When people think of Art Deco architecture in America the cities that most readily come to mind are New York, Chicago and Miami Beach. Los Angeles, maybe because it has so many other distractions, rarely rates a mention. But don’t be fooled. L.A. is home to a plethora of outstanding Art Deco structures. Many are celebrated and well known, others take a little searching out. But all can be seen in my new book, Art Deco Los Angeles, just published by Angel City Press. While a few historic and culturally significant buildings pictured in the book, like the Pan Pacific Auditorium, have vanished, the vast majority of exquisite Art Deco structures from the 1920s, 30s and 40s remain, and can be readily visited. Indeed, a handful of classic Art Deco buildings have now been lovingly restored and respectfully repurposed. That list includes the exterior of a 1930s department store that is now the home of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Bullocks Wilshire, another classic department store that now houses a law school, a classic movie theater in Inglewood transformed into a neighborhood church, and a Deco era gas station that serves hot coffee to patrons driving up in their cars to a spot where gas pumps once stood. Take a self-guided tour with the addresses supplied in the book after ordering a copy of Art Deco Los Angeles from Angel City Press at https://acp.lapl.org/book/art-deco-los-angeles/
