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Photo Above Circa 1928 Oviatt hosted
many star-studded gatherings on his
private Riviera, and the penthouse is
still rented out for private parties.
Alexander and Oviatt is now an
Italian restaurant called Cicada, but
quaint architectural details in the
dining room recall its former
incarnation. Built-in drawers once
used to store hats and gloves, now
hold the restaurant's silver and table
linens. Cicada's softly lit dining room,
gold leaf ceiling, and mirrored bar
continue the Oviatt tradition of
downtown grandeur. If you're
planning an evening of dining and
theater, Cicada also provides
complimentary shuttle service to the
Music Center. |
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Built in 1928, the Oviatt Building once housed the exclusive
men's department store, Alexander and Oviatt. In its heyday,
James Oviatt's shop outfitted Hollywood legends like Clark
Gable and John Barrymore.
On a 1925 business trip to France, Oviatt attended the
Parisian Decorative Arts Exhibition and fell in love with the
sleek elegance of Art Deco. The Los Angeles entrepreneur
had furniture, a store marquee and other design elements
custom-made in France. The stylish haberdasher then
commissioned a fleet of French architects and engineers to
travel to California and transform his Italian Romanesque
building into a Deco showplace.
Rene Lalique personally designed and installed 30 tons of
decorative glass for the lobby of the building. Lalique's
sculptured masterpieces are still visible in the building's
marquee, restaurant and penthouse. James Oviatt's
two-story penthouse was far more opulent than the "rooftop
bungalow," described in the newspapers of the day. The
lavish merchant not only furnished the apartment with
exquisite Parisian furniture, but surrounded his swimming
pool with a strand of imported French sand. |
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