Building Tour

The historic Los Angeles Times Building, located at 1st and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles, opened in 1935 and at the time was the largest building in the western U.S. designed and occupied entirely as a daily newspaper publishing operation.

Gordon B. Kaufmann designed the Times Building, which won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition for its Moderne architectural style. Kaufmann¿s other works include Hoover Dam on the Arizona- Nevada border and, locally, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and the Athenaeum at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Globe Lobby is one of the aesthetic highlights of the Times Building. Its 10-foot-high murals were painted in 1934 by Hugo Ballin, who also painted the Griffith Observatory rotunda, and represent some of the finest murals produced in Los Angeles during the 1930s. The lobby also includes an historical exhibit showcasing the first 100 years of The Times.

Free public tours of the iconic Times Building and the newspaper’s printing facility in downtown Los Angeles are available a few times a month. Reservations are required and participants must be at least 8 years of age. Groups as large as 40 can be accommodated at Editorial, and up to 60 at the printing plant. Tours average an hour in length, and we provide free, secure parking. We allow photography but no recording of the tour . There is a cafeteria at The Times you may visit after the tour, and all Times facilities are accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Please call (213) 237-5757 for current tour information.