The story of the LAX Theme Building begins in 1959, where architecture firm Pereira + Luckman dreamt of creating a dramatic glass dome in the middle of the Los Angeles International Airport. The dome would connect the airport’s terminals and parking structures, and would truly be the hub of LAX.
However, this project was eventually scaled down and redesigned to become the futuristic flying saucer it is today. The Theme Building was built in 1961, and became a quintessential example of the Googie architectural style, which was influenced by the Space Age and is full of automotive and futuristic motifs.
The Theme Building is made up of two parabolic arches encompassing a ‘flying saucer.’ When it first opened, it contained a restaurant in the central part of the structure and an observation deck above it. Families would come to eat dinner together and gaze at the 360 degree view of Los Angeles. After dinner, they could go up to the observation deck and watch planes take off and land.
In 1993, the building became Historical-Cultural Monument by city of Los Angeles. Then, a few years later, the Theme Building underwent a major renovation with the help of Walt Disney Imagineering. The LAX theme building interiors were redone to give it a retro twist, and it reopened as a new restaurant called “Encounter.”
However, after 9/11, the Theme Building faced a different future. Its observation deck was closed shortly after for security reasons, and six years later, a half-ton piece of stucco from one the Theme Building’s arches fell on the restaurant. It closed down for eight months. Though the observation deck reopened for a few years in 2010, Encounter shut its doors permanently in 2013.
For now, the building houses the Bob Hope USO and the LAX Guest Services Division. And thankfully, it’s an icon that doesn’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
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