dedicated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
on 21 June 1988 (HCM #364).