The Theme Building, most commonly referred to as “that weird UFO thing” at LAX, stands out as the most visible structure at the bustling airport, but it’s also one of the most interesting.
The Theme Building was built in the 1961 as part of an Architectural movement called Googie, and appears fittingly themed for a modernist building built at the dawn of the Space Age. Originally, the building’s arched disc was set to be the center of a massive, interconnected structure that would comprise the whole airport. The overall plan was scrapped, but the architects, Pereira and Luckman, liked the design of The Theme Building so much that they kept the futuristic building as a standalone structure.
Since 1997, the Theme Building has housed the Encounter restaurant. Walking into Encounter feels a bit like walking onto the set of Austin Powers in Space. It’s kitschy, ironic-groovy décor was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering. A purple elevator with plush padding tinkles Twilight Zone-style music as it zooms you up to the restaurant.
The restaurant itself is quite small, only occupying about half the flying-saucer that you see from the ground. There is also an observation deck on the roof, complete with tiny telescopes that once allowed viewers to take in the planes taking off and landing, but it was shut down after 9/11.
I visited Encounter on a weeknight, and found it surprisingly crowded with families stuck on a layover sitting at tables, bags piled up next to them, and solo traveling men and women drinking at a strange bar that looks like it could have been designed by Frank Gehry. Beers—even domestic drafts—have the inflated airport price of $8 and the food is similarly expensive, but it might be worth it for the panoramic view of the airport.
An airport doesn’t sound like something particularly picturesque to watch from above, but, to my surprise, it was. The planes line up in the air and land, one by one, almost like cars moving through a toll-booth. It’s mesmerizing to watch them, a flying line of lights and fuselages stretching into the horizon as far as the eye can see, dropping down to earth in succession, delivering their precious cargo. There’s a tranquility there that makes The Theme Building, in the midst of the chaos of LAX, worth checking out.
Follow Isaac Simpson on Twitter at @Isaco525.
