In any row of Los Angeles buildings, it’s a rarity to see two that are exactly alike. See: the glinting curves of the Walt Disney Concert Hall next to the spongelike façade of the Broad Museum, or the right angles of a modernist home next to a neighbor outfitted with the minarets of a temple. This unusual variety is, perhaps, a result of the climate; in addition to the sun-kissed beautiful people, the warm weather, surreally blue skies, and laissez-faire attitude that blesses the city year-round has also attracted a number of brilliant eccentrics and dreamers. The Eameses, Frank Gehry, and Frank Lloyd Wright, among many others, were as drawn to the sublime light as they were inspired by it. Consequently, Los Angeles is a visual feast, and the architecture (both indoors and outdoors) is like that of nowhere else. Our roundup of must-see design ranges from major institutions and private homes—both of which often take the form of palatial estates—to lush sculptural landscapes, as well as the quirky destinations that only locals know. Architecture buffs and casual tourists, prepare to be wowed.

Pictured: The Broad Museum Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s building for billionaire philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad’s massive art collection is the latest to join the ranks of L.A. icons. The unusual façade is a porous white shell, while the interiors are bathed in meticulously controlled natural light. The art collection (featuring works by Ellsworth Kelly, Yayoi Kusama, and Cindy Sherman, among others) is pretty impressive, too.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Frank Gehry–designed home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic is, arguably, the cultural centerpiece of downtown L.A. Despite its worldwide fame, a little-known fact remains: Staircases actually line the steel curves of its façade, allowing visitors to scale its peaks.

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine

The rumors are true: Angelenos have an unusual attraction to all that is New Age. On the more esoteric end of the L.A. architecture spectrum is this white hilltop temple, the centerpiece of a ten-acre spiritual oasis brimming with lush flora and a spring-fed lake.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

With 120 acres of thematically sculpted gardens, vast collections of European and American art, and historic manuscripts upon historic manuscripts, the Huntington offers a full day of exploration. On view now throughout the main building are site-specific installations by contemporary artist Alex Israel.

The Getty Center

The hilltop home of the late J. Paul Getty’s massive collections of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts is a white travertine masterpiece of modernist architecture, designed by Richard Meier. Artist Robert Irwin conceived the Central Garden, which is an immersive, constantly evolving work of art in itself.

The Eames’s Case Study House #8

While the former home and studio of the most lauded husband-and-wife designers of all time is now a private residence, its current owner has been kind enough to allow Eames fanatics to take self-guided tours of the exterior (reservations required). For its impact on modernist architecture, it’s worth the look, no question.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art

L.A.’s anchor arts institution condenses so many icons of Southern California in one place, including the architecture of William Pereira, the plant-based art of Robert Irwin, and a forest of street lamps installed by the late Chris Burden that greets you even before you enter the building.

Hollyhock House

Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1919–21 templelike design for an eccentric oil heiress marks two separate milestones: L.A.’s introduction to the architect, and a turning point in Wright’s career geared toward embracing the outdoors, one that paved the way to what is now known as California modernism. After a recent renovation, the house reopened to the public as a museum.

The Stahl House

Pierre Koenig’s 1960 Hollywood Hills design checks all the boxes when it comes to California modernist dream homes. It has floor-to-ceiling glass that blurs distinctions between interior and exterior, extraordinary views of the city, and, most importantly, a pool. Regular tours are available.

The Vista Theatre

It’s no surprise that Tinseltown takes its movie theaters very seriously, adding an extra oomph to the moviegoing experience through design. Silver Lake’s Vista Theatre is a classic example. The single-screen 1923 movie house still retains its original kitschy interiors.

Watts Towers

Over the course of more than three decades, Italian-born construction worker Simon Rodia built these 17 monumental structures (the tallest standing at nearly 100 feet) from rebar and an array of other found objects, producing one of the most acclaimed and recognizable works of Outsider Art. The Watts Towers are now a National Historic Landmark.

Greystone Mansion and Park

Tours of the gorgeous 1928 Beverly Hills estate offer a glimpse into how the other half lives—or lived. (Mysteriously, its original resident was found murdered only five months after he moved in.) You might recognize the Gothic exterior from its roles in films like X-Men and The Big Lebowski.

Shakespeare Bridge

L.A. is dotted with hidden historic monuments. One of them is the 1926 Shakespeare Bridge, a charming, albeit anachronistic, Gothic structure tucked into an unassuming nook of Los Feliz.

Griffith Observatory

Perched high in the Hollywood Hills, the observatory is one of the city’s most visible—not to mention beautiful—landmarks. It’s got it all: Art Deco architecture, a high-powered telescope, free admission, and extraordinary views.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

One of the largest churches in the world overlooks the 101 Freeway. Spanish Pritzker Prize winner José Rafael Moneo’s light-filled design, studded with unusual geometric protrusions, hardly fits the traditional profile of a church; the giant cross built into the façade’s central window is the only giveaway.

Culver City Hayden Tract

The Hayden Tract was a derelict, postindustrial stretch of Culver City until the mid-1980s, when developers Frederick and Laurie Samitaur Smith commissioned architect Eric Owen Moss to revive the area. Over the ensuing decades, the surreal, sci-fi-inspired architecture has attracted high-profile commercial tenants, including Nike and Beats by Dre.

The Mayan Theater

The downtown venue for live music and other nightlife is a show in itself—the artist Francisco Cornejo sculpted the façade to reference pre-Columbian architecture, a popular Art Deco theme that continues in the tomblike interiors. Its over-the-top stylings are a throwback to the excesses of the roaring ’20s.

Griffith Park Zoo

Despite having closed in the 1966, the zoo has left its grounds open to the public. Now that the animals have left, the enclosures, carved from rock to evoke a Flintstones vibe, usually contain a few models and photographers at any given time.

Murphy Ranch

This one’s for the more adventurous; the abandoned 1930s headquarters to Nazi sympathizers is located in the woods of Rustic Canyon and likely on the verge of collapse. Its crumbling walls, however, have become a major destination for graffiti artists.

Wayfarers Chapel

Lloyd Wright, the too-often overlooked son of the great Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the Rancho Palos Verdes church almost entirely in glass. Its transparent walls flood the interior with sunlight and offer views of the wooded surroundings overlooking the ocean. It’s so picturesque, in fact, that it’s where The O.C. filmed Caleb and Julie’s wedding.

L.A. River

A favorite shooting location for many a movie, commercial, and music video, the cement pipeline that is the L.A. River has a strange industrial charm—just take a look at its cameo as the backdrop in Grease. In certain places, it also has bike trails, wildlife, and gorgeous bridges.

The Bradbury Building

Built in 1893, the Bradbury is the oldest commercial building in central Los Angeles, and still retains much of its turn-of-the-century flair. The structure was originally designed by Sumner Hunt and completed by George H. Wyman, and it’s pièce de résistance is a soaring atrium with decorative iron railings, marble staircases, and open cage elevators.

Pacific Design Center

Designed by architect César Pelli, this tricolor complex opened in phases. The blue building debuted in 1975, followed by the green one in 1988, and the red in 2012. Besides office space, the campus features two restaurants helmed by Wolfgang Puck, a 380-seat film venue and reception facility, and a Michael Graves–designed fitness center.

Union Station

An unusual blend of Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles, this train station is an architectural gem. Built in 1939 by the father-and-son team at Parkinson & Parkinson, Union Station was one of the last grand train hubs to be built in America, and now serves as a stop for L.A.’s Metro Rail.

The Theme Building

When you land at LAX, the Theme Building is right there to greet you. Completed in 1960, the spaceship-esque structure was commissioned during an expansion to the airport spurred by the postwar boom in air travel. Though the restaurant inside closed in 2014, the observation deck is still open to visitors.

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