Capitol Records Building Architect Louis Naidorf Dead

Louis Naidorf, the architect responsible for Los Angeles’ iconic Capitol Records Building and a passel of other landmarks of the region’s commercial real estate landscape has died at age 96.

Naidorf’s longtime friend Mike Harkins confirmed his death on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Naidorf’s love for architecture dates back to his childhood. He started sketching towns at eight years old, and collecting architecture books at age 12. At 13, he asked for a job with local architect Sanford Kent and got his start in the field. He went on to study architecture at the University of California, Berkeley.

His master’s thesis in 1950 foreshadowed what would become the Capitol Records Building. Naidorf imagined that computers would become ubiquitous and compact, eliminating the need for large offices. He proposed creating circular office buildings to optimize space.

Rather than attend his commencement ceremony, Naidorf interviewed at architecture firm Welton Becket and Associates and was hired on the spot. Three years later, he was entrusted with his first major assignment, dubbed “Project X.” He was given little information other than the building’s dimensions and location and had no idea that it would become the headquarters of Capitol Records.

Naidorf applied the round shape to the building and aimed to design a “happy building” both for tenants and passersby. Naidorf repeatedly debunked the myth that the building was designed to resemble a stack of records, though he welcomed the comparisons, saying “If it makes people happy to think that, so be it.”

The Capitol Records Building opened in 1956 and was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006.

Besides the famous structure in Hollywood, Naidorf also designed the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the Beverly Center, the Beverly Hilton hotel, the now-demolished L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, and the Ronald Reagan State Building.

Outside of L.A., Naidorf led the six-year restoration of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, and designed the Rancho Mirage home of former President Gerald Ford. He also designed Phoenix’s Valley National Bank building, now the Chase Tower, the tallest structure in Arizona; and the Hyatt Regency Dallas and its adjacent Reunion Tower.

Naidorf retired at 87 but kept his architecture license active, maintaining the oldest active license in the state by taking renewal exams every year. He’s survived by his daughter, four stepchildren, 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

— Chris Malone Méndez