The Cranky Preservationist in Search of Lost Art Deco Landmarks

Join us as Nathan Marsak, AKA The Cranky Preservationist, talks about the Richfield Building, the most amazing Art Deco building the world has ever known.

Erected in 1928 at the prominent Bunker Hill intersection of Sixth and Flower Streets by the Los Angeles-based Richfield Oil Company, the Stiles O. Clements-designed tower was distinguished by Gladding, McBean’s black and gold terra cotta decoration including sublime angel figures, and an outlandish erupting neon oil gusher roof sign.

In 1966, Richfield merged with Atlantic, and the following year, the newly branded ARCO made the fateful decision to demolish the most important Art Deco heroic setback skyscraper in the world because it simply wasn’t big enough. A.C. Martin was hired to design the 52-story twin glass ARCO Plaza towers, which are the West Coast’s response to the Seagram Building (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; Philip Johnson, 1958).

Following Nathan’s presentation, we will walk to the site of the former Richfield Building and current ARCO Plaza (now City National Plaza). We’ll visit the public art installation created from the Richfield’s Art Deco elevator doors, and discuss the importance of preserving this exemplar of Meisian Corporate International style, as the current owners contemplate significant “re-imagining” of the towers, something that already has the Cranky Preservationist hopping mad.

Register by following the “buy tickets” link above. Each attendee must be registered with their own name and unique email address.