Charles Luckman Associates

Show less

Charles Luckman Associates

Architectural Firm

Design Principal

Charles Luckman FAIA

Podcasts 5 Total, Show more

The Forum - by Anne Cheek LaRose

Prudential Center - by Robert Brown

Oil in Inglewood - by Anne Cheek LaRose

Skedans - by Tony DeLap

The Written Word - by Tom Van Sant

About Show more

Charles Luckman was born in Kansas City and studied architecture at the University of Illinois graduating in 1931 in the midst of the depression. Since jobs in the profession were hard to come by, he took a job in the advertising department of the Colgate Palmolive Peet Company. Four years later he became a sales manager of the Pepsodent Company; though his efforts, profits quadrupled and he became the President of Lever Brothers when it purchased Pepsodent. In 1937 he was featured on the cover of Time Magazine. He was 27 at the time. He commissioned Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore Owings and Merrill to design Lever House. Thru a creative interpretation of the setback zoning code, this became the first glass skyscraper on Park Avenue. After the building was completed, Luckman decided to return to architecture eventually joining William Pereira in Los Angeles. Together they designed many buildings including the Theme Building at LAX and the Prudential Tower in Boston. On his own Luckman also designed the Los Angeles Convention Center, Madison Square Garden and the Inglewood Forum.