Some people thought A.W. Ross was crazy when he said he could turn 18 acres of farmland dotted with barns and cows into one of the nation's premier shopping and business centers. In fact, they said it would be a miracle.
In the late 1920s, Ross got his miracle and named a mile after it, the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between La Brea and Fairfax avenues that holds the highest concentration of Art Deco buildings left in Los Angeles.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday September 18, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 29 words Type of Material: Correction
Desmond's Building -- An article in Thursday's California section about Wilshire Boulevard said the Desmond's Building is between Dunsmuir and Cochran avenues. It is between Dunsmuir and Burnside Drive.
"It's one of those wonderful L.A. stories of people who came here
"Here he was, luring businesses from downtown to this area. Everybody thought he was crazy."
Art Deco is characterized by geometric shapes, Greek, Roman and Middle Eastern themes, terrazzo flooring, bright colors and rising sun and banana leaf patterns. Various L.A. artists and developers imported the style from a 1925 Paris exposition. And within several years, Art Deco had become the city's signature style of architecture.
The Miracle Mile immediately became a Los Angeles shopping hot spot. It boasted some of the city's most fashionable department stores, and over the 1950s and '60s, more modern office towers were added. It marked a major step in the city's march westward and the slow decline of the downtown commercial district.
The Miracle Mile has seen its ups and downs in recent years, but some of the most striking examples of Ross' original Art Deco theme can still be seen. Among the many landmark buildings that remain are Desmond's, the Dominguez Wilshire Building and El Rey Theater.
Desmond's Building
At 5514 Wilshire Blvd., between Dunsmuir and Cochran avenues, it was the first office and retail building Ross brought to the area.
Ross, who had found success in the retail industry downtown, wanted to make the Miracle Mile a retail center for the affluent and fast-growing Westside and Beverly Hills. He hoped the design of this building would set a dramatic tone.
In 1929, Ross completed construction on the building, which was anchored by Desmond's, a popular men's clothing store at the time.
In typical Art Deco form, the Desmond's name is embedded in the building facade and around the top of the 11-story Wilshire Tower. The terrazzo flooring reaches out of the entryway into the sidewalk, as if to draw in passersby. The sidewalk -- designed to complement the interior's decor -- is feet upon feet of large brick red squares.
