Yes, a few years ago I did a post on the Bendix building, from time to time I share images of the tower. On this downtown tour I had the pleasure of going up on the roof.
This is the kind of image I usually get of the sign, at a distance, not seeing the whole thing.
Here I am, up on the roof, right under this massive neon sign. Yay for special tours. 
Another angle, with some sky writing in the background. I think it had to do with a club. The skywriters must go up in the air with a number of commissions. Later I saw ‘Vote Yes On Prop 6’. Amen to that! repeal the gas tax! The only proposition I’m voting in favor.
From the Bendix roof looking over at the Applied Arts building. It is fun seeing these details close up.
A view towards the financial district downtown. I never get bored of this skyline, no matter what angle I’m looking at it. It is changing so rapidly, I should probably try and put together images I’ve taken in the last five years. If I can find the photos…
From this angle Santee Alley doesn’t look very busy, I can assure you, a Saturday in this area is a zoo. The alley is packed with people, the streets, like Maple and Santee are not only full of people but also wall to wall carts. Some selling fruits and many selling those hotdogs you see there. Hotdogs wrapped in bacon. Me, I had chicken tacos from one of the carts. Yummy street food.
Back on street level, these figures on the Bendix building, progress, innovation. There are others as well.
Inside the Applied Arts building, this is what the top of a mail chute looks like. This building is once again used for applied arts. The top floor, where I was standing is today a woodworking shop. The kind of place where as many tools as possible are available, and people can come in, rent time and make things. I’m used to sewing studios that offer, sewing machines, but carpentry tools take a lot more space and specialization.
How did I get up here you ask? By elevator, but not any old elevator, or maybe yes, a very old elevator.
One that has to have a human operator. And here he is. Btw, that round lever is very very important. He has to gauge when and where to slow down the car. It is never perfectly accurate when stepping on or off, it’s either step up or down. I know there are still a number of buildings downtown that haven’t upgraded the elevators. This is the first time I had the pleasure to be in one.
This time it was a tour given by the LA Conservancy. Sure they wanted me as a docent, I give enough tours. The joy of being a volunteer, I paid my money and went on the tour. Sure there were plenty of buildings that I am very familiar with, but I always learn something new.
Initially I had my camera on the wrong setting, by the time I figured it out, we were halfway through the first part of the tour. So you are getting the artistic image of the Gerry building. Some people use filters to get this, I just shoot on the wrong setting. A few years ago I posted images of this building. Not much more information, except this has always housed garment manufacture and designers. 
A few years ago there was talk of turning this into lofts, glad that didn’t happen. And yes, that font is amazing.
Great Streamline moderne element, the curved concrete and windows! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Repeating the font on the side as well as that lovely deep orange brick paint color.
I have often wondered about this building. It was nice to get some information. Built in the early teens it was originally the 
Brunswick, Balke, Collender Company, or simply the Brunswick building. They made Billiard Tables. Although based outside Chicago, they quickly expanded throughout the country. The business also expanded beyond Billards, to bowling balls, other sporting good, boating, yachts and Military equipment. They sold this building long ago.
The back is much more prosaic, we were trying to figure out why there was this door on the second floor? Any suggestions are welcome.
Always love ghost advertising.
Alleys downtown are like the rest of the city, people are commisioning murals. 
Mighty Mouse? An original Mickey?
These are just a few of the murals in this alley. There are tours dedicated to murals all over the city.
This is from The Crown, probably season two, since everything was more subdued. Yes, it’s lovely, but nothing here screamed best costumes from the show.
I very much enjoy the hand embroidery here. A lot of sparkle so this shows up well on screen. High Definition means the costume department has to work harder. And yet, they need to hit that mark, of having garments really pop on screen.
Here is a dress from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. I LOVE this and am seriously thinking of knocking it off, probably without the bow. The costumes on this show are so exuberant! They used a lot of color to really catch your eye. This is one of the quieter pieces. I’m itching to go get some wool crepe and some heavy satin. I know I have a pattern I can hack. I’m no good at drafting my own.
The centerpiece show was Glow, not a show I’ve seen. It’s about women wrestlers in the 1980s, and Irene tells me her daughter, who was a child then loves this show. I simply love this dress. Actually, it isn’t a dress, she is wearing the leotard she will wrestle in and instead of a robe, this wonderful high-low skirt. I do appreciate how much fun the designers can have.
This outfit is from the Alienist, I watched a few episodes. I’m squeamish, going into details about the murder and mutilation of young boys in late 19th c. NY. It was too much for me, even though it was very well done.
Look at how the lines match!! Not just on the skirt, but the lines on the cuff perfectly match the lines on the sleeve! I want to shake the hands of both the designer and the person who sewed this!!! This is why I come to these exhibits, to see incredible workmanship and design. I don’t care how good your TV is, you simply aren’t going to see these details. To be honest, if I were standing talking to a model wearing this outfit, I’m not sure I’d see it. There is something about a still manikin that really draws my eyes to the details.
From Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, fun, fun, fun!! Later we went to Michael Levines, where they have a great selection of boiled wool. I’m thinking this jacket might have been made from that. Unlike boiled wool from years ago, today it is much thinner and more pliable. I’m seriously trying to figure out what jacket to make for myself since I fell in love with a gorgeous purple. No, I didn’t buy it, and it could be that by the time I figure out a pattern, that fabric may be gone. There was a large selection of colors, I’ll be alright.
From Schitts Creek, who doesn’t love a very well made crochet dress?? It is so hard to make a good crochet dress, the fabric is much stiffer than a knit dress. And yes, I’d have a full slip, but I am not an actress on a very quirky show. I get what they are doing here with the black underwear. I also see the placement of the band of circles, but because it’s a whole band not just two circles, it is classically suggestive, instead of being in your face suggestive.
There were shows I had never heard of, these days, with broadcast TV as well as streaming services, it makes sense. I don’t watch TV all the time. So, I don’t know what these are from, they are just cool boots. The red pair is a costume, I really want the brown pair. Even though I don’t wear heels much, I think I could wear these.
The office is still very sparse, they only recently moved in. I had heard of fireplaces in the offices. Here is one.How cool is this, with a wall between, these two are simply a two sided fireplace. Not functional anymore, but oh so beautiful.
Another room had this beautiful exposed brick one. There were a few employees, as well as a lovely Golden retriever, sorry I didn’t get his picture.One of the office doors, looking back out to the landing. These are strong massive wood and literally, go from floor to ceiling.
Another tall window, it may be a little hard to see how wavey the top pane of glass is. Glass isn’t a solid, it’s somewhere between solid and liquid and this 120 year old pane is getting the wave look old glass gets. This is because gravity is slowly dragging it down.Out on the landing, more wonderful details. Look at this firehose reel. Although it is no longer functional, they have kept these on display – once again, design and function working so well together. In the 1950’s one of the elevator operators was in the building late at night and fire did break out, she called the fire department and saved so much of this building.
More wonderful terra-cotta.
Another newel post, this time cast iron.
The floor, another beautiful element.
An angle only workers and visitors to the offices get to see.From one of the midlevel landings. This really is one of Los Angeles’ treasures. One of the big payoffs for these years of volunteering was the ability to see more details of the wonderful landmark.
I explored parts of the compound I hadn’t seen before. Always a fun thing to do.
The ghost sign from Edison, this building was built in 1902 as the first Edison power plant west of the Mississippi.
Tucked off in the corner is a workshop of innovators and builders of amazing things. I have to confess that I didn’t go see their installation, next time.
This is the backside of the building, so maybe the building was built in 1894, or maybe most of the powerplant was added on later.
You know me, I will take any chance I can get of taking pictures of the downtown skyline. From this angle the new Broad tower is invisible.
Teresa and Hawke in front of their Ascension quilt. 
Me too! I got into the fun. As did many of the visitors to this studio. They are planning a series of quilts with the theme of wings. I’ve watched this one being created on Instagram, was so much fun to see it in person.
Among the industrial and the freeway, old homes survive. Some like this one are well cared for.
Or how about dressing up a small cottage with some Victorian flair?
Then there is the old rundown Victorian, broken up into apartments. So this is how one uses the vestibule to create two private entrances. It is a large building, so it could be there more entrances were created on the sides or the back.
The station was packed with people, some traveling and many others, like us, there to enjoy the music.
333 years is a long time, the balloons were decorating the station, both inside and out.
Oh look! There is a paper mache Bach!
Someone with a Bach bag.
No, I cannot explain this Vaccaro with his stuffed pheasant, all I can say is, they both enjoyed the concert.
No explanation for this tiger head either. It’s LA.
This gorgeous half dome is atop the Patsaouras Plaza in Union Station, a newer addition to the complex.
Kids from all over Los Angeles are learning music through the Harmony project and what great musicians they are.
After some music, we went for a walk, a huge limousine pulled up in front, not sure if they were there for Bach or not.
Past Chinatown to the new park at the old cornfield. Today it is Los Angeles State historic park. It needs to grow into itself, but it is lovely to have this park in a dense part of north Chinatown. People were enjoying the park and I had to get a picture of City Hall.
This time I even treated myself to banana cream pie, with real bananas. Then back through Union Station, where the finale concert was taking place in the old Ticket concourse. Down to the subway and home.
Looking at the website, I see there is a pool on the roof, but I didn’t go up there.
Of course, I love all these cool details. The tile floor, the tile around the windows, the wonderful archway. 
The lobby is small, yet mighty. Where Nomad used exuberant colors, things here are quiet and subdued, yet no less beautiful.
The Bar! I have no doubt that all the tile work here is new since this used to be the lobby of an office building. How wonderful that the designer makes the new loos so old. Not just the tile, all that woodwork!
From inside looking out at 8th st.
This chair! I don’t know how comfortable it is. But the workmanship. There were at least two of these. Once again, I don’t know if the tile on the floor is original or not. I am in love with all the textures here.
It feels like a British colonial club in India. Pay attention to the sign across the street, that intrigued me.
If I just posted this image, you’d say, San Francisco. I do not know if the upstairs are still a hotel. The Golden Gopher is a modern take on the dive bar. Created in 2004, although the website does say that Teddy Roosevelt bought this building and had a bar here in 1905. Who knows?
Right next door to the Golden Gopher is another old building. Hotel Bristol, which is no longer a hotel but low-income housing. What that means in LA, is newly arrived wanna be actors live here. This is what happens in LA, cheap, low-income housing doesn’t go to the low-income non descript workers in this city. It goes to the hipsters. I guess that is just how the market works in this city. It’s not like we don’t have options, it’s just a question of who gets those living spaces.
The Giannini building was built for the headquarters of the Bank of Italy back in the 1920s. It stood vacant for years. then it was purchased and turned into a luxury hotel. A few months ago, I was watching an episode of NCIS Los Angeles, and a murder occurred in the LA Athletic Club, which is right across the street, since this building was still under construction, they got permission to film in one of the rooms, abandoned and empty. I love it when I figure these things out.
The building is an example of Beaux Arts, a beautiful example.
I am so grateful that none of the exterior details were destroyed during the years of abandonment.
I’m sure all the terra-cotta is from Gladding McBean. I don’t know who made the metal work, but I see it all over downtown.
The side entrance is small, it’s easier for cars to stop on Olive St. rather than 7th. So the Valet is here.
The lobby, in all it’s glory! So many details are original. The furnishings are new and gorgeous. I want all those lush textiles!
There is a bar and restaurant in the lobby, the place was full.
Always look up!
I so want this chair! The guys’ hat just adds to the colorfulness of it all.
Right next door is the Whiskey Bar, Seven Grand, I bet their business has improved as well. Across the Street in Bottega Louie, 7th st is one of the liveliest streets downtown.
This image isn’t mine. I found it online, although I see this building all the time, I haven’t photographed it.
Two elevator rides up and we are on the 70th floor. Looking down on the slide. My fear of heights prevented me from going down this. Others in my group did it and enjoyed it.
Well, maybe they didn’t enjoy it as much as they claimed……
I was happy to have my picture taken with the angel wings. So why did this not scare me? Because it feels stable and solid. Because that thick glass is high and I don’t feel like I will fall. That slide is 100% glass, sitting, even for a moment on the glass would have freaked me out.
The views! The day was so clear and bright, we had strong winds the day before. So the views were spectacular. You know me, I have a whole collection of images of the Hollywood sign from all kinds of angles. How about this one! 
Or the Broad Tower, with views of Santa Monica bay beyond. This is now the tallest building west of the Mississippi. The US Bank tower is on higher ground. But if they stood side to side, the Broad would be taller, and not only because of the spire. But they don’t have an observation deck.
Just looking south at the massive landscape of Los Angeles.
Staples Center, the Convention center and the old Hotel Figueroa. Also the cross of the 10 and the 110 freeways.
Looking down on buildings I only see from the ground. This is the gas flame of the Gas Company Tower. Built at same time as the US Bank building. Both bought air rights from the library, that money was used to renovate and expand the library. Next to it, well really across the street, is the Biltmore Hotel and in front of that, Pershing Square.
On the other side, The Bonaventure Hotel. A law that was rescinded recently said that all buildings over a certain height in Los Angeles, have to have a helicopter pad. The number indicates the weight that can land. The Broad was built after the law was changed, maybe now we’ll start to see more interesting rooflines on buildings.
Look at a map of Los Angeles, the streets in downtown are slightly torqued, they don’t follow the north-south grid. When the first design of Los Angeles was proposed by Lieutenant Ord, back in 1852, he followed the Spanish tradition of having the north facing streets be more to the Northwest, so that all angles would get more sunlight. I’m not sure that the Bank of America building is perfectly on the correct axis, but it is more so than all of its neighbors which makes it stand out like a sore thumb. As the city grew, the streets returned to a north-south, east-west axis.
City Hall looks so small from above. Beyond it, Union Station with the railroad tracks.
The yellow brick building is the Bradbury Building. I have often looked up at the glass atrium. It’s large. Looking down at it, I realize how very large it really is.
visited here a year and a half ago and wrote up a
Look at the view this artist has! The whole complex was full of people enjoying a lovely Southern CA fall day. Funny story, as I was leaving a gentleman asked me what is going on here, I told him it’s a free art show. He asked where the beer was. I had to laugh and explain that the complex was originally a powerplant, then the Pabst Beer company used it as a brewery and 30 years ago it became an artist colony. But, Barbara’s Brewery would be more than happy to sell him some beer if that was all he wanted.
I should have taken the time to go up those stairs, each building is unique. Well, all this means is that I need to go back in spring for the spring artwalk.
Quite a few of the artists have their homes/studios in lower industrial buildings, which gives them small patios as well. 
The interior courtyard of the Art Deco building, I love what they have done here, literally planted trees inside.
Those who have access to the outdoors use it well. How could you not with the lovely weather we have here.
Cats are popular here.
The interior hallways are fun as well, these are artists, after all, they are going to decorate their environments. 
Love the bright colors and the sign is cute.
More hallway decoration.
Here is an artist who encouraged photography. 
Then I had the pleasure of meeting 
I first saw his work 3 years ago in a lobby in DTLA. I reminded him of this building, took him a moment. He has been very busy painting much larger installations. What is really exciting is that he will be creating and LA Historama for the convention center. This will be fabricated by Judson Studios. I am so excited about this and I hope this comes to fruition. Here’s an article about his work and the plans for this