Title supplied by cataloger. Located at 150 N. Los Angeles Street, the Police Administration Building served as the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Dept. from 1955 to 2009. Designed by Welton Becket in association with J. E. Stanton and landscape architect Ralph D. Cornell, the 7-story, Modernist structure includes a horizontal slab with bands of windows on the long east and west sides, and glazed terra cotta panels on the short north and south sides. Horizontal 2-story wings extend out into the surrounding parking lots, defining an entrance plaza and a visual base for the building. The design of the entrance plaza and gardens was part of the Modern landscape architecture trend to unite indoor and outdoor space. After the sudden death of Police Chief William H. Parker on July 16, 1966, the building was renamed Parker Center.; In 2009, construction of the new LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center was completed replacing the older and outdated jail facility at Parker Center. Much of the landscaping that was part of the original design for Parker Center was removed to make room for the new 172,000 sq. ft. metro jail.; The "Family Group" sculpture was designed by Tony Rosenthal who was commissioned by Welton Becket to create a piece for the exterior of the Police Administration building. The sculpture was made from sheets of bronze and represents a policeman protecting a family made up of a mother holding an infant in her left arm and boy standing to her right. The sculpture was installed in 1955 shortly after the construction of the building was completed. View of the Parker Center plaza looking east. The front part of the building hangs over the marble plaza supported by columns. Landscaping on each side of the entrance lends visual interest to the glass wall of the auditorium on the left and the "Family Group" sculpture on the right.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;11 x 13 cm. Photographic prints
Parker Center (Los Angeles, Calif.) Police stations--California--Los Angeles International style (Architecture)--California--Los Angeles Architecture, Modern Urban landscape architecture--California--Los Angeles Office buildings--California--Los Angeles Plazas--California--Los Angeles Sculpture--California--Los Angeles Columns--California--Los Angeles Landscape plants--California--Los Angeles Rocks Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Calif.) Heritage Documentation Programs Collection photographs Stanton, J. E Cornell, Ralph D Rosenthal, Tony,1914-2009 Welton Becket and Associates Photography + Preservation Associates
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