General Petroleum Building

The General Petroleum Building is a 13-story office building in Los Angeles with steel frame construction and approximately 504,000 square feet of space defined by clean lines and large windows typical of its era. A separate six-story parking structure with an interior spiral ramp was designed to serve the building and its occupants.

Construction began in 1947 and finished in 1949, when Governor Earl Warren and Mayor Fletcher Bowron attended the official opening ceremony. The project was part of a larger wave of commercial development that shaped post-war Los Angeles.

The building represents mid-century modern design and shows how Los Angeles developed as a business center after World War II. Its conversion into homes reflects how the city has changed and what people now need in downtown areas.

The building has been thoroughly renovated and now contains 322 apartments in spaces that once served as offices. Since it is primarily residential, visitors can best appreciate the architecture and design from the exterior or through public viewpoints.

The separate parking structure features an interior spiral ramp that allowed drivers to self-park their vehicles, an innovative design solution for the 1940s. This approach reflected the growing need to manage automobile traffic in a rapidly expanding downtown area.

Location: California

Architects: Wurdeman & Becket

Architectural style: modern architecture

GPS coordinates: 34.04944,-118.25667

Latest update: December 12, 2025 14:21