The Getty Research Institute

Although evocative of a stack of records on a turntable, the form of the 1956 Capitol Records building—the first circular office tower in the world—was actually designed to maximize usable work space and minimize construction materials and heating and cooling costs. The iconic structure's underground floors feature the earliest studios created for high-fidelity recording. Their legendary reverberation chambers have served as musical laboratories for artists including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and the Beach Boys.

Special thanks to: David Iscove and Jared McGehee, Capitol Records Photo Archives; Bill Jepson, Director, Zachary Rynew, David Sartoris, Lisa Snyder, Modelers: UCLA Urban Simulation Team.

Photos and video: Courtesy of Capitol Records Photo Archives; UCLA Urban Simulation Team.

© J. Paul Getty Trust

This video is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., a Getty initiative that brings together local cultural institutions for a wide-ranging look at the postwar built environment of Los Angeles, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network, revealing the city's development and ongoing global impact in new ways.

Learn more about the exhibition, Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940--1990, co-organized by the Getty Research Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum. http://www.getty.edu/art/ex...

Learn more about the initiative, Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.: http://www.pacificstandardt...