Capital Records Building

Capital Records officially denies that their famous building in Los Angeles was designed to resemble a stack of records topped with a stylus. It’s a fun idea though and L.A. does have its share of programmatic architecture. Microcosm’s produced a souvenir building replica of the Capital Records Building in the 1990’s. The chrome-finished replica measures 5 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide. The base reads Capital Records on one side and Hollywood on the other. Microcosms also produced a slightly different miniature metal replica of the Capitol Records building in L.A. for the company’s 60th anniversary in 2002. On the base is printed: CAPITOL RECORDS; 2002; 60TH ANNIVERSARY; 1942. Finished in a gold or silver wash, its stands 5.25" tall. During a visit to this area, I also noticed small replica of the building on top of a neon sign at Hollywood and Vines Streets. See if you can find it next time you're in L.A. Songwriter Johnny Mercer created Capitol Records in 1942 with Hollywood music store owner Glenn Wallichs and movie producer Buddy DeSylva. The Capitol Records Tower is a distinctive landmark in Hollywood, California. The 13-story earthquake-resistant tower, designed by Welton Becket, was the world's first circular office building and is home to several recording studios. Although not originally specifically designed as such, the wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable.The construction of the building was ordered by British company EMI soon after its 1955 acquisition of Capitol Records. Completed in 1956. the building is located just north of the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine and is the center of the consolidated West Coast operations of Capitol Records. Nicknamed "The House That Nat Built" to recognize the enormous financial contributions of Capitol star Nat "King" Cole, the building's southern base displays a large mural celebrating Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and others. In mid-2008, a controversy erupted over a plan to build a condominium complex next door, igniting fears that the building's legendary acoustical properties (specifically its renowned underground echo chambers) would be compromised. In the 1974 disaster blockbuster film Earthquake, the tower was shown collapsing during a massive tremor. Thirty years later, in an homage to Earthquake the tower was again depicted as being destroyed, this time by a massive tornado, in The Day After Tomorrow. In September 2006, owner EMI announced that it had sold the tower and adjacent properties for $50 million to New York-based developer. Now widely known as the 'Capitol Tower' the building has a number of interesting aspects. The tip of the spire at night blinks out the words "Hollywood" in Morse code. Two music superstars have their "Walk of Fame" stars in front of the building: John Lennon and Garth Brooks. The building houses a recording studio renowned for its acoustics. Artists who have used it include Judy Garland, Nat "King" Cole, and the Beach Boys. This is an office building, so the company does not offer tours for the public, but the company's Gold Awards are on display in the lobby