LAX Theme Building
James Langenheim
James Langenheim was an architect at the Los Angeles firm of Pereira & Luckman when he created a design concept for the LAX Theme Building. Langenheim’s colleague Gin D. Wong had led the firm’s redesign of the Los Angeles International Airport in the early 1950s imagining a structure of spokes and satellites. This work may have provided inspiration to Langenheim for the spider-like LAX Theme Building which was constructed in 1960-61. Langenheim subsequently established his own firm, James Langenheim & Associates, and completed many projects including “The Manor”, a 56,500 square-foot French château-style home for television producer Aaron Spelling. Langenheim died in 2010.
LAX Theme Building
The Los Angeles Airport's spaceport-inspired Theme Building was dedicated by Vice-President Lyndon Johnson in 1961 — a particularly fine example of both “Populuxe” and “Googie” design vernaculars. Its soaring and curvilinear arches were so dramatic and iconic that within just 30 years, the building was declared an historic-cultural monument. Originally housing a restaurant, it now is home to the Bob Hope USO facility, providing respite and refreshment to American servicemen and women transiting through LAX.
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United StatesDesigner Name
I am very happy with the poster of the LAX Theme Building, but I must tell you that the name of the designer is wrong. James Langeheim was the project architect in the office of William Pereira. He may have worked out the details of the design and he may have overseen the other designers in the office but it was Pereira and Luckman who first created the design of this building, in the early 1950s long before Mr Langeheim came into the office. After Pereira and Luckman split up, it was Pereira who completed the design and supervised Langeheim. May I suggest that in future editions of this poster you change the name to William Pereira? We really owe it to Pereira who never received sufficient recognition for his work.
IconoGraphika
Wim, thank you for your review and suggestion. We have gone back and re-examined the public sources of information available to us about the design and construction of the LAX Theme Building. A concept for the Los Angeles airport re-design, incorporating octopus-like arms, was prepared at the Pereira & Luckman firm in the early 1950s. This concept might have provided inspiration for the later Building design, but our interpretation of the record is that an original 1959 drawing by James Langenheim is the closest thing to an actual design for the Building.
As described, that's all I ask!
SpainVery, very cool prints
2nd time I've order prints from this series. They are all absolutely beautiful. They arrived in a very sturdy tube, carefully wrapped in perfect condition. We love them - hope there will be more added to the series! 10* out of 5.