James Oviatt lived on Bunker Hill, before he became the greatest haberdasher in Los Angeles history, and before he built Los Angeles’s greatest building. I talk about him at length here, but, in a nutshell:
Even if James Oviatt wasn’t a Bunker Hill boy, you’d still really, really want to go to the Oviatt Building a month from now to see Marc Chevalier deliver his lecture about the man and his monument.
We are blessed to live in Los Angeles, where there exists no lack of lectures and tours related to Old L.A. and her built environment. But if you go to one lecture this year, make it this one.
I say this not (only) because Marc is a dear friend, but because he’s a crackerjack historian. I’ve watched him obsessively uncover and document secrets about this building for decades now! The tale involves French culture, celebrity clientele, stolen artwork, attempted demolitions, and so much more. Marc gave this talk at the World Art Deco Congress in Paris a few months ago — were you there? No? Well guess what, the only better place to see the talk than in Paris is in the actual building!
This will sell out! Get your tickets! Click here:
https://artdecola.org/events-calendar/deco-go-west-oviatt-2026
See you there!
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles 