Curbed Features

The 'most recognizable and beloved' building in Los Angeles might be the Griffith Observatory, which opened in 1935 to 17,739 visitors in the first week. The building was the brainchild of Griffith J. Griffith, a businessman and convicted murderer who first began dreaming of the observatory in 1912. The project took several decades to materialize, but when construction began during the Great Depression, labor and local materials were readily available. Curbed National has the full story of Griffith Observatory's creation and restoration. [Curbed National]