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Historic site in Los Angeles, California
The
Janss Investment Company Building
, also known as the
Janss Dome
, is a historic building in
Westwood
,
Los Angeles
,
California
, in the
Westwood Village
. The building is located at the five-way intersection of
Westwood Boulevard
, Kinross Avenue, and Broxton Avenue.
Background
[
edit
]
In 1929 the Janss Dome was the first building erected in the Mediterranean-themed Westwood Village. It housed the headquarters of the
Janss Investment Company
run by the Janss brothers, Edwin and Harold Janss, who were the developers of the village. The village was built as a shopping and cinema precinct to serve the adjacent
University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). The second floor of the Janss building was the first male dormitory for UCLA students.
[2]
The Janss Dome was designed by the architectural firm of
Allison & Allison
, who also designed UCLA's
Royce Hall
and
Kerckhoff Hall
. Architectural features of the building include a high
portico
and arched windows with the main part of the building having an
octagonal
shape and being surmounted by its signature dome with its
Moorish style
aqua and white zig-zag pattern and gold leafing. Atop the dome is a
cupola
. This dome ranks alongside the white
Spanish Revival
/
Moderne
tower of the
Fox Theater
as an iconic landmark of Westwood Village.
Around the beginning of the 1990s renowned architectural firm
Morphosis
adapted the dome for use as a clothing store by
Contempo Casuals
,
[3]
and later it was occupied by a
Wherehouse Music
store. In 1998 restaurateur
Michael Chow
remodeled the interior for a Eurochow restaurant but had the time-honored aqua and white zig-zag on the rotunda painted over in white.
[4]
This caused the Westwood Design Review Board to order that the dome be restored to its traditional decoration.
[5]
The Janss Dome housed a Japanese restaurant, Yamato, until June 2016.
[6]
In 1971, the Paramount Securities Corporation (Michael & Elliot Lewis) purchased the
property from Bank of America. The property (dome section) was leased to Glendale Federal
Savings and Loan. A cupola was placed on the dome, and an original Sir Richard Wallace fountain, dated 1872 (French), was added to the patio. The building is currently occupied by the Broxton Brewery & Public House.
[7]
The Janss Investment Company Building was dedicated a
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
on June 21, 1988 (No. 364).
[1]
References
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Geography
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Neighborhoods
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Education
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Primary and secondary schools
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Other education
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Other
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Landmarks
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This list is incomplete.
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