Eastern Columbia Building vs James Oviatt Building

Comparing the Eastern Columbia Building and the James Oviatt Building is interesting because they both stand in Los Angeles, CA, and were completed within 2 years of each other, but they were designed by different architects.

This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.

Both the Eastern Columbia Building and the James Oviatt Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Curlett & Beelman and Walker & Eisen followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

The Eastern Columbia Building is primarily residential, while the James Oviatt Building is primarily commercial.

Originally, the Eastern Columbia Building was designed for retail, but over time it was converted to residential. The James Oviatt Building by contrast has maintained its original role.

The Eastern Columbia Building offers 147 residential units.

These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.