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Bradbury Building

Los AngelesAttractionarchitecture
Bradbury Building
Photo: photo source

A modest Romanesque exterior opens into a luminous Victorian court of iron stairs, cage elevators, marble and glass.

Guide's tip. Enter only when the public lobby is open and remain within the area allowed by security. Let your eyes rise from the tile and marble to iron stairs, elevators and the glass roof. This is an active office building, and access can change without notice. Grand Central Market is 0.10 miles away.

On a walking tour. Stop 5 of 10 on the walking tour Los Angeles, Downtown origins to Grand Avenue, every stop on a map in walking order.

about 30 min for a visit

The story

Completed in 1893, the Bradbury Building is the oldest commercial building remaining in central Los Angeles. Its restrained Romanesque exterior gives little warning of the interior court, where daylight falls through a glass roof onto open cage elevators, wrought-iron stairs, marble steps and patterned tile. The building became a film landmark, but its architectural effect does not depend on recognizing a movie.

Enter only when the public lobby is open. Stand still long enough to watch light travel down the court, then follow the repeated curves of railings and stairs upward. That vertical view is the building’s special reveal.

The Bradbury remains an active office building. Lobby access and permitted areas can change, and upper floors are not a public attraction. Follow security instructions, avoid blocking tenants and never imply that a film location grants access beyond the lobby.

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Nearby in Los Angeles