Attendees of Eleanor Schrader’s Art Deco Splendors of Downtown Los Angeles course did not have to travel far from their classroom for a hands-on learning experience – the building itself is part of the tour.
Purchased by UCLA in 2023, UCLA Downtown originally housed the Title Insurance and Trust Company, which erected the Art Deco building in 1928. Since then, its uses have fluctuated – at one point a design center, later a garment manufacturing and most recently for film and commercial shoots – but the striking architecture remains. It serves as a perfect starting point for Schrader’s post-lecture tours.
“It is so wonderful to have such an historic building to work from,” Schrader said. “When you walk in, you’re so overwhelmed with the beauty of the lobby – the elevator doors and the wonderful restoration work of the ceiling.
On Dec. 3, Schrader led her second tour since the Bruin Collaborative opened, and she will have at least two more in 2026. The class she conducted was part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UCLA Extension, which serves individuals ages 50-and-older, but was also open to the general public. The session began with a lecture on the sixth floor in the Bruin Collaborative, followed by a walking tour to the Southern California Edison, Biltmore Los Angeles and Oviatt buildings.
“There is so much history, not only in Downtown Los Angeles, but across the city,” Schrader said. “I’ve been doing these tours for about 20 years at various places in the city and even farther afield in the United States. It’s such a great way for people to slow down and see the details, which we don’t often see while driving. This gives us time to talk about the history of Los Angeles and the history we do have here.”
Art Deco arrived prominently in the United States after World War I and before The Great Depression. It is an architectural style known for its flattened-out and stylized details, terracotta facades, zig zags and modern patterns.
“It was meant to leave the past behind – no more of the decorated Victorian style buildings, Beaux-Arts buildings – and move forward in a style that would represent the machine age of the early 20th century,” Schrader said.
Los Angeles became a fervent adopter of Art Deco because of Hollywood’s adoration of the form, Schrader added.
“This was the style that all of the movie stars wanted, because it was so elegant and streamlined,” she said.
Jennifer McDaniel, who attended the latest tour, has been eager to attend OLLI programming. As a lover of architecture herself, she was excited to soak up Schrader’s expertise.
Schrader has completed graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby’s Institute in London and New York, and graduate studies in architectural history at USC. She is professor emeritus of art and architectural history at Santa Monica College and a UCLA Extension instructor in the architecture and interior design program.
“She is such a quality professor,” McDaniel said. “Any question you ask she can put it into context. The scope she delves into is just enough. It makes all the difference to have someone like her leading a workshop like this.”
McDaniel said her daughter was coming to Los Angeles to visit, and she looked forward to showing her around with some newfound trivia about the surrounding buildings.
“I took extra notes,” she said with a smile.
Beyond her work with OLLI, Schrader teaches more traditional courses at UCLA Extension including Fundamentals of Interior Architecture and History of Environmental Arts. She will continue exploring Downtown Los Angeles with at least two more sessions in 2026, one on Jan. 23 titled Art Deco Splendors of DTLA: Central Library and another later in the spring centered on Los Angeles City Hall.
“I think it is wonderful to be downtown because this is part of LA’s history and now UCLA can be even more involved celebrating and preserving it,” she said.
