This historic building in Beverly Hills was a collaboration among three great architects from Los Angeles: Paul R. Williams, John Parkinson, and Parkinson’s son, Donald.
The prominent Saks Fifth Avenue in New York chose Wilshire Boulevard as it runs through Beverly Hills for its first location in Southern California.
The Parkinsons, who designed the Art Deco Bullock’s Wilshire building in the Wilshire Center, completed the original design for the exterior of Saks Fifth Avenue. Williams refined the basic look and styled the interior. He gave Saks the feel of an expensive mansion and designed each area to be semi-enclosed, minimizing customer distractions.
The spaces were bathed in soft luxury, lit with a mix of indirect lamps and small hidden spotlights aimed at the clothing, an unusual tactic for a department store. For a while, Perino’s operated a rooftop restaurant for patrons.
Saks Fifth Avenue features clothing for men, women, and children, as well as shoes, handbags, jewelry, beauty products, and home items. The Beverly Hills location also boasts specialized departments and services such as Personal Shopping services, a Bridal Suite carrying high-end dresses from designers like Amsale, Kenneth Pool, Reem Acra, and Vera Wang, and the men’s store, located in the basement level, featuring clothing, suits, shoes, and men’s accessories.
