5 - “Binoculars” Building 340 Main Street

5 - “Binoculars” Building

340 Main Street

The “Binoculars” was designed by Frank Gehry and built between 1985 –1991 for advertising agency Chiat/Day. The building is notable for three different architectural styles that make up the façade. Anchoring the outer two disparate structures is a sculptural pair of binoculars designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosie van Bruggen, best known for public art installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. This type of novelty, postmodern architecture is called mimetic, also known as programmic architecture, characterized by unusual building designs that mimic the purpose or function of the building. Another example would be the original Brown Derby restaurant.

Today, the “Binoculars” building complex is home to Google, with the top part of the binoculars used as a conference room and the area between the lenses used as both a pedestrian entrance to the building and a vehicle entrance to the garage. It became Los Angeles Historic- Cultural Monument #656 on 10/14/1998.