Title supplied by cataloger. Capitol Records, located at 1750 Vine Street, is a unique 13-story, 150 ft high-rise cylindrical building that was built in 1956 by architect Welton David Becket and contractor C. L. Peck Co. The wide curved awnings over the windows of each floor and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable, although it was not originally designed with that idea in mind. The blinking red light on the tip of the rooftop spire spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code every few seconds, and has done so since the building's opening in April of 1956. Aerial view of Hollywood with the Capitol Records Building in the center surrounded by other buildings near Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street; view is looking north. The visible streets are (vertically, r to l): Argyle Avenue, Vine Street (next to Capitol Records), Ivar Avenue and (horizontally, bottom to top): Hollywood Boulevard (not visible), Yucca Street (behind Capitol Records), and the 101 Hollywood Freeway (upper right). Photograph dated February 17, 1956.
Type
image
Format
1 negative :safety ;12 x 14 cm. Photographic safety negatives
Capitol Records, Inc Buildings--California--Hollywood (Los Angeles) Express highways--California--Los Angeles Round buildings--California--Los Angeles Music trade--California--Los Angeles Sound recording industry--California--Los Angeles Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Aerial views Hollywood Boulevard (Los Angeles, Calif.) Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) United States Highway 101 Aerial photographs Becket, Welton
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
