Sunset Tower vs James Oviatt Building

Comparing the Sunset Tower and the James Oviatt Building is interesting because they both stand in Los Angeles, CA, and were completed within 3 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.

The Sunset Tower is clearly the larger tower of the two, both in terms of height and number of floors. It rises to 289ft (88m) with 15 floors above ground, while the James Oviatt Building reaches 161ft (49m) with 13 floors above ground.

Of course, each project may have faced different briefs or regulatory constraints, which we don't really know about and could also explain the outcome.

Both the Sunset Tower 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 Leland A. Bryant 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 Sunset Tower is primarily hotel, while the James Oviatt Building is primarily commercial.

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

The Sunset Tower incorporates a 5-star hotel with rooms. More information is available at the official website.

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