John C. Austin - Work

Work

Austin's work as an architect includes:

• Fremont Hotel, Los Angeles (1902), 100 room hotel
• Potter Hotel, a five-story, 600-room resort hotel, Santa Barbara, California, 1902-1903 (burned 1921)
• Virginia Hotel, Long Beach, California, 1907, razed circa 1935
• The Carnegie Library in Anaheim, 1909, now the home of the Anaheim Museum.
• Hollywood Masonic Temple, Hollywood Boulevard, directly across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theater, 1921, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985
• Guaranty Building, Hollywood, 1923
• Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners, 1925-1926. When opened, the Los Angeles Times called it a "Triumph of Art" and credited the Moorish style architecture to Austin as the man "who drew plans and specifications for the group of magnificent structures." The Academy Awards have been held at the Shrine on ten occasions. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
• Los Angeles City Hall, 1928. Along with John Parkinson and Albert C. Martin, Sr., Martin was hired to design what has become the most recognized building in Los Angeles. The selection of an architect for the city hall led to fierce competition among the city's leading architects. The City Council selected the firm of Curlett and Beelman, but the Board of Public Works chose Martin, Parkinson, and Austin. Controversy continued when the architects turned in drawings for 28-story tower to house a municipal government that could adequately fit into the first four floors. The city ultimately accepted the tower plan, and in March 1928 the Board of Public Works passed a resolution commending the architects "for the eminently satisfactory and beautiful design of the monumental building."
• Monrovia High School, Monrovia, California, 1928
• Memorial Branch Library, Los Angeles, 1930. This Gothic Revival library building includes a large heraldic work of stained glass created by artists at Judson Studios. The building was dedicated to the memory of Los Angeles high school students who died in World War I. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
• Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, 1933-1935
• NBC Radio City Studios, Hollywood and Vine, 1938-1939 (razed)
• St. Vincent's Hospital
• Los Angeles Hall of Justice - While with Allied Architects, Austin also worked on the Hall of Justice building. It is the oldest building in the Los Angeles Civic Center and was the site of the trials of Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. It has been vacant since 1994.
• St. Paul's Catholic Church.
• The first State Building in the Los Angeles Civic Center.