Must-See Architecture in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a city that feeds your fascination with architecture. Home to some of the most beautiful and iconic buildings in the United States, the City of Angels offers many stunning estates, venues, and campuses where you can enjoy cinema history, walk through halls where icons once roamed, and be entertained. Check out this list of the top architectural landmarks in Los Angeles during your upcoming visit.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

As the beloved home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the definitive place to see classical and contemporary music in California. Frank Gehry designed this instantly recognizable building with glistening curves made from stainless steel. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the design of the 2003 building makes it one of the best concert halls in the world from an acoustical perspective. The unique hybrid seating arrangement within the venue combines the classic shoebox design used by most symphony halls with a vineyard-style seating configuration.

The Getty Center

Considered the jewel of Los Angeles, the Getty Center sits nestled on a lush hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains that offers breathtaking panoramic views of Los Angeles that sweep over busy city streets to bring the eye from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Pacific. Since its grand opening in 1997, the Getty Center has attracted millions of visitors eager to see its architecture, manicured gardens, and meticulously designed travertine pathways. The Getty Center campus was designed by Richard Meier. The campus features over 1.2 million square feet of light-reflecting, multicolored travertine stone from Italy.

TCL Chinese Theatre

A quintessential stop on any tour of top architectural landmarks in Los Angeles, TCL Chinese Theatre has hosted countless movie premieres and award shows over the decades. History buffs will know that the modern-day TCL Chinese Theatre was originally called Grauman's Chinese Theatre when it opened with the premiere of "The King of Kings" in the spring of 1927. Its iconic positioning on Hollywood Boulevard has made the venue a go-to spot for blockbuster premieres ever since. Today, the venue boasts the world's largest IMAX auditorium. While cinema lovers have many reasons to be obsessed with this venue, lovers of architecture are eager to view the 90-foot-high walls and famous coral columns with iron masks in person. The original bronze guard dogs from China for Grauman's construction remain to guard the entrance today!‍

Griffith Observatory

Perched on a south-facing slope within Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory offers unmatched views over Los Angeles that stretch from bustling downtown to the sparkling Pacific Ocean. While the views are downright celestial from every angle, millions have poured in from around the world specifically to gaze through the famed Zeiss refracting scope. The original 27,000-square-foot observatory constructed during the 1930s was made of cast-in-place concrete with heavy Greek influences. The interior was constructed using intricately laid marble, stone, bronze, and wood. Of course, the most notable feature of the Griffith Observatory is the large copper dome covering the planetarium. A mix of minor damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake and wear and tear from a steady flow of visitors spurred the need for a major renovation in 2002. The Griffith Observatory was brought up to code during this period without disrupting its architectural integrity.

Petersen Automotive Museum

Located on a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard known as the Miracle Mile of Los Angeles, the Petersen Automotive Museum houses one of the world's largest automobile collections. Before founding the museum in 1994, Robert Petersen specifically chose a building that lacked windows to reduce sunlight exposure that could damage valuable cars. However, the Petersen Automotive Museum only became a true architectural landmark of Los Angeles after undergoing a $125 million renovation in 2015 that included the addition of a stainless-steel facade made of 308 sections that form a "ribbon" effect.

Planning a Los Angeles Architecture Tour

There's nothing like seeing Los Angeles's eras unfold as you tour its iconic landmarks and buildings. While each landmark offers its own unique treasures, Los Angeles is meant to be experienced as a single concept. One of the best ways to "take it all in" is a Hollywood Sign hike that lets you see everything from high above the city.