The Tower of Civilization
The proposed Tower of Civilization, designed by bridge engineer Donald R. Warren for the planned, but never held, 1942 World’s Fair in Los Angeles.
This is the proposed Tower of Civilization, designed by civil engineer Donald R. Warren for the planned, but never held, 1939 World’s Fair in Los Angeles. It would’ve been the centerpiece of the event and the tallest building in the world, coming in at 393 meters, or 1,290 feet tall. The tower was no doubt meant to signify the status of Los Angeles as a world-class city, and it used verticality to do so.
Designing a tower like this is a statement. Any tower meant to be the tallest in the world speaks volumes for the city it’s located in. Looking at the above advertisement, the tower is compared to other architectural icons, each of which is notable for its height in some way. It’s as if the designers were saying Step aside Paris, New York, and other world-class cities, Los Angeles has you beat!
It’s also telling that the tower was meant to be ascended by a three-mile long spiraling ramp that coiled around the tower shaft. It was called the Path of the Ages, and it led to an observation deck at the tower’s summit. Depending on the source, the ramp was either meant to be driven up or walked up. Either way, it seems pretty impractical given the fact that lifts would most likely have been included as well, rendering the ramp a moot point. It also reminds me of a quote from one of my professors in grad school when I designed a tower with an external stairway. His response was ‘I live in a twenty-story walkup’, said no one ever. In short, only the most masochistic of us would actually walk up the damn thing, so it seems unlikely it would get much use.
In the end, World War II effectively killed plans for the Fair, including the tower, and it was never built. It’s a shame, because I’d love to know if a tower like this would’ve or could’ve been successful. Would it captivate the public and become an icon like the Eiffel Tower, or would it be discarded and left to ruin after the fair, like so many other architectural wonders of past World’s Fairs? No way to know for sure, but given the passive, simplistic form, I’m leaning toward the latter.
Check out other unbuilt designs here.