Richfield Tower Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Richfield Tower

General information
Status	Demolished
Architectural style	Art Deco
Address	555 South Flower Street
Town or city	Los Angeles, California
Country	United States of America
Coordinates	34°03′03″N 118°15′25″W / 34.050799°N 118.256966°W / 34.050799; -118.256966
Construction started	1928
Completed	1929
Demolished	November 12, 1968 – spring 1969
Cost	$1,750,000
Client	Richfield Oil Co.
Height	372 feet (113 m)
Technical details
Structural system	Steel skeleton
Floor count	12
Design and construction
Architect	Stiles O. Clements

The Richfield Tower was a famous building in Los Angeles, California. It was built between 1928 and 1929. This tall building was the main office for the Richfield Oil company. It was also known as the Richfield Oil Company Building.

Building History
Gallery
See also

Building History

The Richfield Tower was designed by an architect named Stiles O. Clements. It had a very unique look with a black and gold outside. This special color scheme was chosen to represent "black gold," which is another name for oil. Oil was Richfield's main business.

The building was covered with a material called architectural terra cotta. This was common for many buildings on the West Coast during that time. What made the Richfield Tower special was that all four sides were covered. This was unusual because all sides could be seen in its downtown location.

Tower Design and Features

The Richfield Tower had 12 floors and stood 372 feet (113 m) tall. On top of the main building was a 130-foot (40 m) tower. The name "Richfield" was written vertically on this tower. At night, lights on the tower would shine to look like an oil well gushing. This cool design was even used at some Richfield gas stations.

Why the Tower Was Demolished

Over time, the Richfield Oil company grew bigger. They needed more space than the building could offer. So, in 1969, the Richfield Tower was torn down. Many people in Los Angeles and those who cared about old buildings were sad to see it go.

The tower was demolished to make room for a new group of skyscrapers called the ARCO Plaza. However, some parts of the old building were saved. The fancy black and gold elevator doors were kept. You can still see them today in the lobby of the new ARCO building, which is now called City National Tower.

Artistic Elements and Legacy

The main entrance of the Richfield Tower had large sculptures above it. These sculptures represented things like Navigation, Aviation, Postal Service, and Industry. The Atlantic Richfield Company, which was related to Richfield Oil, gave these sculptures to the UC Santa Barbara Art & Design Museum.

Later, in 1982, three of these four sculptures were put on display outside the UCSB Student Health Center. The fourth sculpture was not complete and is still kept in storage.

The Richfield Tower also appeared in a movie. It was shown in a few scenes of the 1970 film Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni. The movie was filmed shortly before the building was torn down.