May Company Building, Streamline Moderne museum building in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, United States.
The May Company Building is a Streamline Moderne structure at the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. Its rounded corner cylinder is clad in more than 350,000 glass and gold-leaf mosaic tiles, and most of the rest of the facade is covered in Texas limestone panels. Since 2021 it has formed the main building of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, connected by three glass bridges to a 130-foot-tall spherical addition.
The building opened in 1939 as a luxury department store for May Company California, helping shape the retail district's growth. After more than five decades as a shopping destination, it transitioned to a different purpose in the late 1900s.
The gold-tiled cylinder at Wilshire and Fairfax, made of more than 350,000 glass and gold leaf mosaic tiles, was restored with replacements sourced from Orsoni, its original manufacturer in Venice. The building appears in the 1988 film Miracle Mile and in an episode of Visiting... with Huell Howser. Since 2021 it has housed the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
The building sits on Wilshire Boulevard at a central location with parking options near the structure. Its position on a major thoroughfare makes it easily accessible from various parts of the city.
The signature golden cylinder at the corner was carefully restored and remains one of the most recognizable architectural features in the entire district. This shimmering element is visible from many angles around the area and serves as a visual landmark for many visitors.
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