Once called “probably the most recognizable and beloved building in Los Angeles,” this 80-year-old structure is named for Griffith J. Griffith, who gifted the land for his namesake park to the city. Designed by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley, the observatory has appeared in numerous films (from Rebel Without a Cause to Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle) and probably tens of millions of selfies.

Okay, so the Watts Towers are more like art than they are buildings, but they are iconic nonetheless. This collection of 17 towering sculptures—two of which rise to almost 100 feet tall—are their own state park and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (They are one of just nine folk-art pieces on the list.)

This established celebrity hangout on the Sunset Strip as famous for its discretion as it is for its long history of celebs behaving badly here. The Chateau has been around since the 1920s as apartments; it became a hotel in the 1930s. So it's understandable that in all that time it would have so many incredible stories associated with it, like the time Led Zeppelin rode through the lobby on motorcycles, or Scarlett Johansson and Benicio Del Toro maybe hooked up in an elevator. 

Designed by Frank Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and its shiny exterior are synonymous with Los Angeles. Perched atop Bunker Hill, the bold and curvaceous building was named on a 2012 list of buildings that changed America. It opened in 2003. 

The Getty Center's hilltop location (the most valuable property in the whole county) gives it a lot of visibility. The sprawling compound of the museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, includes gardens and offers some stunning views of the whole city.

This example of Googie architecture, is one of LA's most exciting and futuristic, looking like a cross between a spacecraft from The Jetsons and some kind of intergalactic beast. The Theme Building opened at LAX in 1961; now, it's only really open on the weekends, and then, only the observation deck. The view of it is probably better than the view from it anyway.

Designed by Pierre Koenig, the 1960 Stahl House has been called “a superlative architectural statement in steel and glass cantilevered over the broad expanse of Los Angeles.” It's probably the best known LA example of the Case Study House program, which aimed to create affordable houses for post-war families.

The Capitol Records building in Hollywood apparently was not intended to look like stacked records but that's definitely what it looks like. The building's been around since 1956; it was designed by architect Louis Naidorf in Welton Becket's office. It was, for a while, set to be joined by two giant towers; that project is still battling to get built.

Dodger Stadium is often found at the top or near the top of those most Instagrammed places lists. The baseball venue has inspired at least one incredibly detailed head tattoo and is one of a few centralized place where all of LA comes together to cheer for something.

The shiny towers, rotating rooftop lounge, and thrilling exterior elevators of the Bonaventure are firmly lodged in the hearts of many Angelenos. Love it or hate it, it's supposedly one of the most photographed buildings in the whole world. Designed in the 1970s by John C. Portman Jr., it’s wonderful inside, where there are fountains, lots of concrete, and little lounging pods.

Famous for its roles in movies, including Blade Runner and countless others, the Bradbury building's timeless interiors have been cast as foreign hotels, futuristic abandoned industrial spaces, and the kind of office building where a person might find a private eye from a noir film.

It was completed in 1893, and it features ornate railings, cage-style elevators, and marble stairs. It was designed by George H. Wyman, but the Los Angeles Conservancy says that maybe it was more of a team effort with Wyman (then not actually an architect) and architect Sumner Hunt, who was originally hired to draw the building.

The Beverly Hilton is famous for many reasons, both positive (it's been the home of the Golden Globes since 1961) and the negative (Whitney Houston died here in 2012), but ups-and-downs should probably be expected in a hotel that's been around since 1955.

The image of City Hall is on official paperwork for the city, and the structure has become the centerpiece of LA's New Year's Eve celebrations at Grand Park, LA's version of a “warm-weather Times Square” and a city-wide tradition since 2014. The building, designed by John Parkinson along with Albert C. Martin and John C. Austin, has been around since 1928.

This giant, lumpy donut atop a donut shop “represents the postwar optimism and whimsy of the city in a way few other places can,” says the LA Conservancy. Randy's, designed by Henry J. Goodwin, was made for the Big Donut Drive-In chain and was completed in 1953. It became Randy's in the 1970s.

The Rose Bowl has been many things to LA: the long-time home of a much-watched New Year's Day football game, once a possible NFL venue (though the Rose Bowl did not want to have anything to do with that), and a place to go for the famously great flea market of the same name. The horseshoe-shaped venue was completed in 1922 and was designed by architect Myron Hunt.