Crossroads of the World, Hollywood

One of the most fascinating, and certainly one of my favorite, buildings in Los Angeles is the "Crossroads of the World," located on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. 

Anyone remember the 1970's band "America" and their Greatest Hits album? 

As a teenager, it was the back of the album that caught my eye. There beneath the Hollywood Sign, two members of the band stood next to an amazing art-deco style building surrounded by open fields and palm trees. 

 
Was this building real? 
 
Just an artists' imagination? 
 
Did it still exist? 

Growing up in Los Angeles, I remember driving down Sunset Blvd with my parents a year or so later. And then I saw it. 
    
"THERE IT IS!" I screamed (which I'm sure my parents appreciated). "THE CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD!" 
   
My wife and I were in Los Angeles last week (see my previous blog post). We stopped by Crossroads on our way out of town.

Crossroads of the World is located at 6671 Sunset Blvd, two blocks south of Hollywood Blvd, in Hollywood. Opened in 1936, it is described as America's first outdoor shopping mall. 

Today, Crossroads consists of offices, mostly tied to the entertainment industry. When it first opened in 1936 retail shops filled the first floor. 

According to their website, shops at Crossroads of the World originally included hair stylists, a French parfumerie, an Oriental arts and gift shop, a Spanish cigar maker, a high-fashion ladies dress shop and even a "handkerchief specialist," catering to celebrities (including W.C. Fields and F. Scott Fitzgerald) and upscale shoppers. 



Here's a classic old photograph I found on "google images."

The center of Crossroads is a ship-like building, appropriately known as the flagship building. It was designed by architect Robert Derrah, who also designed the similarly styled "streamline modern" Coca Cola building a few miles away in downtown Los Angeles. 

It was the flagship building with it's distinctive 60 foot tower and globe that was featured on the back of the America's Greatest Hits album I first saw. This is the west side of the building, looking south towards Sunset Blvd. 


Here's another vintage postcard. What made Crossroads of the World so interesting then, and today, is the variety of architectural styles surrounding the ship building, hence the concept: "crossroads of the world."

Long before Epcot Center in Florida tried to transport visitors to various countries around the world,  Crossroads boasted a series of buildings featuring Spanish, French, Moorish, Italian, and English architectural styles. 

There are some amazing architectural details. Apparently, each door is custom designed. 
   
Like much of Hollywood, Crossroads of the World fell on hard times in the 1960's and '70's, and was close to being demolished and replaced by an office building. Developer Morton La Kretz purchased the site in 1977. Over the next several years Kretz worked to restore it to it's original grandure. It's funny, but I wonder if the artwork on the back of the America's 1975 Greatest Hits album had any influence on Cross Roads being saved from demolition two years later. 

The neon sign on Selma Avenue. 

Apparently, the oak tree in the courtyard is over 100 years old. Love the landscaping. Very different than the feel and vibe of Hollywood Blvd, just a couple of blocks away. 

Another view, looking towards Sunset Blvd. The tower is part of the large Roman Catholic Church immediately adjacent.  

As this is an office complex, it was very quiet. I wonder if the owners have ever considered converting any of the ground floor offices back to retail. This courtyard would make an ideal place for outdoor dining. How about a coffeehouse? 

Detail on the Moroccan style building. 

Another view of the flagship building, this time from the east side. 

Unlike Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, or the massive  Hollywood & Highland retail complex (all just a few blocks away), there's not a lot to do at Crossroads of the World. But maybe that's OK. It's a step into Hollywood's past, an amazing architectural treasure, and yet another thing that make Los Angeles in general, and Hollywood specifically, unlike any other place in the world. 

In perhaps the ultimate compliment, a scaled down replica of the Crossroads of the World flagship building stands at the entrance to Disney Studio Theme Park in Walt Disney World, Florida. This was taken back in 1996 when I was living in Orlando for a couple of years. 

 

Here's a link to the Crossroads of the World website. 

View Cross Roads of the World, Hollywood in a larger map


© 2011 www.experiencingla.com


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A taste of Oxford at UCLA

Modeled after Henry VII's chapel at Westminster, UCLA's Kerckhoff Hall is the only Tudor Gothic building on campus - and one of the most beautiful. It was built in 1931 at a cost of $815,000 and served as the original Student Union building. 

Kerckhoff continues to house the offices of the Daily Bruin, a coffee house, offices and several meeting rooms, including the one above. 

The stained-glass windows reflect both California history and the interests of benefactor William G. Kerckhoff, a successful energy and lumber magnate.

 A California prospector.

Hydroelectric power and the Los Angeles aquaduct. 

The famous Giant Sequoia - with a tunnel at the base large enough to drive a car through. 

A beautiful ceiling, chandeliers, and a massive conference table. As a student at UCLA, this was my favorite place on campus for a meeting. 

This past week, I was in another meeting room in Kerckhoff, this time to hear Oxford University mathematician and scholar John Lennox at a lunch for faculty and graduate students. 

Dr. Lennox spoke on his new book "God and Stephen Hawking," making an excellent argument for theism in general and Christianity in particular. 

The event was sponsored by the "Veritas Forum," a Christian organization founded at Harvard University in 1992. According to their website, their mission is "to engage students and faculty in discussions about life's hardest questions and the relevance of Jesus Christ to all of life."  

The lecture, attended by over 80 faculty and graduate students, was excellent. Afterwards, Dr. Lennox stuck around for some Q & A. 

At the lunch, I also had a chance to see a former history professor, Dr. Scott Barchy. Dr. Barchy teaches several classes on the historical background of the New Testament, and I had the privilege of attending the first class he taught at UCLA back in the Fall of 1981. 


Over the last thirty years, Dr. Barchy has encouraged hundreds of both Christian and non-Christian students to examine the historical context of the early Christian movement. He's both an outstanding scholar and an engaging lecturer. 

Picked up a copy of Dr. Lennox's book. Looking forward to reading it later this Spring. 

Outside in the hallway was a promotion for a similar, and yet much larger, program later that evening. UCLA Law Professor Daniel Lowenstein would be questioning Dr. Lennox on whether or not the claims of Jesus would hold up in a court of law.  Excellent, amazing time. 


Over 1000 students and faculty attended - with 200 being turned away for lack of space despite having several overflow rooms. The lecture, followed by Q&A, is available for viewing here.

After the lunch, just before heading out, I noticed the stained glass in the Grand Salon where we were meeting. 

Volleyball? Basketball? Your guess is as good as mine. And whose playing? A troll? Yikes!

Football. Love the leather helmet. 

Ye Auld Swimming Hole. Interesting. Wonder what the reaction was, if any, when Kerckhoff opened in 1931?

Boxing. Apparently, the three most popular sports (at least professionally) in the 1930's were baseball, horse racing and boxing.

Many thanks to the Veritas organizers, and Dr. John Lennox in particular, for putting together these events, including the lunch. 

Can't think of a better speaker for a UCLA audience than a professor from Oxford University. 

And can't think of a better venue on campus than Kerckhoff Hall. 

Here's a link to some additional information on Kerckhoff Hall, as well as a Daily Bruin article on John Lennox and his time at UCLA. 

© 2011 www.ExperiencingLA.com

Sony Studios: A Blast from the Past

Back in 1996, a friend working at Sony Studios gave a group of us an after hours tour of the studio lot. 

What can I say? It was amazing.

Sony Studios occupies the former MGM studio in Culver City. 

There is a vast amount of film history here, especially in what is often referred to as Hollywood's "Golden Age." 

Sony spent $100 million on some needed and actually very beautiful remodeling and updating after purchasing the studio in the late 1980's.

Friends and I next to a poster for the 1937 film "The Awful Truth" staring Irene Dunn and Cary Grant. 

I know, I had never heard of it either - but it won an Academy Award in 1938. 

Sony is very much a working studio lot, with the majority of space taken up by twenty-two massive sound studios, the largest one occupying 43,000 square feet (almost an entire acre).

In some cases, the narrow streets between buildings double for streets and alleys that can be used for filming. 

While we were able to take a few photos outside the various sound stages, photography was ABSOLUTELY forbidden on any of the sets. This was outside the set for Jerry Maguire.

Inside was the set featuring the interior and exterior of the house (and backyard) featured in the movie. 

The Sony Studios water tower outside the same sound stage. 

Another highlight - but, again, NO photography allowed, was stepping onto the set for Men in Black. The crew was going late that evening, and so we were able to see a working set in action. And, obviously, we had to be very quiet. 

Another view of one of the streets in between sound stages. This one I believe is called Main Street. 

A younger me next to some props outside one of the sound stages. 

The one sound stage where we were allowed to take a few photographs was on the Jeopardy! set. 

Behind the magical bank of TV screens. This was fifteen years ago - I'm pretty sure they've updated them to flat panel monitors. 

Getting to play the role of Alex Trebek, who has been the host of Jeopardy! since 1984. 

Alex Trebek (or someone) had left a little post-it note at the podium: "What is Life?"

Great question, one few people seriously consider. 

These photos were all pre-digital, I just recently scanned them. Good times and good memories from our private, after hours tour. 

Since that time, the good people at Sony have started offering daily tours for $33, as well as an evening tour on Thursdays for $28. 

If they're anything like what we got to see, it's definitely worth experiencing. 

© 2011 www.experiencingla.com


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