This building ranks as one of Southern California’s true gems. Completed in 1927, it was designed by the San Francisco firm of Bakewell and Brown. The red tile roofing, cast stone details and massive six-story dome recall 16th Century Italian architectural cues.
When I set out to snap my night photos, I began with the much more elaborate main facade, but was soon drawn through the dome’s archway into the inner courtyard. I took several carefully set shots there until my battery was about out of juice.
As the camera died, I fired off this last haphazard shot gazing skyward from the court fountain. Amazingly, it turned out the most striking of the batch.
