Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Los Angeles LAX Theme Building

LAX Theme Building

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

Los Angeles, California

Added By
James T. Bartlett
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The building lit up at night.   monkeytime | brachiator
LAX Theme Building.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
circa 2010   Avoiding Regret
circa 2015   Avoiding Regret
  Julius Spada / Atlas Obscura User
LAX Theme Building.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
LAX Theme Building.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
LAX Theme Building.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Completed in 1961 in the Googie style once popular across California, this 135-foot-high building was meant as a symbol of the upcoming Space Age and was planned as the center of the airport. But things didn’t turn out that way.

The original airport design was meant to have all the terminal buildings and parking structures connect to a giant glass dome. After that grand idea was scaled down, this quirky behemoth—which looks like the cross between a flying saucer and a giant white spider—was built where the glass dome would have stood.

Since it opened in the early 1960s, aviation enthusiasts have been keen to take a short elevator ride up to the observation deck to scout out the many planes soaring through the sky around the airport. The funky, futuristic structure also once had an alien/Jetson-style restaurant that initially rotated and served themed cocktails like the “Black Hole.”

However, security fears after 9/11 and then some falling stucco (a half-ton chunk of exterior stucco crashed into its roof) saw several years of closures and repair and the restaurant shuttered some years ago. The deli on the ground level, a favorite with airport employees, recently closed its doors too.

Even without its restaurants, the building in general remains a Los Angeles Space Age icon and often features in movies and TV shows. It’s still possible to access the observation deck, which offers unparalleled views of the airport and beyond.

Update: As of August 2018, the building is no longer open to the public.

Related Tags

Airports Architectural Oddities Architecture Modernism

Know Before You Go

The observation deck offers fantastic views, but to you need ID before you can access the elevators and it’s only open the second weekend of each month from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

jbartlett2000

Edited By

wrmedu, Avoiding Regret, Kerry Wolfe, Julius Spada

  • wrmedu
  • Avoiding Regret
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Julius Spada

Published

May 18, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_Building
  • https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/theme-building-lax
  • http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-lax-theme-building-will-gain-uso-center-in-2018-story.html
  • https://untappedcities.com/2013/05/28/inside-lax-airport-theme-building-modernist-icon/
LAX Theme Building
701 Center Way
Los Angeles, California
United States
33.944142, -118.402419
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Studio Antiques

El Segundo, California

miles away

The El Segundo Butterfly Preserve

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Old Town Music Hall

El Segundo, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Nearby Places

Studio Antiques

El Segundo, California

miles away

The El Segundo Butterfly Preserve

Los Angeles, California

miles away

Old Town Music Hall

El Segundo, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Los Angeles

Los Angeles

California

Places 237
Stories 62

Related Places

  • Copenhagen, Denmark

    The V House

    This striking structure, with balconies jutting out like hedgehog spines, combine cutting-edge design with a playful approach to light and space.

  • The former Wyoming National Bank buildings, known locally as “the onion” and “the egg beater.”

    Casper, Wyoming

    The 'M' Building and Tower

    Locally known as the "Onion” and the "Egg Beater,” Casper’s most recognizable buildings are beloved local landmarks to many, and eyesores to others.

  • Madrid, Spain

    Torres Blancas

    Meant to resemble a massive tree, the building is the best example of Spanish organicist architecture in Madrid.

  • Herz-Jesu-Kirche

    Munich, Germany

    Herz-Jesu-Kirche

    On high feast days, the entire blue-glass front of this modern church opens up to reveal the small wooden church inside.

  • Isthmia, Greece

    Isthmia Prime Hotel

    A closer look at this somewhat faded hotel by the Corinth Canal reveals the architectural undertones of a genius.

  • Liège, Belgium

    Tour Cybernétique (Cybernetic Tower)

    Nicolas Schöffer's massive interactive sculpture was assembled in 1961 and brought back online in 2016.

  • Slide at Changi Airport.

    Singapore

    Changi Airport Slides

    The busy transport hub is home to the tallest airport slide in the world.

  • Firminy, France

    Saint-Pierre of Firminy

    This church looks more like a spaceship than a house of worship.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.