A master plan for Downtown LA’s Civic Center would dramatically reshape the area and ensure demolition of the historic Parker Center building, which served as LAPD headquarters from 1955 to 2009.
In spite of its historical significance and elegant midcentury design, the former LAPD headquarters’ ties with the city’s dark past seems to have convinced officials it isn’t worthy of preservation.
The historic former LAPD headquarters is facing demolition, and it’s looking as though the building’s days may be numbered. Many associate the structure with some of the city’s darkest moments.
A new report backs razing the modernist building, which was designed by Welton Beckett & Associates and opened in 1955. More than the structure’s dark history, the hefty cost of saving it has been an issue in the past.
The LAPD's historic, Welton Becket-designed former headquarters is back in the preservation spotlight after a committee recommended demolishing the structure in August. Now, the Cultural Heritage Commission is rushing to landmark the building.