Los Angeles has never really settled on a single architectural identity. That's part of the fun. Across the city you'll find experimental Modernist houses tucked into the hills, flamboyant Art Deco towers Downtown and buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Frank Gehry and Charles and Ray Eames.
Some are places to admire from the pavement; others let you step inside and see how radically their architects thought about light, landscape and the distinctly Californian idea of indoor-outdoor living. From the glass walls of Stahl House to the angular forms of Walt Disney Concert Hall, these are some of our favourite places to explore LA through its architecture.
Modernist houses, Art Deco icons and LA landmarks
Bradbury Building – Downtown LA
Stand beneath a five-storey skylit atrium of Victorian ironwork, marble staircases and birdcage elevators seen in Blade Runner.
Eames House – Pacific Palisades
Charles and Ray Eames’ intact home-studio, with preserved interiors, original collections and guided tours of a landmark Modernist house.
Ennis House – Central LA
Frank Lloyd Wright’s largest textile-block house, with 27,000 hand-cast patterned blocks and a cinematic Mayan-Revival façade.
Hollyhock House – East Hollywood
Frank Lloyd Wright’s UNESCO-listed Hollyhock House reveals a California style through original interiors, art glass and its recurring floral motif.
Neutra VDL Studio and Residences – Silver Lake
Tour Neutra’s 1932 glass house, 1940 Garden House and 1964 VDL II together on their original site, guided by Cal Poly Pomona.
Schindler House – Central LA
Walk through Schindler’s 1922 living-laboratory: original home, studio, MAK exhibitions, audio tours and modernist architecture in use.
Stahl House – Hollywood Hills
Stand inside the glass-walled living-room corner made famous by Julius Shulman, with the Stahl House cantilevering above the basin.
