Some buildings are simply meant to be photographed in color—and this is one of them. The May Co. department store opened its flagship store on the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave in 1940. To make sure everybody noticed, they covered the cylinder with more than 350,000 glass and gold leaf mosaic tiles. The tactic worked, because it quickly became a very popular fixture on the stretch of Wilshire Blvd known as “Miracle Mile.” This photo is circa 1950s, when the equally popular Simon’s Sandwiches drive-in restaurant did a brisk trade on the northwest corner.
These days, the May Co. building is home to the Academy Museum. This image is from February 2021.
Here’s some of the original 1939 tile and some of the replacement tile.
They should have murals on those black walls.
The black walls are polished stone – granite I think.
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Condensed Wikipedia: May Company Building renamed The Saban Building (fifty million dollar donation from Cheryl Saban prompted change; surprise, surprise, right?) In 2012, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson got Staretect Renzo Piano to design the 300k sf campus consisting of the former May Company Building & spherical addition attached by three glass bridges.
The museum’s design plan called for the renovation of the original structure, including full restoration of the exterior—most notably its cylindrical façade. The cylinder comprises more than 350,000 glass & gold leaf mosaic tiles. While the restoration project, led by preservation specialist John Fidler, aimed to preserve as many of the original tiles as possible, those that had to be replaced were sourced from Orsoni, their original manufacturer in Venice, Italy.
Knew the glorious cylinder was real gold tiles, shopped there in the late ’70s. Looked closely then & was awed thinking about what the original cost must have been…… As build in ’39 or ’40, to think if even a year later…. would never have been build…… due to WWII civilian building restrictions –
PS. Mr. Turnbull, got email from Kickstart on the 1st, GOA jigsaw on the way & exceeded goal – Congratulations on all fronts!
Thanks for participating, Matt. I was so glad to see the campaign pass the finishing line!
You got nothing wrong assuming it was gold paint – Who in their right mind could believe middle class customer base May Company would be so outrageously extravagant in 1940?
Wikipedia error: Due to fire concerns glass making in Venice has been banned since the middle ages. Nearby Murano Island is where the tiles were made.
Don’t remember where I read it, but apparently the gold cylinder was supposed to represent an Art Deco perfume bottle.
Oh really? I’ve never heard that before but now that you mention it, it kind of makes sense.