East L.A.’s tamale-shaped building
East L.A.’s tamale building, shown in 1996, is a holdover from a time when the architectural rage was to design retail buildings that reflected the business that occupied the space.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)Fernando Alarcon, who works inside the tamale-shaped building, says: “Everyone wants to see it, everyone asks about it. To me, it’s normal.” (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Fernando Alarcon works in a dental lab inside the building that looks like a tamale. The Tamale was built in 1928 and was originally a roadside food stand.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)