Theme Building
| Theme Building | |
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The illuminated exterior of the Theme Building at night
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| Location | 201 World Way, Westchester, Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 33°56′38.76″N 118°24′8.64″W / 33.9441000°N 118.4024000°WCoordinates: 33°56′38.76″N 118°24′8.64″W / 33.9441000°N 118.4024000°W |
| Built | 1960-1961 |
| Architect | Pereira & Luckman Architects, Paul Williams and Welton Becket |
| Architectural style(s) | Mid-Century modern, Googie |
| Governing body | Los Angeles World Airports |
| Designated | December 18, 1993 |
| Reference no. | 570 |
 Location of Theme Building in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
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The Theme Building is an iconic landmark structure at the Los Angeles International Airport within the Westchester neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles. It was dedicated on June 25, 1961, by the then US Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, and it is an example of the Mid-Century modern influenced design school known as "Googie" or "Populuxe."
The distinctive white building resembles a flying saucer that has landed on its four legs. It was designed by a team of architects and engineers headed by William Pereira and Charles Luckman, that also included Paul Williams and Welton Becket. The initial design of the building was created by James Langenheim, of Pereira & Luckman.
The appearance of the building as a single homogeneous structure is a constructed illusion. The building's two crossed arches actually consist of four steel-reinforced concrete legs that extend approximately 15 feet above the ground, and a hollow, stucco-covered steel truss constituting the remaining lower arches and entire upper arches. To avoid changing the appearance of the structure with overt reinforcement, the Theme Building was retrofitted with a tuned mass damper to counteract earthquake movements.
The original design for the airport created by Pereira & Luckman in 1959 had all the terminal buildings and parking structures connected to a huge glass dome, which would serve as a central hub for traffic circulation. The plan was eventually scaled down considerably, and the terminals were constructed elsewhere on the property. The Theme Building was subsequently built to mark the spot intended for the dome structure, as a reminder of the original plan. Initially, the restaurant on top rotated slowly, giving the visitors a 360-degree dining experience. However, it was later made stationary.
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