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photo by Styrous®
Sixty-five years ago today, April 6, 1956, Capitol Tower, the home of Capitol Records was dedicated. It was the first circular office tower designed in America.
That day is crystal clear in my mind as it was at the pinnacle of the Golden Age of Sci-Fi,
I was deep into it and the building was right out of one of the books
and pulp magazines I devoured. I thought to myself it was the future
coming to life right in front of me. Little did I know my life would
witness MANY Sci-Fi fantasies come true.
Located at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, it is thirteen stories tall and 92 feet in diameter. The photo below shows the Capitol Records Building seen from the Hollywood and Vine intersection near sunset on June 30, 2009.
Designed by Welton Becket with Louis Naidorf, a young architect from Becket's office, serving as project designer the earthquake-resistant Capitol Records Tower is the world's first circular office building. Home to several recording studios,
it is one of Hollywood's most distinctive landmarks. Although not
intended as a tribute to record players, its wide curved awnings and
tall narrow tower mimic the appearance of a stack of gramophone records
atop a phonograph. The building was commissioned by EMI after its
acquisition of Capitol Records in 1955 and was completed on April 6, 1956.
According to Atlas Obscura (link below), the light at the top of the tower on the Capitol Records Building
sends out a secret message. It was the former president of Capitol
Records, Alan Livingston, who got the idea to have the light on top of
the building send out a signal in Morse code. The word chosen for this
secret message was “Hollywood.” When the building opened in 1956, Samuel
Morse’s granddaughter Leila Morse had the honor of turning the light
on.
Photographer Ted VanCleave has done a series of very dramatic and beautiful black and white images of the Capitol Records Building. Phaidon has issued a book, California Captured
which features the tower. According to Slipped Disc, the tower has been
shut down and its staff laid off; and Moses Avalon says it has been
converted to condos (links below).
photo by Jelson25
Capitol Records, as did other record companies (link below), advertised the artists they represented on the record sleeve of a vinyl LP.
A few of the artists the company recorded included Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Tina Turner, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Megadeth, NF, Everclear, Katy Perry, Mary J. Blige, Halsey, the Beastie Boys, Juice Newton, The Kingston Trio, Neil Diamond, Iron Maiden, Minnie Riperton, Luscious Jackson, Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, Beck, Ray Anthony, Avenged Sevenfold, Don Henley, Yellowcard, Sam Smith, Sparklehorse, Migos, Emeli Sandé, Queen Naija, Helena Paparizou, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Fletcher.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Atlas Obscura ~ Capitol Records Building Morse Code
Moses Avalon ~ Capitol Records Building goes condo
Slipped Disc ~ Capitol Records Tower is no more
Totally LA ~ The Iconic Capitol Records Building
udiscovermusic ~ In Celebration of Capitol Records
Ted VanCleave ~ Capitol Records Gallery
YouTube links:
The Capitol Tower Opens (1956)
The Capitol Tower (1958)
