Capitol Tower
| Capitol Records Building | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Alternative names | Capitol Records Tower Capitol Tower |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Googie architecture |
| Location | 1750 Vine Street Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°06′11″N 118°19′34″W / 34.103085°N 118.326189°WCoordinates: 34°06′11″N 118°19′34″W / 34.103085°N 118.326189°W |
| Construction started | 1955 |
| Completed | 1956 |
| Owner | Argent Ventures |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 46 m (151 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13 |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Welton Becket and Associates |
| Designated | November 15, 2006 |
| Reference no. | 857 |
| References | |
The Capitol Records Building, also known as the Capitol Records Tower, is a Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District building that is located in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The building is a thirteen-story tower that was designed by Louis Naidorf (who was working at Welton Becket Associates at the time), and is one of the city's landmarks. Construction occurred soon after British company EMI acquired Capitol Records in 1955, and was completed in April 1956. Located just north of the Hollywood and Vine intersection, the Capitol Records Tower houses the consolidation of Capitol Records' West Coast operations and is also home to the recording studios and echo chambers of Capitol Studios. The building is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
The building design was based upon the graduate school drawings of Lou Naidorf who, as the primary architect, designed the first circular office building at the age of 24 years. The wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building only coincidentally resembles a stack of records on a turntable. The rectangular ground floor is a separate structure, joined to the tower after completion.
The tower incorporates 13 stories, to conform to the 150-foot (46 m) zoning height limit that was in place at the time of its construction. Height restrictions were later lifted in 1956. The 13th floor of the tower is the "Executive Level" and is represented by an "E" in the building's two elevators.
The blinking light atop the tower spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code, and has done so since the building's opening in 1956. This was an idea of Capitol's then-president, Alan Livingston, who wanted to subtly advertise Capitol's status as the first record label with a base on the west coast. The switch was initially activated by Leila Morse, the granddaughter of Samuel Morse. In 1992 the light was changed to read "Capitol 50," in honor of the label's fiftieth anniversary—it has since returned to spelling "Hollywood". A black-and-white graphic image of the building appeared on the albums of many Capitol recording artists, with the phrase, "From the Sound Capitol of the World".
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