RORY CUNNINGHAM, president of the Art Deco Society of L.A., called it one of the premier Deco buildings in the country. Revered historian Robert Winter said it's a shining example of Southern California's golden age of architecture. Times critic Christopher Hawthorne recently declared it "one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the city, a building that would be world-famous if it were located in Manhattan or San Francisco." To about 100 Angelenos, however, the Eastern Columbia building is even more. It's home. After two years and a reported $80-million renovation, the Kor Group has reopened the historic retail and office tower as 147 lofts. Original terra cotta tiles — a mix of sea-foam green and cerulean blue that a 1930 Times story characterized as "melting turquoise" — have been restored. The terrazzo floor of the building's old shopping arcade has been painstakingly repaired for a new Kelly Wearstler-designed lobby.
The Eastern Columbia Building reigned as one of Los Angeles' tallest buildings before World War II. Its Art Deco style, turquoise terra cotta and clean lines also made it one of the most distinctive. The clocks in the four-sided tower are now frozen in time.(Rick Loomis / LAT)
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