Weird Los AngelesJoel Fletcher photography

I have photographed numerous outlandish buildings in the Los Angeles area from the late 1980s to present. These places featured unusual signs, designs, and architecture intended to grab your attention! Unfortunately, many of them are long gone. Click on any thumbnail image for a larger view.

  • Soap Plant and Wacko stores on Melrose Ave.

    SOAP PLANT and WACKO, Melrose Ave, 1986

  • Giant hamburger shaped building.

    THE BURGER THAT ATE LA, Melrose Ave, 1991

  • Unusual storefront.

    TOO CUTE, Melrose Ave, 1991

  • Artistic graffiti covered storefront.

    YONADA mural, Melrose Ave, 1991

  • Flame sign design storefront.

    STREET LEGAL, Melrose Ave, 1991

  • Trendy bad girl store.

    BACKSEAT BETTY, 1991

  • Strange building with knight and dragon sculptures.

    YOUNG MOGULS building, Hollywood, 1992

  • Hatch entrance to submarine building.

    LA DIVE entrance, Century City, 1991

  • Building that looks like a submarine.

    LA DIVE restaurant, Century City, 1991

  • Building that looks like a ship.

    CAFE JACK restaurant, Los Angeles Koreatown, 2010

  • Western them restaurant with stagecoach.

    SADDLE RANCH CHOP HOUSE, Universal City, 2008

  • Space age theme restaurant by airport.

    ENCOUNTER restaurant, Los Angeles airport, 2007

  • Building with nautical design.

    THE GALLEY, Santa Monica, 2010.

  • Giant statue of arabian man holding carpet sign.

    CARPET MAN statue, San Fernando Valley, 2011

  • Building with giant skull in hollywood.

    MUSEUM OF DEATH, Hollywood, 2011

  • Huge ballerina clown sculpture.

    BALLERINA CLOWN statue, Venice, 1991

  • Colossal mexican muffler man sculpture.

    LA SALSA statue, Malibu, 1992

  • Polynesian restaurant with gigantic tiki.

    TRADER VIC'S, Beverly Hills, 2003

Photo information: (1) SOAP PLANT and WACKO, Melrose Ave, 1986. (2) THE BURGER THAT ATE LA, Melrose Ave, 1991. (3) TOO CUTE, Melrose Ave, 1991. (4) YONADA mural, Melrose Ave, 1991. (5) STREET LEGAL, Melrose Ave, 1991. (6) BACKSEAT BETTY, 1991. (7) YOUNG MOGULS building, Hollywood, 1992. (8-9) LA DIVE restaurant, Century City, 1991. (10) CAFE JACK restaurant, Los Angeles Koreatown, 2010. (11) SADDLE RANCH CHOP HOUSE, Universal City, 2008. (12) ENCOUNTER restaurant, Los Angeles airport, 2007. (13) THE GALLEY, Santa Monica, 2010. (14) CARPET MAN statue, San Fernando Valley, 2011. (15) MUSEUM OF DEATH, Hollywood, 2011. (16) BALLERINA CLOWN statue, Venice, 1991. (17) LA SALSA statue, Malibu, 1992. (18) TRADER VIC'S, Beverly Hills, 2003.