Mission Switching Tower
Artist
Ben Abril
(1923 - 1995)
Date1960s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of the Hilbert Collection
Object number2018.013
DescriptionThe original Mission Tower was located at Mission Junction along the Los Angeles River near the Old Plaza area. Workers in that tower controlled the train traffic flow of several different railway lines that all converged on that junction before approaching Union Station. In the background can be seen the 20-story Art Deco-style Los Angeles General Hospital complex (currently part of the LA County-USC Medical Center complex), which, when it was built between 1927 and 1933, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, was L.A.'s largest building. Soap opera fans know it well, as it appears in the opening credits of the long-running series "General Hospital." Because of modern seismic standards for medical facilities in L.A., the building no longer functions as a hospital, but is used as an office facility for the current medical complex.
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