Bradbury: Not the Author, Not the Wallpaper, Not the Museum, but the Building

Bradbury Building ceiling, Kodak 160VC, about three seconds

Bradbury interior, D5000

Bradbury. Based on the varied first-page Google results it's a popular name.

The author, Ray, wrote two of my favorite books, Dandelion Wine and Fahrenheit 451.

I've never heard of Bradbury & Bradbury but they have groovy wallpaper. Wish I hated wallpaper installation a tad less.

The Bradbury Science Museum, located in Los Alamos, "serves as a bridge between the (Los Alamos National) Laboratory and the community." Bridge building is nice but I wish someone had done a little bridge burning prior to Manhattan Project completion.

The Bradbury I'm talking about is the building at the corner of Broadway and Third in downtown Los Angeles. Like its first appearance in Google at the bottom of page two, the Bradbury Building, built in 1893, is unassuming and easy to overlook.

The rather plain exterior (Italian Renaissance Revival, or so THEY say) hides an amazing interior court filled with wrought iron, brick, wood, marble and two ancient cage-style elevators that serve the five story building. Sunlight, with unfettered access through the atrium's glass roof, floods the court creating light well perfection for pinhole photography. Despite that perfection I managed only two shots worth a damn. Sadly the guard wouldn't allow me to go upstairs. I wanted to shoot from the fourth floor. No matter. It felt good to be there.

Bradbury interior detail, D5000

If you've seen "Blade Runner" then you've seen Bradbury's interior. It was used for J. F. Sebastian's apartment. If you haven't seen "Blade Runner" shame on you. Bradbury appeared in several other movies including (according to the Wikipedia):

• Double Indemnity (1944)
• D.O.A. (1950)
• I, The Jury (1953)
• Chinatown (1974)
• Murphy's Law (1986)
• Disclosure (1994)

Considering both DC and Marvel Comics have offices in the building I'm surprised "Watchmen" doesn't appear in the list.

Bradbury Building ground floor, Kodak 160VC, about five seconds

Bradbury elevator workings, D5000

Bradbury elevator detail, D5000

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