Louis Naidorf, the architect behind Los Angeles’ iconic Capitol Records building, died on Wednesday night at the age of 96. His death, confirmed by longtime friend Mike Harkins, was attributed to natural causes. 

Although Naidorf is best known for his work on the Capitol Records building, which was erected in 1956 and was officially designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006, he is also the mind behind countless other LA landmarks. These include the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the now-demolished L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, the Beverly Center, the Beverly Hilton hotel, and the Ronald Reagan State Building. His architecture license, which he obtained in 1952, is the oldest active license in California 

His work and influence also extended far beyond Los Angeles. Naidorf spearheaded the six-year restoration of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, and designed former President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford’s Rancho Mirage residence. He designed Phoenix’s Chase Tower, FKA Valley National Bank building, which is the tallest structure in Arizona, as well as the Hyatt Regency Dallas and its adjacent Reunion Tower. 

Born in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1928 to parents Jack and Meriam Naidorf, Louis began sketching towns of his own design as early as age 8, and received his first set of drafting tools for his 13th birthday. It was then that he approached the LA-based architect Sanford Kent, who became his mentor. He graduated from UC Berkley at the top of his class, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in architecture and earning his masters just a year later. For his master’s thesis, he accurately predicted a future wherein computers would become more compact and large-scale office buildings would be less necessary. The solution he proposed for optimizing space was creating circular office buildings, a hint at the tower that would become his definitive project.

At age 21, he was hired fresh out of school at the esteemed firm Welton Becket and Associates. Three years later, the firm brought him onto a secretive “Project X,” which turned out to be the development of the Capitol Records building. Drawing off his thesis, he proposed a round building, further asserting that he hoped to design a “happy building” for both its inhabitants and citizen onlookers. His career with Welton Becket and Associates—where he served as vice president, director of research, and director of design over the years—saw him earn multiple honors, including the AIA California Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009

Long after he established himself as a key figure in architecture, Naidorf continued to mentor the next generation, serving as a guest professor at UCLA, USC, Cal Poly Pomona and SCI-Arc. In 1990 he joined Woodbury University’s School Of Architecture, starting as chair before eventually becoming dean. He was named teacher and faculty member of the year by the school multiple times. 

A voracious reader, cat owner, world traveler, father and two-time cancer survivor, Naidorf released a memoir, More Humane: An Architectural Memoir, in 2018. In 2000, he moved from Los Angeles to Santa Rosa in Northern California, where he worked as a campus architect for Woodbury and also collaborated with City Vision Santa Rosa on enhancements to the city’s downtown. 

Naidorf is survived by his daughter, Victoria; four stepchildren; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.