Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, founded in 1942. It was acquired by EMI in 1955 and is now part of the EMI Group PLC.

The Capitol Tower

The Capitol Records building is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Hollywood, California. The 13-story earthquake resistant tower, designed by Welton Becket, was the world's first circular office building, and is home to several recording studios. The wide curved awnings over windows on each story and the tall spike emerging from the top of the building combine to give it the appearance of a stack of vinyl 45s on a turntable. The rectangular ground floor is a separate structure, joined to the tower after it was completed. It was built in 1956 just north of the intersection of Hollywood and Vine as the consolidated West Coast operations of Capitol Records.

Related Topics:
Landmark - Hollywood - California - Earthquake - Welton Becket - Recording studios - Vinyl 45s - Turntable - 1956 - Hollywood and Vine

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The blinking light atop the tower spells out the word "Hollywood" in Morse code. In 1992 it was changed to read "Capitol 50" in honor of the label's fiftieth anniversary. It has since returned to spelling "Hollywood."

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