1929, John Parkinson & Donald B. Parkinson, Architects
Los Angeles, California

John Bullock, along with partner P.G. Winnett, had retained John Parkinson for his very first store in downtown Los Angeles in 1906. Because the partners profited from every design for which Parkinson provided them, both businesses remained closely interlinked for almost 60 years.

Both Winnett and the Donald Parkinson attended the 1925 Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, and had returned filled with enthusiasm for the new design ideas presented there. Since the proposed new location was considered risky - away from the established but traffic-congested downtown shopping area-a dramatic new prototype was warranted. The overall timing produced the remarkable and architecturally bold Art Deco design for Bullocks-Wilshire. Of particular note was the building's unprecedented embracement of the automobile - America's (and particularly Southern California's) new favorite form of transportation.

The store's signature copper-clad tower, crowned with a search light, served as a beacon to draw clientele from surrounding residential areas. For the first time, a major department store's main entrance was located at the rear of the building -- adjacent to a landscaped, surface parking lot. The grand porte cochere, its ceiling adorned with artist Herman Sach's mural "The Spirit of Transportation," provided the ultimate sense of arrival.

Bullocks-Wilshire's carefully detailed architecture was complemented by a collaboration of the best local interior designers, sculptors and artists. Eleanor Lemaire, Jock Peters, Feil & Paradise, and John Weber singly created sumptuous, high-style interiors. Gjura Stojano, Maier-Krieg and George Stanley's works of art added refinement and drama. Bullocks-Wilshire today is noted internationally for being the largest store building of the exuberant Art Deco era to retain most of its original artistic features.

The decline of the adjacent neighborhood was cited as reason for the store's closure by then-owner Macy's in the Spring of 1993. The building was subsequently purchased and refurbished as the new home for the adjacent Southwestern University's School of Law. Original documents from The Parkinson Archives were used to determine the structural stability and restore the original features during this effort.

The famous, landmarked Bullocks-Wilshire building is, unfortunately, not open to the public today. We highly recommend Margaret Leslie Davis' book, Bullocks Wilshire (Balcony Press, 1996), which provides a fascinating glimpse of the social history intertwined with this architecturally-superb Parkinson building.

Large Color Print, and also note cards, from the original architectural drawings are available in the GIFT SHOP. NEW!

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