OK, maybe Caltrans didn’t earn its $150-million digs based on performance, but that doesn’t change the fact that this floating steel-mesh-and-glass-skinned behemoth is worthy of praise. Completed in 2004, the building won its designer – LA-based architect Thom Mayne – the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize a year later. The hulking structure is true to Mayne's futuristic style, with dramatic geometric forms, space-grey hues and perforated metal screens. Its Main St steps have become a vortex for Downtown’s skate punks.
Caltrans District 7 Headquarters
Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.65 MILES
With eyes on both the galaxy above and palm-flanked boulevards below, the Griffith Observatory hovers above LA like a hulking spacecraft. This is one of…
20.04 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
13.97 MILES
Prepare for a sensory overload on Venice's Boardwalk, a one-of-a-kind experience. Buff bodybuilders brush elbows with street performers and sellers of…
14.99 MILES
Once the very end of the legendary Route 66 and still the object of a tourist love affair, this much-photographed pier dates back to 1908 and is the city…
Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
9.28 MILES
One of the most delightful, inspirational spots in LA, the Huntington is rightly a highlight of any trip to California thanks to a world-class mix of art,…
0.45 MILES
From the instant it opened in September 2015, the Broad (rhymes with 'road') became a must-visit for contemporary-art fans. It houses the world-class…
13.42 MILES
In its billion-dollar, in-the-clouds perch, high above the city grit and grime, the Getty Center presents triple delights: a stellar art collection …
8.69 MILES
Dodge dinosaurs, hang with Homer Simpson and morph into a Minion on the sometimes hair-raising, always entertaining attractions at Universal Studios…
Nearby Downtown Los Angeles & Boyle Heights attractions
0.17 MILES
Until 1966 no LA building stood taller than the 1928 City Hall, which appeared in the Superman TV series and 1953 sci-fi thriller War of the Worlds. On…
0.26 MILES
The unusual-looking tower is a yagura, a traditional fire-lookout tower typically found in rural Japan. It’s the gateway to this kitschy outdoor mall,…
0.27 MILES
Debuting in 1893, the Bradbury is one of the city's undisputed architectural jewels. Behind its robust Romanesque facade lies a whimsical galleried atrium…
0.28 MILES
MOCA showcases its big names and blockbuster exhibits at its main building on Grand Ave, freeing its original site in Little Tokyo to focus on more…
0.28 MILES
The first theater built by Sid Grauman of Chinese Theatre and Egyptian Theatre fame. While the top floors were designed by Albert Carey Martin Sr (co…
6. Japanese American National Museum
0.3 MILES
A great first stop in Little Tokyo, this is the country’s first museum dedicated to the Japanese immigrant experience. The 2nd floor is home to the…
0.34 MILES
A breathtaking loft space owned and operated by the artist himself. Reynolds specializes in mixed-media canvasses and sculpture, and uses anything and…
0.38 MILES
Everything from free lunchtime yoga to music concerts and long days of lounging and people-watching takes place at this preened Downtown park, cascading…