Neon Glows Again in Fashion District
Another landmark in the Los Angeles Fashion District was resurrected on May 6, when the 150-foot neon tower atop the historic Bendix Building at 12th Street and Maple Avenue was lit up for the first time in 60 years.
The tower’s red neon sign was extinguished in World War II to prevent enemy aircraft from scouting the area. After years of disuse, the tower languished and was inoperable until the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency and Cultural Affairs Department helped fund its restoration at a cost of about $44,000.
Building owner Steve Hirsh, who maintains the 12-story 1930s-era structure as an apparel and textile center for importers and manufacturers, helped lead the effort to restore the light. He was on hand with city officials, historians and others during the relighting ceremony.
“It looks fabulous,” Hirsh said. “They restored it almost to its original form.”
The 150-foot light tower is one of the largest neon structures in Los Angeles. It is important to the city’s heritage as Los Angeles was the first city in the United States to import neon from Europe, said Al Nodell, a former general manager of the Cultural Affairs Department who helped launch the city’s restoration program.
“I’ve driven by the Bendix Building for 15 years, waiting for the day for these lights to go on,” he said.
The city has restored 126 signs in Wilshire Boulevard’s “Neon Corridor,” Hollywood and MacArthur Park. It began restoring signs in downtown Los Angeles about two years ago.
“There are still about 100 good ones left in downtown,” said Nodell, who became interested in neon after reading Raymond Chandler novels in MacArthur Park.
The Bendix Building was named after aviation and auto industrialist Vincent Bendix, who maintained an apartment and offices in the building. —Robert McAllister
