Oviatt Building
Partners Frank Alexander and James Oviatt became leading clothiers in Los Angeles in the early 1900s. They hired the Los Angeles architectural firm of Walker & Eisen to build a 12-story headquarters for their sales shop (now the Cicada Club), rentable office space, a 10-room penthouse suite for Oviatt and rooftop space for private functions. During the early phases of construction, it has been said that Oviatt attended the 1925 Paris Exposition and decided to decorate his building in the new Art Deco style. When the building was completed in 1928, it featured over thirty tons of imported furnishings, a three-faced tower clock with chimes manufactured by Ateliers Brillié Frères and original decorations by the Parisian design firm of Saddler et fils. The Oviatt Building is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
Photographers: John Bare, Andrew Schmidt