Public Art Works in the Los Angeles Civic Center and the Los Angeles Mall

This page provides images and resources on public art in the Los Angeles Civic Center (including the Music Center, the County and Federal Courthouses, the Civic Center Mall, the Court of Historic American Flags, City Hall, Federal Center, and Parker Center) and the Los Angeles Mall. Resources on the Civic Center are listed roughly from west to east. Do not reproduce information from this site without acknowledgement of the artists and their works, or of the authors of this site.

Background on the development of Civic Center.

• Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial, Henry Kreis and Albert Stewart. 1957. West of Hill St., north of 101 Freeway. (private and public sponsorship)
  • Background information on the memorial
  • Brief biographies of the artists

• Music Center Area, 1964. Grand Avenue, bordered by Temple St. and 1st St.
  • Robert Graham, Dance Door, 1978 (private sponsorship)
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • Description of the sculpture from "A Survey of Important Sculptures in Los Angeles County", June 25, 1998, prepared by Sculpture Conservation Studio, Inc, and by Glenn Wharton and Associates, Inc.
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A short bibliography on the sculpture

  • Jacques Lipchitz, Peace on Earth, 1969 (private sponsorship).
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • Description of the sculpture from "A Survey of Important Sculptures in Los Angeles County", June 25, 1998, prepared by Sculpture Conservation Studio, Inc, and by Glenn Wharton and Associates, Inc.
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A bibliography on the sculpture

  • SPARC digital mural lab, Mural to celebrate acting, 1997. Temple at Grand.

  • Arnaldo Pomodoro, Colpo d'ala, 1988 (sponsored by the Italian Government)
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • A short biography of the sculptor
    • A short bibliography on the work

  • The Cathedral of Our Lady. Temple and Hill.

  • Frank Gehry, A Rose for Lilly fountain, dedicated to Lillian Disney, Disney Hall.

  • Rios Associates, Landscaping of Grand Ave. between 1st and Temple, 2003.

• Los Angeles County Courthouse, 1958. 1st St., bordered by Grand and Hill.
  • Donal Hord, Justice, 1956 (LAC)
    • Background on the architectural relief
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A short bibliography on the relief

  • Robert Merrell Gage, Abraham Lincoln, 1961. (private commission)
    • Background on the sculpture
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A short bibliography on the work

  • Carl Romanelli/Cataldo Papaleo, Joseph Scott, 1967 (private/public sponsorship)
    • Background information on Joseph Scott and on the sculpture dedicated to him
    • A short biography of the sculptor (Romanelli)
    • A short bibliography on the sculpture

  • Albert Stewart, Foundations of the Law, 1956 (LAC)
    • Background information on the architectural sculptures comprising the work
    • A short biography of the sculptor
    • A short bibliography on the work

  • Lantern with Egyptian images of justice.

• Civic Center Mall, 1966 (bordered by Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration and Los Angeles County Court House)
  • Howard Troller, Landscape, 1966 (LAC)

  • The Route of the Settlers of the City of Los Angeles (El Paseo de los Pobladores de Los Angeles)

  • Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain

  • Memorial to Ukrainian victims of communism

  • Jean Antoine Houdon, George Washington, 1796, dedicated 1933 (Chamber of Commerce)
    • Background on the sculpture
    • A short biography of the sculptor
    • A short bibliography on the sculpture

  • Francesco Pedrotti, Christopher Columbus, 1973 (private commission)
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • A short bibliography on the work

  • MIA Flag, 1987.

• Court of Historic American Flags. Between Hill and Broadway, directly east of the Civic Center.
  • View of the court

  • List and description of flags

  • Frank Ackerman, Vietnam memorial, 1973
    • Background information on the memorial
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A short bibliography on the memorial

• Joseph Young, Topographical Map of Water Sources in the County of Los Angeles, 1962. Los Angeles County Hall of Records, 320 Temple St. (LAC).
  • Closeup of the mural
  • Background information on the mural
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the work
  • Fountain adjacent to the work

• Federal Courthouse, 312 N. Spring Street.
  • Background information on public art in the Federal Courthouse
  • Henry Lion, Seals and medallions of the United States, Federal Courthouse.
  • Short biography of Henry Lion
  • Short bibliography on the public art works in the building

• City Hall
  • Henry Lion, Entrance to City Hall
    • Historic background on the commissions and proposals
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A bibliography of resources on the work

  • W. E. Maltby, Fire Department World War memorial, 1944. 1st and Main
    • Background information on the memorial
    • A short bibliography on the memorial

  • Monument to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (ARCO). 1st and Main. Another view.

  • Henry MacKay and Julia Bracken Wendt, Frank Putnam Flint Fountain, 1933. 1st and Main
    • Background information on the fountain
    • A bibliography of resources

  • Windows on Los Angeles. Temporary construction-site mural, City Hall, 1st and Broadway, 1999-. Additional details of the mural.

  • Temporary construction-site mural, City Hall, Temple and Broadway, 1999-. Additional details of the mural.

  • Los Angeles Sister Cities.

• City Hall East
  • Millard Sheets, The Family of Man, City Hall East, 200 N. Main Street.

  • Chinese Lions, presented to the City of Los Angeles by the Chinese American community
    • Historical background on the sculptures
    • A brief bibliography on the sculptures

  • Hanns Scharff/Howard Troller, Eleanor Chambers Memorial Fountain, 1973
    • Background information on the fountain
    • Short biographies of Scharff and Troller
    • A short bibliography on the fountain

  • Nida Chesonis, Bike rack
    • Background information on the Bike Stops Here project
    • A bibliography on the project

  • James Thomas Russell, Angelic Duet, 1979. Junipero Serra State Bldng, 1st at Broadway. Removed in 2000.
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • A short biography of the artist
    • A bibliography on the work

• Federal Center (comprised of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center, the 21 story Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, and the VA Outpatient Center). Bordered by Temple and Alameda streets.
  • Background information on the Federal Center
  • A bibliography of resources on the Federal Center

  • Jonathan Borofsky, Molecule Man, 1991. 255 E. Temple Street.
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • Short biography of the artist
    • A short bibliography on the making of the sculture.

  • Tom Otterness, The New World, 1991. 255 E. Temple Street
    • Detail of the detail of the baby holding a globe in the middle of the fountain
    • Detail of the female figure in chains
    • Details of the frieze
    • Background information on the frieze and surrounding controversy
    • A bibliography of resources on the frieze
    • A short biography of the artist

  • Joel Shapiro, Untitled, 1990. 255 E. Temple Street
    • Background information on the sculpture
    • bibliography of resources on the sculpture
    • A brief biography of the artist

• Parker Center
  • Horace Farmer, Los Angeles Police Memorial, 1971. Parker Center, 150 N. Los Angeles Street. No longer extant.
    • Background information on the memorial
    • Short biography of the artist
    • Short bibliography on the making of the memorial.

  • Tony Rosenthal, The Family Group, 1955. 150 N. Los Angeles Street. (CLA)
    • Background information on the commission and surrounding controversy
    • A bibliography of resources on the sculpture
    • A short biography of the artist

• Sook Jin Jo, Wishing Bells/To Protect & To Serve, 2009. 150 N. Los Angeles Street.

• B. J. Krivanek and Joel Breaux, In the Eye of the Storm, 2002.

• Thom Mayne and Morphosis, Caltrans building, 2004.

• Peter Shelton, sixbeaststwomonkeys, 2009. Spring Street at First, bordering the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department.

• Police Memorial Wall, 2009. Designed by the architecture firm Gensler. Police headquarters, 1st Street.

• Robert Haines, Celebration of Our Homeland/Recognition of All Foreign Lands, 1963. 300 N. Los Angeles Street.

• Background on the development of the Los Angeles Mall.
• Bibliography of resources on the Los Angeles Mall.

• Bella Union Hotel (demolished in 1904. State Historic Landmark 656)
  • Historic background on the building
  • A short bibliography on the site
  • A photograph of the hotel dated ca. 1865
  • An undated photograph, taken after 1869

• Los Angeles Star (State Historic Landmark 789)
  • Historic background on the newspaper
  • A short bibliography

• Randall Wilson, Bike rack, 1995. Children's Museum
  • Background information on the Bike Stops Here project
  • A bibliography on the project

• Margaret Garcia, Let There Always be Sky, 1988. Los Angeles Mall
  • Background information on the mural
  • A short biography of the artist
  • Bibliography of resources on the mural

• Hanns Scharff, Gingko leaf pattern along the escalators and stairways of the Los Angeles Mall, 1973-1975
  • Background information on the project
  • A short biography of the artist
  • Bibliography of resources on the design

• Jan Peter Stern, Untitled (aka Cubed Square), 1974. Los Angeles Mall.
  • Background information on the sculpture
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the sculpture

• Howard Troller/Tom Van Sant, Pedestrian bridge over Temple Street, 1974. (CLA)
  • Background information on the design.
  • Bibliography of resources on the bridge.
  • Short biographies of Troller and Van Sant

• Howard Troller/Hanns Scharff/Tom Van Sant, Robert J. Stevenson Fountain, 1974. Los Angeles Mall. (CLA)
  • Background information on the fountain
  • Short biographies of Troller, Scharff, and Van Sant
  • A short bibliography on the making of the fountain.

• Joseph Young, Triforium, 1975. Los Angeles Mall. (CLA)
  • Background information on the sculpture and surrounding controversy
  • A short biography of the arist
  • Bibliography of articles on the Triforium

• L. A. Art Showcase, Tribute to Artists. Mural in the parking garage underneath the Civic Center.

5/2010