Los Angeles County Hall of Records
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles County Hall of Records, a rare high-rise by Richard Neutra
(co-designed by Robert Alexander), sits in the northern end of the Civic Center in Downtown Los Angeles
. An exemplar of modernist architecture, the building includes louvers similar to the Kaufmann Desert House
. Additionally, the screen to the right of the louvres was a feature by sculptor Malcolm Leland to incorporate ornamentation into modernist buildings.
Originally envisioned as two separate buildings, one for storing records and the other for workers, Neutra and Alexander combined the buildings into one. The T-shaped building has odd number floors on the north side, with double high ceilings and tall windows. The records block on the south side, has floors at 8-ft intervals. Currently, no vital records accessible to the public are in the building, and the windowless south records block designed for storage has been converted to office cubicles.
The Hall of Records houses offices for the Alternative Public Defender, Probation Department, Regional Planning, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney. The Los Angeles County archives are below the building, and there are publicly accessible tunnels to the County Hall of Administration.
There are terraces on the 13th and 15th floors, and at ground level. The upper terraces were designed for a dining room and lounge with panoramic views of downtown. Accessible from the 13th floor, they are currently only used by workers for smoking breaks. The escalators from the ground through 3rd floor are flanked by grilles and screens designed by Malcolm Leland, also known for his work in the ModulArt
movement.
The building was designed to be energy efficient, with large aluminum louvers on the south face running the height of the building. Originally, they turned with the angle of the sun throughout the day to allow more indirect light into the building. No longer operable, they are now locked in one position.
The Temple Street side of the building is covered with a Mosaic Mural titled Water Sources in Los Angeles County by Joseph Young. The mural and reflecting pool were restored in 2007.
The Civic Center/Tom Bradley
subway station serviced by the Metro Purple Line and Metro Red Line is directly behind the Hall of Records.
David Gebhard
and Robert Winter
describe the design of the building as "disorganized" in their guide to Los Angeles Architecture. The Los Angeles Times called the Hall of Records "Striking" in the week after it opened. The building was nominated for the 1964 R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award by the American Institute of Architects
.
Reyner Banham
's Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies (1971), mentions the Hall of Records in passing, in the midst of a broader critique of downtown Los Angeles as "where the action cannot possibly be" (190). Banham concludes his thoughts on downtown with the following, placed below an image of the Hall of Administration: "They are, frankly, a gutless–looking collection but not gracious with it; they are neither tough-minded nor sensitive, nor architectural monuments, nor Pop extravaganzas. Above all they are not Los Angeles, but memorials to a certain insecurity of spirit among timid souls who cannot bear to go with the flow of Angeleno life." (192)
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
(co-designed by Robert Alexander), sits in the northern end of the Civic Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. An exemplar of modernist architecture, the building includes louvers similar to the Kaufmann Desert House
Kaufmann Desert House
The Kaufmann House is a house located in Palm Springs, California that was designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1946....
. Additionally, the screen to the right of the louvres was a feature by sculptor Malcolm Leland to incorporate ornamentation into modernist buildings.
Description
The Hall of Records was estimated to cost 13.7 million dollars in 1961. Counter proposals were made by the Los Angeles County Chief Administrative Officer to preserve the old Hall of Records and move it to the Temple Street location, however, it was estimated that the cost of moving the building would be prohibitively high--$1.5 million to move, and much more to renovate.Originally envisioned as two separate buildings, one for storing records and the other for workers, Neutra and Alexander combined the buildings into one. The T-shaped building has odd number floors on the north side, with double high ceilings and tall windows. The records block on the south side, has floors at 8-ft intervals. Currently, no vital records accessible to the public are in the building, and the windowless south records block designed for storage has been converted to office cubicles.
The Hall of Records houses offices for the Alternative Public Defender, Probation Department, Regional Planning, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney. The Los Angeles County archives are below the building, and there are publicly accessible tunnels to the County Hall of Administration.
There are terraces on the 13th and 15th floors, and at ground level. The upper terraces were designed for a dining room and lounge with panoramic views of downtown. Accessible from the 13th floor, they are currently only used by workers for smoking breaks. The escalators from the ground through 3rd floor are flanked by grilles and screens designed by Malcolm Leland, also known for his work in the ModulArt
ModulArt
Modular art is art created by joining together standardized units to form larger, more complex compositions. In some works the units can be subsequently moved, removed and added to – that is, modulated – to create a new work of art, different from the original or ensuing configurations.- Origins...
movement.
The building was designed to be energy efficient, with large aluminum louvers on the south face running the height of the building. Originally, they turned with the angle of the sun throughout the day to allow more indirect light into the building. No longer operable, they are now locked in one position.
The Temple Street side of the building is covered with a Mosaic Mural titled Water Sources in Los Angeles County by Joseph Young. The mural and reflecting pool were restored in 2007.
The Civic Center/Tom Bradley
Civic Center (LACMTA Station)
Civic Center Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located on Hill Street between 1st and Temple Streets in the Civic Center area of Downtown Los Angeles. This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line. It is also served by the...
subway station serviced by the Metro Purple Line and Metro Red Line is directly behind the Hall of Records.
Critical reception
The original design drawings were praised as "contemporary and at the same time unusual" by County Engineer John A. Lambie in 1958.David Gebhard
David Gebhard
David S. Gebhard was a leading architectural historian, particularly known for his books on the architecture and architects of California. He was a long-time faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was dedicated to the preservation of Santa Barbara architecture.Gebhard...
and Robert Winter
Robert Winter
Robert Winter is one of California's leading architectural historians. He is the Arthur G. Coons Professor of the History of Ideas, Emeritus, at Occidental College, Los Angeles. He is particularly known for his contributions to the history of the California branch of the Arts and Crafts...
describe the design of the building as "disorganized" in their guide to Los Angeles Architecture. The Los Angeles Times called the Hall of Records "Striking" in the week after it opened. The building was nominated for the 1964 R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
Reyner Banham
Reyner Banham
Peter Reyner Banham was a prolific architectural critic and writer best known for his 1960 theoretical treatise Theory and Design in the First Machine Age and for his 1971 book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies...
's Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies (1971), mentions the Hall of Records in passing, in the midst of a broader critique of downtown Los Angeles as "where the action cannot possibly be" (190). Banham concludes his thoughts on downtown with the following, placed below an image of the Hall of Administration: "They are, frankly, a gutless–looking collection but not gracious with it; they are neither tough-minded nor sensitive, nor architectural monuments, nor Pop extravaganzas. Above all they are not Los Angeles, but memorials to a certain insecurity of spirit among timid souls who cannot bear to go with the flow of Angeleno life." (192)