Public Art Works in the Los Angeles Historic Core

This page covers Los Angeles Street on the east to Hill Street on the west, and south to the Garment District and Flower Mart. This page also includes information about public art works at the Flower Mart on Wall Street. Of related historic interest are also Bunker Hill, Union Station and Historic El Pueblo. Do not reproduce information from this site without acknowledgement of the artists and their works, or of the authors of this site.

East of Main Street

• Nick Gillick & Jeffrey Eyster, Bicycle Rack, 1996 (The Bike Stops Here project). Sci-Arc and LADOT. Corner of Maple and 6th, in front of the Los Angeles Central Police Station
  • Background information on the bike rack.
• Ben Meyer, To Protect and To Serve, 1977. Los Angeles Central Police Station, 251 East 6th Street. Mosaic tile. Detail of the mural.
• J. Michael Walker, I Am My Own Rainbow, 2002. Weingart Center for the Homeless, 566 S. San Pedro St.
• Detail of the Weingart Center for the Homeless building, 566 S. San Pedro St.
• Yreina Cervantez and Michael Schnorr, What I see Can Be Me, 1993. SPARC mural. 5th between Towne and Crocker.
• Fence with personal writing, 5th at Crocker. (1/2004)
• Thread spool, Garmet District. San Pedro street north of Pico.
• Bendix sign, Maple and 12th streets.

Main St.

• Old St. Vibiana Cathedral, 1876. Main and 2nd
  • Facade
  • South wall
  • Bell steeple
  • Apostles (St. Mark and St. John?)
  • North gate
  • Background information on murals in the Cathedral
  • Brief biography of the muralist
• Frank Romero, Homage to the Downtown Movie Palaces, 1990. Exterior of parking lot, Main Street, between 5th and 6th Streets.
• Eloy Torrez, Generacion tras generacion, 1988. Dearden's Furniture Store, 724 S. Main St.
  • Background information on the mural
  • A brief biography of the artist

Spring St.

• Peter Shelton, sixbeaststwomonkeys, 2009. Spring Street at First, bordering the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department.
• Los Angeles Times Building, Spring, 1st, and Broadway. Gordon B. Kaufmann, 1931-1935; Rowland H. Crawford, 1948 (10 story addition on the northwest corner of South Spring Street and West 3rd Street); William L. Pereira, 1970-1973 (6 story addition to the west of the original building).
  • details of the facade sculptures, by Merrell Gage, 1935
  • Historical background on the facade sculptures
  • Brief biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the sculptures and other public art works in the Los Angeles Times Building.
• Patrick Bambrough and SCI-Arc, Bike Rack, 1996. Los Angeles Times building, 1st Street.
• Tony Sheets, Los Angeles Times Garage
  • The Evolution of Printing and L. A. Grows (The Evolution of Los Angeles), 1988-1989. Spring and Broadway.
  • Background information on the panels
  • Brief biograpy of the artist
• Stained glass at the lobby of Banco Popular, formerly known as the Herman W. Hellman Building (1903), 354 S. Spring St. Another example of stained glass ceiling at this location. This building is a historic landmark.
• Tony Sheets, Spirit of Growth, Broadway Spring Center garage, 1988-1989 (CRA%). 331 S. Spring.
  • Background information on the work
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography of resources
• Ronald Reagan State Building, 300 Spring St. Welton Becket Assosciates, 1990. Art works sponsored by the Los Angeles State Building Authority.
  • View of "California Cougars" by Gwynn Murrill, "California Dreamscape" by Elsa Flores and Carlos Almaraz, and "Redwood Moonrise" by Betty Gold
  • Betty Gold, Redwood Moonrise, 1990
  • View of "California Grizzly" by Mary Chomenko and "California Dreamscape" by Elsa Flores and Carlos Almaraz
  • Billy Al Bengston, Sedan 98, 1990
  • John Okulick, Vents, 1990
  • Ornamental gate.
• Los Angeles Design Center, originally the Title Insurance and Trust Company building. Spring and 4th.
  • Detail of entrance ceiling with chandelier
  • Protection, Trust, Fidelity, details of Hugo Ballin's external mosaic
  • Background information on the mosaics
  • Brief biography of the artist
• In Creative Unity Art, Mural, Dedicated to the People of Los Angeles, 1998. 4th St. and Spring St. Temporary, details as of 4/98. (CRA)
• Winged lion on the facade of Hotel Alexandria (John Parkinson, 1906), 5th street.
• Samuel Lunden, John Parkinson, Donald Parkinson, Los Angeles Stock Exchange, 1929. Spring Street and 6th. The facade of the building features bas reliefs by Salvatore Cartaino Scarpitta depicting Finance, Production, and Research and Discovery.
  • Background information on the bas-relief sculptures above the main entrance
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the bas-relief sculptures
  • Doors, of the Stock Exchange building

Broadway St.

• Temporary construction-site mural, Los Angeles Times building, 1st and Broadway (as of 4/98)

• Tony Sheets, Los Angeles Times Garage
  • The Evolution of Printing, 1988-1989. Spring and 2nd
  • The Evolution of Los Angeles, 1988-1989. Broadway and 2nd
  • Background information on the panels
  • Brief biograpy of the artist
• Windows on Los Angeles. Temporary construction-site mural, City Hall, 1st and Broadway, 1999.
• Victor Clothing Company has beautiful external and internal murals by several LA muralists. 242 South Broadway.
• Bradbury Building and Biddy Mason Park, Broadway and 3rd St.
• Louis Molina and SCI-Arc, Pig Sculpture Bicycle Rack, entry to Central Farmer's Market, Broadway and 3rd St., west of Bradbury Building.
  • Background information on the project
• Joseph Mora, sculpture on the Million Dollar Theater, 1918. Albert C. Martin and William Lee Wollett, architects. 307 S. Broadway.
  • Background information on the building and external sculpture
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A bibliography on the building
• Johanna Poethig, Calle de la Eternidad, Street of Eternity mural, 1992-1993. 351 S. Broadway. (SPARC)
• Leo Limon, Diane Gamboa, Yolanda Gonzalez, Imagine Culture, 1996. 445 S. Broadway. (CRA)
  • Brief description of the project
  • A short bibliography
• Domingo Mora and Joseph Mora, "Muses of Vaudeville", Palace Theater, 1911. 624 S. Broadway.
  • Background information on the building and external sculptures
  • A brief biography of the architect
  • A short bibliography on the building
• Arthur D. Pizzinat, Sr., designer, Broadway sidewalk, 1935, executed by the Venetian Terrazzo and Mosaic Co. In front of Clifton's Cafeteria, 648 S. Broadway. The images represent icons of Los Angeles and Southern California. This historic terrazo effect was enchanced by tile sections designed by Frank Romero in the 1980s, as part of the Broadway Sidewalk Project (see below).
• Bas relief, building on the west side of Broadway, between 6th and 5th Streets. Looks like Diana or Artemis.
• Frank Romero, Tiled sidewalks, 7th St. and Broadway and 4th St. and Broadway. 1978-1985. (CRA%)
  • Background information on the sidewalk project
  • A brief artist's biography
  • A bibliography on the project.
• Examples of other terrazzo sidewalks, Broadway, 1930s.
• History of theaters on Broadway, from a brochure published by the Los Angeles Conservancy in 1986.

Hill St.

• Fun Hut Mural. On the exterior of Club Fantasy. Hill and 4th.
• Mosaics, 1926. Ravenna Mosaics. Subway Terminal Building, 417 S. Hill St.
• Jeff Greene's trompe l'oeil mural depicting men painting a building on scaffolds (4th St. and Hill).
  • Background on the mural
  • A brief biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the mural
• Angels Flight Railway
• A bit of history on Angels Flight, courtesy of the USC Regional History Center
• Guide to the Restoration of Angels Flight.
• Kim Abeles, Hill Street Avenida at Grand Central Market, Hill Street between 3rd and 4th, commissioned by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority:
  • Walking Wheel, Under Your Souls, Power and Communication, sewer covers, 2001.
  • From Your Seat, benches, 2001.
• Nicole Turner, Grand Central Market mural. Hill Street, between 3rd and 4th
• Tim Hawkinson, Interior of "Historic Clock Tower", 1994. Grand Central Market parking structure, Hill and 3rd. (CRA%)
• St. Vincent's Court marker, St. Vincent place, between Hill/Broadway and 6th/7th Streets.
• Ceiling mural, Warner Brothers Theatre, Hill and 7th (401 West 7th Street).

Olive St.

• Guy Dill, Japan I, Concrete. 631 S. Olive Street.
• Pershing Square, Olive and 5th:
  • Historic information and photographs
  • Public Art in Pershing Square

Garment District/Flower Mart Area

• Victor diSuvero and Judith Harper, Untitled (Lady Liberty Facing West), 1987. 843 S. Los Angeles Street.
  • Background information on the mural
  • Brief biographies of the artists
• Robin Brailsford, Falling Water, 2006. Maxxam Enterprises, Pico and Maple streets.
• Robin Brailsford, Lips, 2006. Maxxam Enterprises, 12th and Crocker streets.
• Mosaic spheres, 2008. Traffic island between Main, Spring and 9th Streets.
• Jonathan Borofsky, Hammering Man, 1988, California Mart, 9th St. and Main.
  • Background information on the sculpture
  • Brief biographical information on the artist
• Viola Frey, Arrogant Man and Surprised Woman, 1986. California Mart patio, 9th St. and Main.
• Grillwork on the facade of the Ninth and Broadway Building, 1929. Claud Beelman, architect.
• Common Threads Artists, Hidden Labor; Uncovering L.A.'s Garment Industry. Grand and 7th, came down in May 1998.
• Gary Lloyd, 4D-KAXE, 1983. 814 S. Spring Street.
  • Background information on the sculpture
  • A short biography of the artist
  • A short bibliography on the work
• Elizabeth Garrison and Victor Henderson, Fifty One Bees, 1996. 755 S. Wall Street. (CRA) Another detail of the mural
  • A short description of the murals
  • A bibliography of resources on the murals.
• Blue McRight and Warren Wagner, Hope Street Terminus: The Garden of Conversion, 1996. Hope and 17th St. (CRA)
  • A short description of the project
  • A bibliography on the project
  • Artists' statement on the project
• Jacqueline Dreager, Venice/Hope Park, 2003. Venice and Hope streets.
  

2/2016