Goodbye, water cooler; hello, pool: More Los Angeles offices are becoming apartments

Texaco never did things on a small scale.

So when the Texas oil giant needed a Western headquarters in the 1950s, it turned to prominent architect Welton Becket, who designed L.A. landmarks including Hollywood's Capitol Records building and downtown's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Becket created a grand high-rise shaped like a T (when viewed from the sky) for a spot on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles' storied thoroughfare. It rose next door to what was then the Ambassador Hotel, one of the city's most exclusive inns where celebrities cavorted at its legendary Cocoanut Grove nightclub.

It's hard to imagine what office toilers from the "Mad Men" era would think of the place today.

Known as the Crosby, the building has amenities such as a rooftop swimming pool with cabanas, fitness center, fire pits and a karaoke room. Monthly rents start around $2,250 and hit $6,500 for a penthouse.

The former Texaco high-rise is part of a national push to convert aging office buildings to residential use as demand for housing surpasses the need for offices in many locations.

Turning old office