Somewhere between Hollywood and downtown LA, around 6th and Hoover, is a mirror-glass-wrapped skyscraper that I often drove or walked or bicycled by, admiring how it could almost disappear into the sky, depending on lighting conditions*. The entire building could change color as the sky changed, something a bit difficult to demonstrate with black & white photographs. Not always a big fan of commercial architecture, but this was a bit different for me, a mirror into the air, perched at an angle near the edge of Lafayette Park and attached at ground level by flowing buttresses or whatever those elements are called. And I was taken by the way a nearby church — I believe it was the historic First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, based on notes attached to the negatives — was reflected. Today I came upon some of my forgotten and unprocessed negatives from one of my photographic encounters with the building. April, 1974. Rated G.
*(Unfortunately, I don’t have examples here of how the building would reflect the sky and its clouds and changing colors, but I must have something like that somewhere, as I definitely photographed the thing from time to time. For that matter, I know that I have photographed the church as well, as it abounds with history and art. And I think that it is the church famed for its gigantic pipe organ, which I have heard in performance, years ago. Any viewers who can chime in on this, feel free.)
UPDATE: A little research discloses that this building was erected in 1972, has twenty floors, and was called the CNA Park Place Tower (CNA is the insurance and financial services company) and apparently now is the building of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
UPDATE #2: Holy cow. Just discovered that YouTube has a series of videos on the “Great Organs of First Church”, starting with this one: