City National Plaza, Formerly ARCO Towers & Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif., 1972
Los Angeles, CA
1972
A.C. Martin & Associates
Exemplifying the Corporate International style and curated plazas that emerged in the early 1970s, A.C. Martin designed this U-shaped complex for the headquarters of Atlantic Richfield Company, an American Oil company otherwise known as ARCO. The project was a huge success for the firm and brought great recognition and new projects for them in the 1970s. The two matching 52-story towers flank each other, clad in bronze glass and dark green polished granite, and standing upon a base of granite piers. A third miniature, two-story, “jewel-box” building sits between them. With their ribbon windows and boxy forms, these two buildings displayed the International Style, as it reemerged in modern, corporate America and became the standard style for the soaring office buildings that popped up in city skylines. For two years, the Arco Towers were the tallest buildings in the city, until the Aon Center went up in 1974.
The plaza, designed as a European piazza by Sasaki Walker & Associates, was originally intended to face Figueroa Street, but ended up facing Flower Street after civil engineers discovered a 12-15 foot elevation difference between the two streets. The plaza is paved with the same dark green granite with a 60-foot diameter fountain in the center. The fountain features a 1969 orange-painted, aluminum sculpture by Herbert Byer called Double Ascension. The plaza changed to City National Plaza from Arco Plaza in 2005 when the south tower was leased to City National Bank.
Wayne Thom photographed both the towers and the plaza in 1972, displaying the importance of the plaza’s interaction with the towers and its inhabitants, and giving a sense of importance to this particular type of corporate architecture. Two of Thom’s photos feature seated women—one in the plaza and one in the lobby. These women lean in towards each other in conversation, showing their relaxation and familiarity with each other. Although Thom photographed architecture, he occasionally used people in his photographs to indicate scale. However, his photos also display a sense of warmth, and of people enjoying themselves. In an interview with Rachel Trombetta for this exhibition, Thom stated that he loved seeing people having lunch and relaxing in the plaza because that was the intent of the design. Scenes of friends using the space to its full potential enliven the photographs and add an extra layer to his work.
References:
Matthew Au, “A Brief History of Los Angeles’ Tallest Buildings,” KCET, February 11, 2014.
“City National Plaza.” Los Angeles Conservancy, web.
Diane Kanner, 1906-2006, AC Martin Partners: One Hundred Years of Architecture, Los Angeles: AC Martin Partners, Inc., 2006, 59.
Wayne Thom in discussion with Rachel Trombetta via email, March 23, 2018.
1972
A.C. Martin & Associates
Exemplifying the Corporate International style and curated plazas that emerged in the early 1970s, A.C. Martin designed this U-shaped complex for the headquarters of Atlantic Richfield Company, an American Oil company otherwise known as ARCO. The project was a huge success for the firm and brought great recognition and new projects for them in the 1970s. The two matching 52-story towers flank each other, clad in bronze glass and dark green polished granite, and standing upon a base of granite piers. A third miniature, two-story, “jewel-box” building sits between them. With their ribbon windows and boxy forms, these two buildings displayed the International Style, as it reemerged in modern, corporate America and became the standard style for the soaring office buildings that popped up in city skylines. For two years, the Arco Towers were the tallest buildings in the city, until the Aon Center went up in 1974.
The plaza, designed as a European piazza by Sasaki Walker & Associates, was originally intended to face Figueroa Street, but ended up facing Flower Street after civil engineers discovered a 12-15 foot elevation difference between the two streets. The plaza is paved with the same dark green granite with a 60-foot diameter fountain in the center. The fountain features a 1969 orange-painted, aluminum sculpture by Herbert Byer called Double Ascension. The plaza changed to City National Plaza from Arco Plaza in 2005 when the south tower was leased to City National Bank.
Wayne Thom photographed both the towers and the plaza in 1972, displaying the importance of the plaza’s interaction with the towers and its inhabitants, and giving a sense of importance to this particular type of corporate architecture. Two of Thom’s photos feature seated women—one in the plaza and one in the lobby. These women lean in towards each other in conversation, showing their relaxation and familiarity with each other. Although Thom photographed architecture, he occasionally used people in his photographs to indicate scale. However, his photos also display a sense of warmth, and of people enjoying themselves. In an interview with Rachel Trombetta for this exhibition, Thom stated that he loved seeing people having lunch and relaxing in the plaza because that was the intent of the design. Scenes of friends using the space to its full potential enliven the photographs and add an extra layer to his work.
References:
Matthew Au, “A Brief History of Los Angeles’ Tallest Buildings,” KCET, February 11, 2014.
“City National Plaza.” Los Angeles Conservancy, web.
Diane Kanner, 1906-2006, AC Martin Partners: One Hundred Years of Architecture, Los Angeles: AC Martin Partners, Inc., 2006, 59.
Wayne Thom in discussion with Rachel Trombetta via email, March 23, 2018.
