Capitol Records Building, Circular high-rise building in Hollywood, United States.
The Capitol Records Building is a cylindrical high-rise with 13 floors in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, marked by cantilevered sections of white concrete. The round structure rises 67 m (220 ft) above street level and dominates the surrounding lower buildings in the area.
Louis Naidorf of Welton Becket Associates designed the tower, completed in April 1956 after EMI bought Capitol Records in 1955. Naidorf, then 24, drew on his graduate-school plans for the first circular office building; Capitol president Glen Wallichs first wanted a rectangle, but his lender favored the round form. The 13 stories fit Hollywood's 150-foot height limit, lifted in 1956.
The tower houses recording studios used by artists from around the world, with special echo chambers that create a characteristic sound. Guitarist Les Paul developed these underground echo rooms, which remain in operation today.
Visitors can view the building from the street, as it is an active office building and access to the interior is limited. The best view is from the surrounding streets, from which the shape and height of the tower are clearly visible.
The blinking light atop the tower spells "Hollywood" in Morse code, an idea of then-president Alan Livingston to advertise Capitol as the first record label based on the west coast. Leila Morse, granddaughter of Samuel Morse, switched it on. In 1992 it blinked "Capitol 50" for the label's fiftieth anniversary, and in November 2016 it was changed to "Capitol 75" for twelve months.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,657 contributors worldwide.
