  For our readers with an appreciation for architecture, Los Angeles is a treasure trove, however due to its vast size (469 sq. miles!) it could take a lifetime to explore! (There are, in fact, 932 officially-designated historic-cultural monuments in Los Angeles as of August 14, 2008, in addition to the many architectural wonders that have no official designation). It is my pleasure to share my personal discoveries with you, our readers. Many of the images shown here are well-recognized, however, I hope that you will "something new'" every time you return for a visit. Pictured is the John Tidwell Lyle Guest House designed by John T. Lyle in Sierra Madre. |
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Ziegler Estate, Charles Hornbeck & Alfred P. Wilson, Architects 1904The Zeigler Estate located in historic Highland Park combines Queen Anne, Craftsman and Shingle Style into an elegant statement. The mansion has 6 bedrooms and four baths and features an arroyo stone wall. It is situated in the historic core of Highland Park next door to Casa de Adobe.
The estate is located at 4601 North Figueroa Street. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989 (No. 416). -
Wolf's Lair, Milton Wolf, Designer 1927
Historic castle-chateau located at the end of the hiking trail which runs alongside the Castillo del Lago at the foot of Lake Hollywood. Designed by Developer and Art Director Milton Wolf, it has been the residence of both Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Doris Day and was featured in the film, 'Return from Witch Mountain', starring Bette Davis. The fairy-tale fortress with its crenellated walls, turrets and towers gained a local reputation as being haunted after Wolf died at the dining room table.
The property became available for purchase (listing price: $7,500,000) in June 2008. According to the listing information, the showcase property offers 'an enormous 3.5 acre promontory (14 separate parcels) 8 bedrooms and six bathrooms, a heart -shaped pool and waterfall, pool house/cabana, a guest house designed by Architect John Lautner, helipad and a 1920's speakeasy.' After going through several unsuccessful listings, the property was finally sold in 2010 to DJ-Singer-Songwriter Moby for $3,925,000.
Wolf's Lair is located at 2869 Durand Drive in the Hollywood Hills. -
Wirin House, Richard Neutra, Architect 1950Located directly across the street from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in Los Feliz, the Wirin House was purchased by celebrity photographer Mark Seliger in 2004. An extensive restoration under the direction of Architect Sharon Johnston-Lee was completed in 2008.
The Wirin House is located at 2622 Glendower Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2005 (No. 812) -
Wiltern Theater (Pellissier Building) Morgan, Walls & Clements, Architects 1930-31The Pelliser Office Building and Wiltern Theater(formerly the Warner Brothers Western Theater) is among the most recognizable and loved landmarks in the City of the Angels. Located along the Wilshire Boulevard Corridor, The exterior is completely covered with blue-green glazed terra cotta tiles in a style referred to as French Zigzag Moderne. The original ornate interior of the theater was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, and restored by Brenda Levin Associates in 1985.
Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1973 (No. 118). The Theater is located at 3780 Wilshire Boulevard (corner of Western Avenue). -
Wilshire Ward Chapel, Harold W. Burton, Architect, 1928Harold W. Burton was the most prolific architect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In addition to the Wilshire Ward Chapel, Burton also had a hand in designing the Alberta (Canada) Temple,
the Salt Lake City First Ward Chapel, the Montpelier (Idaho) Tabernacle (all with Hyrum C. Pope) and the Oahu Stake Tabernacle in Honolulu. The outstanding feature of the church is the octagonal tower in a Moderne/Art Deco motif.
The Wilshire Ward Chapel is located at 1209 Manhattan Place. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1991. (No. 531) -
Wilshire Vermont Station- Arquitectonica Architects 2007Miami firm Arquitectonica designed this eye-catching complex, sitting atop the Metro subway station in the heart of Koreatown. Located at the intersection of Vermont St. and Wilshire Blvd., the station is highlighted by a gigantic (8200 square foot) image by artist April Greiman. The complex held its grand opening on October 7, 2007.Website:www.WVstation.com -
Wilshire Blvd. Temple, A.M Edelman, S. Tilden Norton & D.C. Allison, Architects 1922-29The Wilshire Boulevard Temple reminds me of my own and only trip to Istanbul and visiting the Haga Sofia and other great churches and temples of Byzantium. Massive and mysterious, the interior is opulent with black marble, inlaid gold, rich mosaics, rare woods and exquisite murals depicting the history of the Hebrews (by Hugo Ballin).
The temple is located at 3663 Wilshire Blvd. (at the corner of Hobart Boulevard). It has been declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles (No. 116) and is also on the National Register of Historic Places. -
William Wrigley Mansion 'Tournament House', 391 S. Orange Grove Blvd.Owned by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley and built between the years 1906-1914, the Wrigley Mansion was given to the City of Pasadena in 1958, upon Mrs. Wrigley's death, with the stipulation that it be used as the headquarters for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. The house is magnificently situated at 391 S. Orange Grove Blvd. and includes the Wrigley Gardens, with 4.5 acres of roses representing 1,500 varieties. -
William Mulholland Memorial Fountain, Walter S. Clayberg, Designer, 1940
William Mulholland was a 'penniless Irish immigrant' and a self-taught engineer who became head of the Los Angeles Bureau of Water Works & Supply at a time when business and civic leaders in Los Angeles were realizing that development would remain limited without additional water resources. Mulholland, with the support of another visionary, Fred Eaton, implemented a plan to redirect water from the Owens Valley on the eastern slopes of the Sierras. The result of their efforts, the California Aqueduct, is one of the great engineering wonders of the world. Employing 5000 workers and 6000 mules, the 238- mile long aqueduct was completed under budget in record time.
Mulholland, the poor immigrant who lived for a time in a one-room wooden shack near the present-day fountain died in 1935. The fountain dedicated to him was completed in 1940. Approximately 3,000 people attended the dedication ceremony on August 1, 1940. A memorial plaque at the foot of the fountain reads, 'To William Mulholland (1855-1935): A Penniless Irish Immigrant Boy who Rose by the Force of his Industry, Intelligence, Integrity and Intrepidity to be a Sturdy American Citizen, a Self-Educated Engineering Genius, a Whole-Hearted Humanitarian, The Father of this City's Water System, and the Builder of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. This Memorial is Gratefully Dedicated to those who are the Recipients of His Unselfish Bounty and the Beneficiaries of His Prophetic Vision.'
The Mulholland Fountain is located at the Intersection of Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Blvd. in Los Feliz. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1976 (No. 162). -
William H. Perry Residence, E.F. Kysor, Architect, Heritage SquareDesigned by noted Architect E. F. Kysor for lumber baron William Hayes Perry in 1876 in the Greek Revival/Italianate Style. The house originally stood in Boyle Heights, a fashionable suburb of Los Angeles at the turn of the century. Its design and sheer size reflect the social class of the owners: marble fireplace mantles, formal staircase and fine hardwood floors. It was considered in its time to be the 'finest and most expensive home yet seen in Los Angeles.' -
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, Robert Farquhar, Architect 1924-26The library was established by William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877 –1934), a prominent philanthropist and founder of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (1919). The library is named in honor of his father, Sen. William Andrews Clark, who had built a mining fortune in Montana. Clark lived at the corner of Adams Blvd. and Cimarron Street; between 1924 and 1926 he engaged prominent architect Robert D. Farquhar to design a library for his rare books and manuscripts, renowned for their collections of 17th- and 18th-century English literature and history. The library was bequeathed to the University of California at Los Angeles in 1934.
Robert Farquhar also designed the California Club in downtown Los Angeles (Historic-Cultural Monument No. 43) and the Canfield-Moreno Estate in Silver Lake (HCM # 391), as well as Beverly Hills High School (1928). The library is located at 2520 Cimarron Street in the West Adams district. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1964 (no. 28).
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Widney Hall, University of Southern California, E.F. Kysor & Octavius Morgan, Architects, 1880The first building of the University of Southern California, built during the first year of the school's existence (1880). Over the years the building came to be known as Widney Hall, its facade was altered and painted, and moved to different locations on campus. It has survived as Alumni House, now located across from the Doheny Library.
Widney Hall is located on the USC Campus at 650 Childs Way. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1970 (No. 70). -
Westwood Center, Michael Walden, Nadel Partnership 1999A older building wrapped in a new skin, the Westwood Center is one of the most dramatic high rise structures in Westwood. Located at 1100 Glendon Avenue. -
Westin Bonaventure Hotel, John Portman, Architect 1976Postmodern design by hotel architect John Portman, completed in 1976. The structure has been featured in many films including Mission Impossible III, Hancock, Escape from L.A. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Blue Thunder, In the Line of Fire, Midnight Madness amongst many others, and the television series CSI and It's a Living.
Portman also designed the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, the Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel and Peachtree Center in Atlanta, GA. The hotel is located at 404 S. Figueroa St. in downtown Los Angeles. -
Western Prelacy, Armenian Apostolic Church, Alajajian Marcoosi Architects (AMA) 2004AMA has successfully integrated ancient and modern concepts in the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as evidenced in this photo. -
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Alajajian Marcoosi Architects (AMA) 2004Alajajian Marcoosi Architects was one of four firms invited to participate in the concept design competition for the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in 2003. The program required the renovation of an existing office building, converting its use into a chapel, mulitpurpose hall and administrative offices.
From the outset, AMA's design philosphy was to express the mix of traditions and contemporary architecture in a harmonious manner. The exterior expressions were developed from the fragments of Medieval Armenian architecture. The idea of new forms and materials ascend from the ashes of ancient stone architecture.
The half archways, cross stone walls, khachkars, stepped doorway details at the entry were set to create the base, the outer layer of the buidling. The metal panel walls and curtain glass were set as an inner layer. The entire foyer connecting the two administrative wings were towered by a cross-like carved skylight illuminating the two story atrium.
The Chapel is a traditional dome emerging from the ground at the visible northeast corner of the complex. A massive wall on the western side, symbolizing eternity, carries a water fountain dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Hand-carved tuvo stone elements, imported from Armenia were used as accents in the walls to furthur emphasize the building's traditional character.
The Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church is located at 6260 Honolulu Avenue in La Crescenta, CA. Thanks to Aram Alajajian who contributed extensively to this review. -
Wee Kirk O' The Heather, F.A. Hansen, ArchitectThe Wee Kirk is said to be a reproduction of the village church attended by Annie Laurie in Glencairn, Scotland. The original church was erected in 1310 and destroyed in 1805 A.D.
The Wee Kirk O' The Heather is located within the grounds of Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 1712 S. Glendale Blvd. in Glendale, CA.) -
Wayfarer's Chapel, Lloyd Wright, Architect 1949-51The chapel helped Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. to emerge from the long shadow of his eminent father and distinguish himself as a great architect in his own right. The Swedenborgian Church, which commissioned the work, had envisioned a 'Mission' style church to which Wright is said to have replied, 'I don't do Mission style'. The inspiration for the design came from an experience in the California redwoods. Wright had stopped at a '...restaurant in a redwood grove, and looking up through the glass skylights, saw the redwoods towering overhead and the sky above the trees. Below, there were great ferns and a cascade of tumbling water. He sensed great peace, sublime beauty, dignity and respose.'**
The Wayfarer's Chapel is located at 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South in Ranch Palos Verdes.
**from the book, 'The Beauty of Holiness: Story of the Wayfarer's Chapel' by Ernest O. Martin, Donning Company, Publishers, 2007. -
Watts Towers, Simon Rodia, Designer-Builder 1921-1954A colorful lacework of 17 whimsical towers designed by Sabato “Simon” Rodia in his spare time over a period of 33 years. The towers are a fantasy of found objects Rodia picked up from the nearby railroad tracks and broken pieces of pottery from the Malibu Pottery, where he worked for many years. Scrap rebar, wrapped with wire mesh, coated with mortar, and imbedded with broken china, scrap metal, pieces of glass and sea shells are among the materials he used. The Italian immigrant called the towers Nuestro Pueblo or 'our town”.
The towers were deeded to the State of California in 1978. The property is now designated the Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park. Located at 1765 E. 107th Street in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 1963 (No. 15) and a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
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Walters House, Glendale, CA 1923Located high above the road at the southest corner of Verdugo Road and Sparr Boulevard, this hillside home is a spirited extravaganza of the Spanish Revival Style.
The Walters House is located at 3000 Sparr Boulevard in the City of Glendale, CA. It was listed by the Glendale Register of Historic Places in 1977 (No. 29) -
Walt Disney House, F. Scott Crowhurst, Architect 1932Walt Disney didn't have far to drive to work after having this English Tudor home built for him in 1932. The Disney Studios were located a short distance away at 2725 Hyperion Avenue. The studio, built in 1926, has since been demolished (Gelson's Market now sits on the site). Incidently, there are a few other similarly styled buildings in the immediate area: the eight little cottages located at 2900-2912 1/2 Griffith Park Blvd. and the lovely Tudor cottage located at 3141 Griffith Park Blvd. (which locals refer to as the 'Houses of the Seven Dwarves' and 'Snow White's Cottage' respectively).
The Disney House is located at 4053 Woking Way in Los Feliz. -
Walt Disney Feature Animation Building, Robert A.M. Stern Architects 1994
Walt Disney Picture's Feature Animation Studios. Located on the campus of Disney's Burbank studio lot. The arching wedge is the building’s façade facing the Ventura Freeway; its shape a reference to the passing commuter traffic. A cone-shaped tower, an inspiration from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, forms a part of the complex. The language of the design embraces the original concept of Kem Weber's original Animation Building (1939) now used for offices on the studio lot.
Robert A.M. Stern Architects has an impressive list of completed projects including the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Ohrstrom Library, St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire; the Brooklyn Law School Tower, Brooklyn, New York; the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia; Bloomberg Center at the Harvard Business School; the Jones Graduate School of Business Management at Rice University; the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs at the University of Nevada; U.S. Courthouses in Beckley, West Virginia, Youngstown, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia; the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Houston, Texas; and the Museum Center at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut, among others.
The property can be easily seen from the Ventura Freeway, west of Forest Lawn Drive. For a closer look follow West Riverside Drive, east of Buena Vista Street, turn right on South Reese Place and right again on South Beachwood Drive. There are riding trails to your immediate right; if you turn back around to your right, you can follow the trails right up to the curving facade. -
Wallace Beery Duplex, William Kesling, Designer/Builder 1936In 1936, Wallace Beery was Hollywood's highest earning male star living in a Beverly Hills mansion. In order to be closer to the Hollywood studios, he had William Kesling design two residences for him, a noteworthy Streamline Moderne home on Martel Avenue, and a duplex on Harper Avenue in West Hollywood. Both were completed in 1936. The duplex was presumably built to accommodate friends and figures in the entertainment industry. The choice of Kesling as designer reflects the actor's flamboyant style and avid interest in aircraft and flying.
The Beery Duplex is located at 756 Waring Avenue (corner of Harper Avenue in West Hollywood.) -
Waite Phillips Hall of Education (USC), Edward D. Stone, Architect 1968Described by architectural historians Gebhard & Winter in their comprehensive work 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles' as the 'finest of the post-World War II group of buildings on the USC campus', the three structures designed by the firm of Edward D. Stone Associates (the Von KleinSmid Center of International Affairs, the Social Science Building and the Waite Phillips Hall of Education) between 1966 and 1968 express the embodiment of the university's third Master Plan, as envisioned by the architectural firm of William Pereira and Associates. The high tower of the Waite Phillips Hall of Education rises above a stylized freestanding brick cloister. -
Von KleinSmid Center of International & Public Affairs, USC, Edward D. Stone Associates, ArchitectsI probably passed this building a hundred times without giving it much thought. It wasn't until this past fall (2006) as I walked across campus in the early evening, that I began to notice how special this building is. Bathed in the light of the late afternoon sun and a spectacularly-lit Carillon Tower, the Von KleinSmid Center captures the imagination. USC President Rufus B. von KleinSmid, who held a keen interest in the study of international relations, nurtured the founding of the school, for the purpose of 'furnishing opportunities for the training of statesmen for consular and diplomatic service, of businessmen for commerce and business administration, and for teachers in departments related to world affairs in colleges and universities.' The school is the third oldest in the world devoted to the study of international affairs. -
Von KleinSmid Center of International & Public Affairs (USC), Edward D. Stone, Architect 1966The cloistered courtyard of the Von KleinSmid Center of International and Public Affairs on the main campus of the University of Southern California. -
Villa Maria, Frederick L. Roehrig, Architect 1908After amassing a fortune in Louisiana timber, William E. Ramsay retired to Southern California, and immediately set about the task of building a great mansion that would establish his social standing and reputation. He commissioned Frederick L. Roehrig, one of the most visible architects of the period for the work. (Among Roehrig's other important commissions are the Hotel Green (1898), the Ezra Stimson Estate (1901) and the Rindge House in 1905) Unfortunately for Ramsay, he died in 1909, shortly after the mansion was completed.
The 42-room English Tudor mansion in West Adams was featured in a Los Angeles Times article after it was completed, calling it 'among the finest homes in Los Angeles' and one of Roehrig's 'best efforts'.
After his death, Ramsay's widow continued to live at the mansion until her death in 1916. Later, the house was leased to movie tycoon Rupert Hughes (an uncle to Howard Hughes), who threw elaborate parties at the mansion. In the early '20's, the mansion was sold to a prominent figure in horse racing, William E. Durfee and his wife, Nellie McGaughey Durfee, the daughter of a Figueroa Street millionaire. After Durfee died of food poisoning in 1927, his widow continued to live in the mansion in obscurity until she died in 1976.
The mansion was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1980 (No. 230) Now known as the 'Villa Maria' the estate functions as the Provincial Headquarters of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God and serves as the home for the Brothers of the Order. Br. Stephen de la Rosa is historian and archivist for the order and gave us a recent tour; a visit there is a rewarding step back in time.
The Villa Maria is located at 2468 S. St. Andrews Place in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles.Website:www.hospitallers.org -
Villa Manola, Hollywood Hills, Paul Williams, Architect 1924
Thanks to my friend J. Russell Brown, Villa Manola was my first significant architectural listing. IBrown gave nine years of his life to its restoration and embellishment.
Designed by Paul Williams, the 'Architect of the Stars', the Villa Manola was created as a 'Morrocan palace' for Hollywood socialite Mrs. E. L. Martin, Founder of the Hollywood Hills Hunt Club in 1924.
Exuberant yet restrained, the villa is secluded at the end of a private cul-de-sac. The stunning courtyard has been fashioned after the courtyard outside the Alhambra in Granada, which influenced Williams' original design. Mr. Brown, in his restoration of the villa, embellished the Moorish theme with the addition of Morrocan lanterns and art objects acquired during his many trips abroad.
The villa has an illustrious past. It was the residence of The Beatles during their Capitol Records days. Allen Ginsberg was a later resident. A Jean Cocteau dance short was filmed here in the early 1930's. Mr. Brown, a community activist, used the villa extensively for numerous civic and charitable events. In 2003, the villa was acquired by actress Sherie Hellard. Located at 5900 Manola Way in the Hollywood Hills.
Cameron Carothers Photo -
Villa de Liones, 4601 Dundee DriveVilla de Liones, a Beux-Arts Tuscan-style villa would appear to have been built in the 1920's during the heyday of classical architecture in Los Feliz, however it was built in 2000. An impressive monument in the 'Hearst Castle manner', the home boasts a two-story entry, six bedrooms and 6.5 baths, wood-paneled library, magnificent public rooms, a home theatre, pool, spa and gazebo, with plenty of classical balustrades and statues thrown in for good measure.
As of April 2006, it was listed for sale for a whopping $6,280,000. -
Victor Rossetti House, Paul R. Williams, Architect 1928
Victor Rossetti's rapid rise through the ranks of the banking industry began as an office boy for Wells Fargo in San Francisco in his early 20’s. Within twenty years he was Vice President of Farmers and Merchants Bank in Los Angeles, the oldest financial institution in Southern California. Three years after he and his wife Irene moved into the Ponet Drive house, he became President of the bank, a position he held for the next twenty five years. Rossetti selected Paul R. Williams, one of the most important architects of the time to design his home in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, embracing the California lifestyle and the region’s romantic past. Williams added coffered and stenciled ceilings, a dramatic two-story entryway with sweeping staircase, a library, intercom system and a wooden elevator connecting the garage to all levels of the house. Victor and Irene Rossetti lived at the house for the length of their marriage, until Irene died in 1947. After her death, Rossetti retired. , selling the house in 1950 and moved to San Marino., and the house was sold in 1950 when Rossetti retired and moved to San Marino, California. Except for earthquake retro-fitting, the addition of bathrooms, and updated heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing systems, the aesthetics of the house are little changed. Victor, Irene, and their two children would have little trouble feeling right at home again. The Victor Rossetti Residence is located at 2188 Ponet Drive in Los Feliz. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2008 (No. 915). -
Victor M. Carter Residence, Milton J. Black, Architect 1935; Esta Sullivan (Renovation)A gem of the Streamline Moderne style, I initially thought this home might have been the work of William Kesling, who designed the Johnstone House on nearby Lowry Road in the same year. Built next door to Rudolf Schindler's Elliott House, the home relishes in the aerodynamic details of the style, including art deco lighting, copper edging along the roofline and in the details, and a porthole window in the front door. On meeting the current owner, I was delighted to be introduced to architect Milton J. Black, another master of the style. Black had a distinguished career building significant apartment buildings in Los Angeles in the 1930's. The house is located at 4241 Newdale Drive in Los Feliz.
Like his contemporary, Paul R. Williams, Black was not so much beholden to a particular architectural style, rather he was a good businessman in first considering the wishes of his client. Black's contribution include both his signature Streamline Moderne style as well as some noteworthy Spanish Revival examples. Signtificant art deco buildings designed by Black in Los Angeles include the Mauretania; a ten-unit apartment building shaped like an ocean liner (located at 520-522 N. Rossmore Avenue in Larchmont Village, the complex was built for actor Jack Haley, the Tin Man in the 'Wizard of Oz'. Haley lived in the complex's extensive penthouse for 20 years with his wife, Flo). Black also designed a 4-plex located at the corner of 9th Street and Hobart Blvd. near MacArthur Park; and another apartment building at 462 S. Cochran Avenue in the Wilshire district. The Cernitz House in Pacific Palisades (located at 601 Amalfi Drive in the Pacific Palisades) is also one of Black's moderne designs, built in 1938, as are the Westwood-Ambassador Apartments, located at 10427 Wilshire Blvd., completed in 1940.
Noteworthy Spanish Revival properties designed by Black include El Cadiz, located in Hollywood at 1731 Sycamore Avenue completed in 1936 and the apartment building at 654 S. Burnside Avenue, which was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989 No. 426. He is also credited with the programmatic design of the Tail of the Pup hot dog stand at 329 N. San Vicente Blvd., declared a cultural landmark in 1987.
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Victor M. Carter Residence, Milton J. Black, Architect 1935, Esta Sullivan (Restoration 1980-1996)Architect Milton Black would be proud of Esta Sullivan for her vision and perserverance in restoring the Carter Residence in Los Feliz. The Sullivans invested eighteen years in the process. Purchasing the home in 1978, they began renovating in earnest after the ceiling came down during a rainstorm two years later. During the first two years the couple reroofed the house twice, removed crystal chandeliers, bobeche-draped wall lights, silver/orange-flocked wallpaper and scraped-up orange, green and yellow arabesque patterned linoleum and re-painted the interiors. They dug up the concrete basketball court that was their backyard and planted a garden.
During the next sixteen years, Esta Sullivan, an accomplished interior designer, began her non-stop search for deco fixtures and furniture. 'I looked for tile in dingy little shops off the beaten track that carried discontinued or leftover tile, I even found some Catalina tile, pretty rare these days, in pristine conditon dating from the thirties', she said, 'Everywhere I went I asked where I could find other things I was looking for.' She eventually found the things she needed, 'not quite the exact color or size, but the difference was undetectable'.. She found treasures in second-hand stores and junk shops in places like Eagle Rock, Compton and Long Beach.
Today, the Victor M. Carter Residence is a shining example of the Streamline Moderne Style, a testament to the architect who designed it originally, and the imagination and fortitude of the woman who rescued it.
The Victor M. Carter Residence is located at 4241 Newdale Drive in Los Feliz. -
Vercellini House- Architect Unknown 1927Located in the Adams Hill area of Glendale, in the shadow of Forest Lawn Memorial Park, the Vercellini Residence looks like a fortress that you might encounter along the Mediterranean Sea. A castle-style battlement lookout provides a bird's eye view of the city of Glendale and the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. A rose garden in a forest of cypress and pines create a fairyland composition.
The Vercellini House is located at 604 Alta Vista Drive in the Adams Hill neighborhood of Glendale, CA. The house was listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places (No. 41) in 2002. -
Valley Knudsen Garden Residence, Heritage Square, 3800 Homer StreetOriginally located in Lincoln Heights, one of the first suburbs in Los Angeles, which at the time was a very popular tourist destination, having a large public park with both an ostrich and alligator farm. The home, also known as the Shaw House is most unusual for its time and location: it is in a style popular in Paris during the early 1800s known as Mansard, which was probably chosen for its majestic appearance.
The house was built in about 1880 and moved to its present location in 1971. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1970 (No. 65). -
United University Church, USC, C. Raimond Johnson, Architect 1931Formerly Methodist Episcopal University Church, the architect designed this handsome church to compliment the other Romanesque buildings on the main campus of the University of Southern California. The church reminds us of the school's Methodist roots. Johnson also had a hand in designing the Beigler Hall of Engineering (in 1939, with architects John and Donald Parkinson) and the Hancock Foundation Building (with Samuel Lunden) in 1941. -
Ulm House, Milton Black (Architect) or William Kesling (Designer) 1937I suppose we'll never actually know for certain who designed the Ulm House: was it the distinguished architect Milton S. Black or the builder-designer William Kesling? Black and Kesling were both active in the neighborhood; Kesling completed the nearby Johnstone House, and Black, the Victor M. Carter Residence both in 1935.
The original building permit does not list either the builder or architect; however the initials 'WPK' appear as a 'notation' according to Kesling biographer Patrick Pascal (ref. 'Kesling Modern Structures: Popularizing Modern Design in Southern California 1934-1962'). On the other hand, the eminent architectural historian Robert Winter attributes the design to Milton Black in his seminal book 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles'.
Perhaps there will be a revelation of the truth one day; but for the moment, the Ulm House stands out as a beautiful example of the moderne/art deco that made both Black and Kesling synonymous with the style.
The Ulm House is located at 3606 Amesbury Road in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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U.S. Post Office, Glendale, CA, George M. Lindsay & James A. Wetmore, Architects 1933-34The Glendale Post Office is a collaboration between architects George Lindsay and James A. Wetmore. Lindsay previously designed the Collegiate Gothic Style John Marshall High School in Los Feliz (1931) and later the administration building of Glendale College (Glendale, CA in 1937). Wetmore was an established veteran architect of post offices, including ones in Clovis, NM, Provincetown, MA and Kansas City.
The Italian Renaissance Style Glendale Post Office is located at 313 E. Broadway in Glendale, CA. -
Trianon Apartments, Leland E. Bryant, Architect 1928Named after Marie Antoinette's 'Petit Trianon' (which it in no way resembles), the Trianon Apartments are a real crown jewel in an otherwise non-descript neighborhood of Hollywood. According to architecture historian Laura Massino-Smith, the apartments bear a strong resemblance to the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau in the Val de Loire. (I looked it up and they do!).
The Trianon is designed in the French Normandy or Chateauesque style. The apartments and its neon roof sign were designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1995 (No. 616). Architect Bryant also designed the art deco style Argyle Hotel (Sunset Tower) in West Hollywood. The Trianon is located at 1750-1754 Serrano Avenue in Hollywood. -
Timme Research Center, USC School of Architecture, Christoph Kapeller (CK Architecture) 2007A major expansion of the USC School of Architecture, consisting of a 23,00 sq. ft. addition, a third floor on top of Watt Hall, (designed by Hurst & Killingsworth) in time for the arrival of Quingyun Ma the architectural school's new dean. The school, which previously shared buildings with the department of Fine Arts, now has a definable center. The flexible floor plan is divided into three major zones, each wrapping around the other's perimeter: a central atrium connects the new floor with the floors below. The open atrium forms the physical center, surrounded by an open studio zone, providing a 'plug and play' learning and research environment. An outer zone consists of private study rooms and faculty offices.
Noted Architectural Photographer Martin Schall accompanied me on a recent (October 2008) visit as guests of the architect. Kapeller is best known in architecture for his stunning design of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Egypt in Alexandria. The award-winning design is a modern interpretation of the great Alexandria Library, the largest library of the ancient world.Website:www.CK-Architecture.com -
Timme Graduate Research Center, Christoph Kapeller (CK- Architecture) 2007View from the west. The roof overhang above the clerestory windows was developed with intensive lighting simulation in order to prevent glare in a heavily computer oriented glare environment. -
Thirteen Church of Christ, Scientist, Allison & Allison, Architects 1926Designed by partners David Clark Allison and James Edward Allison in 1926, the classical Italian Renaissance Revival structure towers over the homes in a residential street in Los Feliz. The Allison partnership began in Pittsburgh, and moved to Los Angeles in 1910 and lasted until 1942 during which the pair designed many prominent California buildings, including the Wilshire Blvd. United Methodist Church (1924), First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles (1930), the Beverly Hills Main Post Office (1932-33), the UCLA Administration Building (1926 & 1937) and Kerckhoff Hall (1931) also at UCLA.
In 1992, the church was designated an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles (No. 559). It is located at 1750 N. Edgemont Street in Los Feliz Village. -
The Mauretania, Milton J. Black, Architect 1934A gem of the Streamline Moderne Style, the Mauretania was designed for actor Jack Haley (the 'Tin Man' in 'The Wizard of Oz') and his wife Flo. The pair lived in the penthouse apartment for twenty years. The rounded exterior walls and second floor balconies with railings suggest a luxury ocean-going liner.
During the summer of 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy occupied the penthouse during the Democratic National Convention.
The Mauretania is located at 520-522 N. Rossmore Avenue in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. -
Terner Residence, Barry A. Berkus, B3 Architects 1997Honored as 'One of the World's 100 Best Homes' by Architectural Review Editor Catherine Slessor, the Terner Residence was designed by Barry Berkus, founder of B3 Architects in 1997.
Located immediately next door to the Eames House and built behind Case Sudy House No. 9 (designed by Charles Eames and Earo Saarinen), the new residence has been configured to compliment the older one, incorporating cubist forms.
Situated in a spectacular setting overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Terner Residence is a great addition to the colony of Case Study homes in the immediate vicinity.
The Terner Residence is located at 205 Chautauqua Blvd. in Pacific Palisades.Website:www.b3architects.com -
Taggart House, Lloyd Wright, Architect 1922-24, Eric Lloyd Wright (Remodel) 2006Lloyd Wright designed his first important house for the mother of his second wife, actress Helen Taggert. The house and gardens showcase the architect's emphasis on the dramatic: the minutely worked out arrangement of house and garden on a hillside lot overlooking Fern Dell Park is simply stunning. A distinctive art deco motif incorporates geometric forms, horizontal banding and an elaborate art-glass window on the south elevation.
In 2006, Lloyd Wright's son, Eric Lloyd Wright completed an extensive restoration of the house, honored by the Los Feliz Improvement Association's Meliora Award for Best Restoration of a Single Family Home in 2006.
The Taggart House is located at 2158 Live Oak Drive in Los Feliz. -
Taggart House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. Architect 1922; Eric Lloyd Wright (Remodel ) 2006Lloyd Wright's design for his mother-in-law, Helen Taggart, was his first commission. The property was listed for sale in November 2009 for $3.25M; as of January 26, 2010, the selling price is $2,595,000. The architect's son, Eric Lloyd Wright lead an award-winning restoration effort, completed in 2006.
The house is located at 5423 Black Oak Drive in the Los Feliz Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. (I suppose I should take it as a compliment; the agent who has the listing on the property used my exact words to describe the property in the MLS, except for misspelling the name!) -
Susana Machado Bernard Residence, John B. Parkinson, Architect 1902The last time I tried to find this home a month or so ago, I was rerouted by police activity within the surrounding blocks, an indication that I might be heading into a rough neighborhood. This past Sunday, September 23, 2007 on my 64th birthday, my agreeable wife asked me, 'How would you like to spend your day?', to which I replied, 'Let's go out and explore Los Angeles!'. I was hoping to visit and take pictures of some of the magnificent old homes and churches(one of my favorite pastimes), in this instance, between Silver Lake and the University of Southern California. I had in mind the Susana Machado Bernard Residence; I had seen a picture of the house in 'Landmark L.A.', a guidebook to the historic-cultural monuments in Los Angeles, and was intrigued by the great beauty of the architecture.
I was not disappointed! The elegant old home still impresses, even though the surrounding neighborhood has changed dramatically since its heyday in the early 20th century. The property was purchased in 1995 by the Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law, a non-profit, public interest legal foundation dedicated to furthuring and protecting the civil, constitutional and human rights of immigrants, refugees, children and the poor. The 10,032 sq. ft. mansion and carriage house is operated as a homeless shelter.
The Susana Machado Bernard Residence is located at 845 South Lake Street in the Lake Shore subdivision of West Adams. In 1979, it was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 208).Website:www.centerforhumanrights.org -
Stimson Residence, Carroll H. Brown, Architect, 1891Architect H.H. Richardson originated the 'Richardsonian Romanesque Style. He was only the second American, after Richard Morris Hunt, to graduate from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His first important commission was the rebuilding of Trinity Church in Boston, MA after it had been destroyed by the Great Boston Fire in 1872. The style is seen infrequently on the West Coast, however, many important public buildings remain, a testament to their timeless beauty and the quality of materials used.
The Stimson Residence, located at 2421 South Figueroa Street in the West Adams district, was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1979 (No. 212). -
Staples Center, NBBJ Architects 1999Completed in 1999 at a cost of $375 Million, the Staples Center is the centerpiece of L.A.Live, the entertainment complex currently under development by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. The center is the only sports venue that is home to five professional sports franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), Los Angeles Avengers (Arena Football League). The venue hosts 250 events and nearly 4 million visitors a year. Statues of hockey star Wayne Gretsky and basketball great Magic Johnson are located at the arena's entrance.
Staples Center is located in downtown Los Angeles at 1111 S. Figueroa Street. -
St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, Albert C. Martin, Architect 1924Arguably one of the most beautiful churches to be found in the City of the Angels, the church was designed and built by the distinguished firm of Albert C. Martin in 1923-25. The church has influences of the Spanish Renaissance and Mission Style, as well as elements of the Churrigueresque found in Colonial Mexico.
The church is reminiscent of the classical California Building in San Diego's famed Balboa Park, built for the 1915 Exposition by Bertram G. Goodhue. Other outstanding features of the church are a tile dome in vibrant colors and John B. Smeraldi's ceiling decorations.
The church is located at the intersection of Figueroa Street and West Adams Blvd. in the historic West Adams district of Los Angeles. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (No. 90). -
St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, 1924, Albert C. Martin, ArchitectThe beauty of this great church is not limited to the exterior as can be seen in this photograph of the main sanctuary. -
St. Mary of the Angels Anglican ChurchFounded in 1919 as an Anglo-Catholic parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles to 'address the spiritual needs of the fledging Hollywood motion picture community.' Father Neal Dodd was the Founding Rector. The present building was completed in 1930 in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The alter consists of bas-relief sculptures in the style of Lucca Della Robbia, the art of glazed terracotta popularized in 15th century Florence.
St. Mary of the Angels Anglican Church is located in Los Feliz Village at 4510 Finley Avenue. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in December 1974 (No. 136). -
St. Mark's Episcopal Church- Carleton M. Winslow, Architect 1948St. Mark's Episcopal Church ranks as my favorite of Glendale's many fine churches. Designed by Carleton M. Winslow, the handsome edifice is constructed of poured concrete in a rich Gothic style. More recently, the altar and ceiling were redesigned by church architect Rhett Judice. The stained glass windows were executed by Judson Studios; the chapel windows are dedicated to the U.S. Armed Forces of World War II; the north side windows show scenes from the ministry of Christ; the southern clerestory windows are dedicated to the major events in his life (Annunciation, Nativity, Baptism, and Transfiguration); the northern windows illustrate scenes of Christ as healer, storyteller, the Last Supper and Crucifixion.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is located at 1020 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA.Website:www.saintmarksglendale.com -
St. Mark's Episcopal Church- Carleton M. Winslow, Architect 1948The stunning beauty of its sanctuary illlustrates the glory of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glendale, CA.Website:www.saintmarksglendale.com -
St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Church, Alajajian Marcoosi Architects 1999-2002The church was designed by the architectural firm, Alajajian Marcoosi between 1999 and 2002, with Aram Alajajian acting as lead architect. The church honors St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Patron Saint of Armenia, credited with convincing King Tiridates III (Trdat) to convert to Christianity in 303 A.D., establishing Armenia as the first State to adopt the faith.
The church is built upon another church site that was no longer serving a congregation. Plans were drawn up to enlarge the sanctuary, improving the site lines to the altar, adding the belltowers and administrative offices. Stone imported from mountain quarries above Malula, Syria were used extensively in the construction. (according to Armenian Catholic tradition, Jesus prayed at an altar in present day Malula).
The church was consecrated in April 2001. The service was attended by Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontificial Council for Justice and Peace, and the Permanent Observer for the Holy See to the United Nations. The church is located at 1510 E. Mountain St. in Glendale. -
St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church, Ross Montgomery, Architect 1927A handsome Italian Romanesque style church in the West Adams district, St. Cecilia's is the work of architect Ross Montgomery, best known for the design of St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in Old Town Pasadena. Other ecclessiastical works by Montgomery include the Chapel of St. Vibiana (West Los Angeles), the Mausoleum of the Golden West (Inglewood), Saint Therese of Lisieux Parish Church (Alhambra), Calvary Cemetary Chapel (East Los Angeles) and the restoration of Mission Santa Barbara, after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1925.
St. Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church is located at 4230 S. Normandie Avenue in the West Adams District of Los Angeles. -
St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church, Albert C. Martin & Associates, Architects 1974The Wilshire Corridor has some of the most imposing church architecture to be found in the City of the Angels. One of the newest among them, St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church, built in 1974, reminds me of the first time I saw the little town of San Gimignano in Tuscany with its many towers. Gebhard & Winter, in their must-read book, 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles' refer to the church as a 'forest of vertical concrete volumes'. Inside, the church is wonderfully dark and serene. Sensitively placed stained glass window allow prisms of light to cast rainbows of radiance in the voluminous sanctuary. -
St. Basil's Roman Catholic Church, Albert C. Martin & Associates, Architects 1974Interior view demonstrating the special quality of the light in the sanctuary. -
St. Andrew's Ukranian Orthodox ChurchFleeing persecution from Nazis and Communists near the end of World War II, St. Andrews Church in Echo Park was build almost entirely by refugees from the Ukraine. The small congregation of 85 families purchased a run-down mansion on Sutherland Street for $20,000 in 1957; the current structure with the fancy domes was not completed until the 1980s.
St. Andrews Church is located at 1456 Sutherland Street in Echo Park. Perched on a high hill overlooking Elysian Park, it can be seen for miles around. -
Sparkletts Drinking Water Corporation, 1925-29Robert Winter and David Gebhard, in their definite work about L.A. Architecture 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles', cleverly describe the Sparkletts Drinking Water Company in Eagle Rock as a mosque of the first water'. The Moorish style architecture is attributed to a 'Mr. King'. The 1971 Sylmar Earthquake nearly toppled its minarets; they were removed and have not been replaced.
The Sparkletts Drinking Water Corporation building is located at 4500 Lincoln Avenue in Eagle Rock. -
Spadena House, Henry Oliver, Designer 1921A marvel of eccentric 'Storybook' style, the Spadena House was originally designed as a movie set and office for Irvin V. Willsit Productions in Culver City. The house has been preserved and now sits on a lovely street in Beverly Hills at the corner of Walden and Carmelita Drive. -
Sowden House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. 1927 & Xorin Balbes, Restoration, 2001Visiting Sowden House in Los Feliz is an enchanting experience. As a volunteer-docent for the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy 2005 Home Tour, I was invited to attend a 'Volunteer Appreciation Event' at this fabulous home by the Conservancy's 2005 Conference Co-Chairs, Scott Crawford (of Silver Lake), Deborah Vick, and Larry Woodin.
Built by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright in 1926-27, the Sowden House has been re-imagined by Designer Xorin Balbes (Temple Home) whose firm specialized in the restoration of old historic homes. The home has the look of an ancient temple which one may have just stumbled upon on a foray into a jungle. Temple Home's transformation is nothing short of magical, bringing a sensual vitality to this long-neglected landmark.
The Sowden House is located at 5121 Franklin Avenue in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2003 (No. 762) -
Snow White's Cottage- architect unknown 1936Known affectionately as 'Snow White's Cottage' (due in part to its proximity to the original Disney Studios), this handsome English Tudor home is located just across the street from the courtyard popularized as 'The House of the Seven Dwarfs' (See detailed on this webpage). Snow White's Cottage is located at 3141 Griffith Park Blvd. in Los Feliz. -
Smith House, David A. Ogilvie, Architect 1929David Ogilvie designed several houses in Pasadena in the late twenties; all would seem to be in the English Tudor style, perhaps suggesting a carryover influence from Clan Ogilvy of Scottish Highlands fame.
The Smith House is typical of Ogilvie's work, located at 181 La Vereda Road in the Upper Arroyo neighborhood of Pasadena. -
Singleton House, R. Neutra, Architect 1959; Tim Campbell (Remodel) 2008Originally designed for Dr. and Mrs. Henry Singleton, the dynamic inventor-engineer and co-founder of Teledyne (in 1960). During his 30-year tenure at Teledyne, the company experienced a 25% growth rate per year over a twenty-five year period. In the Singleton House, the architect has fashioned a sophisticated, relaxing home that is in complete harmony with the site on a hilltop in Bel Air, at the end of a long, private drive. The home underwent extensive renovation and expansion under the supervison of Architectural Designer Tim Campbell in 2008 for Beverly Sassoon, and is currently for sale (June 2008, listed price: approximately $19M).
The Singleton House is located in the Bel Air community of Los Angeles, 15000 Mulholland Drive. -
Shulman House & Studio, Raphael Soriano, Architect 1950As the most prominent architectural photographer of the past seventy years, Julius Shulman has worked with nearly every important architect beginning with Richard Neutra (Kun House, 1938). In fact it was Neutra that launched Shulman's career, by introducing him to the leading architects of the day. In Neutra's protege, Raphael Soriano, Julius found a gifted architect that was perhaps more flexible than his mentor, easily incorporating Shulman's strong design preferences.
The steel and glass house is still occupied by Shulman, still going strong at age 98 (October 10, 2010, he will celebrate his 100th birthday). The famed photographer keeps a full schedule, lecturing and teaching, and much in demand for his photographic skills.
The Shulman House is located at 7875 Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Hollywood Hills. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1987 (No. 325) -
Shrine Auditorium, G.A. Lansburgh, A.M. Edelman, & John C. Austin Architects, 1925-6Built in 1925-6, the Shrine Auditorium was the largest theatre building constructed in its time. The main architect, Albert Lansburgh, also designed the landmark Wiltern Theatre in Mid-Wilshire and the recently-renovated El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. The building was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style with Moorish details, to reflect the culture of the Shriner organization. Prior to the completion of the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles (and later the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood), it was the preeminent concert and convention hall in the city. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1975 (No. 139). -
Sherwood House, Charles M. Hutchinson, Architect 1929
English Tudor (and other Northern European-influenced styles) were all the rage in Los Angeles of the Roaring 20's, especially among the well-to-do; in later years more modest versions of the style emerged. Examples of the style abound in the Los Feliz district; Walt Disney's home on Woking Way and the 'House of the Seven Dwarves' and 'Snow White's Cottage' on Griffith Park Boulevard are well-known examples. The Sherwood House is located at 3435 Amesbury Road. -
Shakespeare Bridge, J.C.Wright (City of Los Angeles Engineering Dept.) 1926View of the pictureque bridge from the foot of Monon Street in Los Feliz. The graceful arches over the small canyon between St. George Street and Myra Avenue evoke an image of a bygone era. A lovely English garden has been planted under the bridge courtesy of community groups including the Franklin Hills Resident's Association and the Los Feliz Improvement Association. -
Shakespeare Bridge, J.C. Wright (Los Angeles City Engineering Office) 1926The picturesque Franklin Avenue Bridge, affectionately known as the Shakespeare Bridge for its little Gothic towers and grand arches, is beloved by locals and visitors alike. Standing in the gap over Monon Street between St. George Street and Myra Avenue, the bridge has been used in numerous films including The Wizard of Oz.
Declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles (No. 126) in 1974. -
Shajiee Residence, John Raymond Byram, Architect 2008An interior view of the family's private quarters, a sweeping balcony overlooks the open family room and kitchen areas. -
Shajiee Residence, John Raymond Byram, Architect 2008Nestled in the hills just south of Mulholland Drive, the Shajiee Residence reflects an organized minimalism expressed as two separate pavilions, responding to the client's desire to simultaneously entertain guests while accomodating the familiy's need for privacy.
Glass, zinc metal panels and stainless steel ribbon railings modulate the sculpted volumes, enhancing the site's organic qualities. Glass walls of the entertainment pavilion can be rolled away, opening the space to the outdoors; guests may enjoy the fire pit and infinity pool while soaking up the panoramic view of the city below.
Byram is best known for the design of Saladang Song Restaurant in Pasadena, in partnership with Designer Peter Tolkin. He received his Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Arizona State University and Master's degrees in Architecture and City Planning from UC Berkeley. He is also an accomplished water color artist, having studied with Robert S. Oliver and Robert J. Uecker. He currently paints with the Mount Washington Plein Air Painters.
The Shajiee Residence is located at 4901 Azucena Drive in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. -
Seyler Residence, 2305 Scarff Street, West AdamsBuilt in 1894 by Abraham M. Edelman, this Queen Anne Style residence is typical of the period. Declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1989 (No. 407). Note the Burkhalter Residence next door with a very similar appearance. -
Severance House, Joseph Cather Newsom, Architect 1904
Joseph Cather Newsom and his brother Samuel were among the most prolific builder-architects of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, contributing some of the most memorable homes, churches and public buildings in their long careers spanning several decades. The firm is best known for their earlier Victorian works such as the Carson Mansion in Eureka, CA (1886), Oakland City Hall (1869), the Alameda County Courthouse. (1875), and in Los Angeles, the Fitzgerald House (c.1903; Historic-Cultural Monument #258); the mansion on Miramar Street in the Westlake neighborhood (c.1890; Historic Cultural Monument #39), several residences on Carroll Avenue in Victorian Angelino Heights including the Luckenbach-Cohn Residence (c.1887 HCM#191); the Sessions House (c.1888; Historic Cultural Monument #52) amongst others. After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, The firm closed their Los Angeles office to concentrate their efforts on the rebuilding of the Bay area.
The Severance House is one of several Mission Revival houses the firm designed in the latter years of their Los Angeles practice. The Charles H. Greenshaw Residence in the Garvanza District of Highland Park (c.1906; HCM#565) is another notable example.
The Severance House is located at 650 W. 23rd Street in the historic neighborhood of West Adams. -
Selig Retail Store, Arthur E. Harvey, Architect 1931Pure art deco landmark located in the West MacArthur Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Selig Retail store was later converted into a branch of the Crocker-Citizens Bank, and for the present is a retail clothing outlet.
What makes the building extraordinary is the use of glazed terra-cotta tile, finished in gold and set off against a black tile background.
The Selig Retail Store is located on the northwest corner of Western Avenue and West Third Street. -
Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Alfred F. Rosenheim, Architect, 1907-1910Located at 948 West Adams Boulevard in the Historic West Adams District, the Second Church of Christ, Scientist is a most imposing edifice in the Beaux-Arts Classical Style. Authors David Gephard & Robert Winter in their authoratative work 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles' claim the church was inspired by the Mother Church of Christian Science located in Boston, Massachusetts.
The church was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1968 (No. 57). Six massive Corinthian columns and a copper-clad dome are its most striking features.
The denomination closed the church in 2008, reflecting a declining membership and rising maintenance costs. In December 2009, it was purchased by the Art of Living Foundation, intending to use the facility as a center for meditation and 'raising social awareness.' -
Science Hall, USC, John & Donald Parkinson, Architects 1928One of six historic Romanesque style buildings on the main campus of the University of Southern California designed by John and Donald Parkinson, Architects as part of the school's first master plan. Construction was begun in 1924 and completed in 1928 at a cost of $600,000. A renovation project to update the building's antiquated systems is projected to cost approximately $15 million (2007).Website:www.parkinsonarchitecture.com -
Schrage House, Raphael Soriano, Architect, 1951Along with his contemporaries, Gregory Ain, John Lautner, Charles & Ray Eames and Harwell Hamilton Harris amongst others, Raphael Soriano was in important contributor to the 'Second Generation' of California Modernists. Having worked with both Richard Neutra and Rudolf Schindler, Soriano provides a link between the two. Both Craig Ellwood and Pierre Koenig worked for Soriano, and Frank Gehry claims to have been strongly influenced by his work. His first residential commission was the Lipetz House in Silver Lake in 1936, which created a sensation at the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris, winning the prestigious Prix de Rome and establishing his reputation.
Construction on the home for David and Riva Schrage commenced in 1950, in the same time frame as the architect's Case Study House in the Pacific Palisades. The Schrage House is the only remaining Soriano-designed 1950s steel house that is close to its original condition and remains one of his finest. It is located at 2648 Commonwealth Avenue in Los Feliz.
For more information about the work of this distinguished architect, the book 'Raphael Soriano' by Wolfgang Wagener, published by Phaedon Press makes for enjoyable reading. -
Schlesinger House, Rudolph M. Schindler, Architect 1952From his arrival in Los Angeles on December 3, 1920 until his death on August 22, 1953, Rudolph Schindler had worked on some 450 projects (some in conjunction with others) of which approximately one-fourth were built.
The Schlesinger House, built for the family of Dr. Philip Schlesinger, a popular professor at nearby Los Angeles City College, was one of Schindler's last commissions.
Built on a a hillside overlooking the famed Shakespeare Bridge, the house has been occupied by the Schlesinger family continuously since 1952. Located at 1901 Myra Avenue in Los Feliz. -
Sanborn House, Charles & Henry Greene, Architects 1903One of the Geene brothers eariest commissions, a house and stable for Samuel P. Sanborn. The house originally stood at 999 E. Colorado Blvd.; it was moved to its present location in 1923,
The Sanborn House is located at 65 N. Catalina Avenue in Pasadena. It is on the Pasadena Register of Historic Properties. -
San Fernando Buiding, John F. Blee, Architect 1906; Robert Brown Young & Son (Expansion) 1911James B. Lankershim, a prominent figure in the development and expansion of Los Angeles during the early 20th Century, employed architect John F. Blee to design a Renaissance Revival style office building for him at the corner of 4th and Main Street, which opened in 1907. Lankershim named the building 'The San Fernando', in reference to the family's vast land holdings in the San Fernando Valley.
The building has elaborate decorative elements, including an incised diamond motif and an elegant lobby with 22-foot ceiling. During the 1980s and '90s, the immediate area surrounding the building suffered a decline, becoing Los Angeles 'skid row'. The building was acquired in 1998 by developer Tom Gilmore, along with the nearby Continental and Hellman Buildings; all three landmarks of the early 20th Century have been rescued and restored.
The San Fernando Building is located at 400 S. Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2002 (No. 728) and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. -
Samuel-Navarro House, Lloyd Wright, Architect, 1928Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. in 1928, the Samuel/Navarro Residence reflects the Wrightian ideal of organic architecture in art deco style. The entire structure is defined by a handsome hammered-copper frieze which provides dramatic detail. Actress Diane Keaton lived here in the 1990's and employed Architect Josh Schweitzer to remodel it to her tastes. The house is located at 5609 Valley Oak Drive in the Los Feliz Oaks.Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1974. (No. 130). -
Samson Tire and Rubber Company (The Citadel), Morgan, Walls & Clements, Architects 1929-30Modeled after the fortified Assyrian city of Khorsabad, the tire company was apparently looking for a connection between the Jewish folk hero, Samson, slayer of the Philistines (conquered by the Assyrians c.732 B.C). The ziggurat-styled fortified walls and priest-king reliefs are reminiscent of the carvings found at the palace built by Sargon II at Khorsabad, not far from the ancient city of Ninevah.
After the factory closed in 1978, the buildings remained vacant until 1990. A master plan for the site transformed the complex into a regional outlet mall, 'The Citadel' developed by Sussman/Prejza Inc., landscape architect Martha Schwartz and Peridian Irving.
Located at 5675 Telegraph Road in the City of Commerce. Visible from the Santa Ana Freeway at the Washington Boulevard exit. -
Rosenheim Mansion, Alfred Rosenheim, Architect 1915Built by the architect as his personal residence, the Rosenheim Mansion is one of the most beautiful mansions in the Country Club Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Tudor Revival style house is approximately 15,000 sq. feet, including a 50' long grand ballroom, seven bedrooms, 6.5 baths, six fireplaces, a round stair tower and a chapel. Rosenheim was a prominent architect during the early part of the twentieth century. Other notable Rosenheim projects include the May Company (downtown, 1908), the Hellman Building (1903); the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Los Angeles (1908), the Cameo Theater (downtown historic theater district, 1910), the Britt Mansion & Gardens (1910) and the opulent Pompeiian Room in the Doheny Mansion. He was the first president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The Rosenheim Mansion is located at 1120 S. Westchester Place. In 1999, it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 660). It has been frequently seen in films, notably 'Spiderman' and 'Seabiscuit'. In 2007, it was listed for sale for $4.6M, however remains unsold. -
Rodriguez House, Rudolph Schindler, 1941The Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood of Glendale, California is much appreciated for its quiet, leafy streets. Discovering Schindler's 'Rodriguez House' on beautiful Niodrara Drive is an enchanting experience. Set back from the street, the Rodriguez House is an extraordinary architectural composition that blends in perfectly with the sylvan setting.
Built in 1941, the Rodriguez House is located at 1845 Niodrara Drive in Glendale. It is listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places. -
Rindge House, Frederick L. Roehrig, Designer 1906Grand chateau-style mansion with Richardsonian Romanesque elements designed for Frederick H. Rindge, a wealthy landowner and financier with extensive holdings in the West Adams neighborhood as well as Malibu.
The Rindge House in located at 2263 S. Harvard Blvd. in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. In 1972, it was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles (No. 95). -
Richard Riordan Central Library, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, Architect 1926Originally named simply the Central Library, the building has been renamed twice; first, in honor of Rufus von KleinSmid, longtime president of the Board of Library Commissioners and President of the University of Southern California, and in 2001, after Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
The building, which was Goodhue's last major work, draws on influences from ancient Egyptian architecture, principally the mosaic pyramid central tower, as well as assorted sphinxes and snakes. It is similar in style to the Nebraska State Capital building, also designed by Goodhue. A ravaging fire desolated the building in 1986; the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake and a second fire a few years later did furthur damage.
After all this, it is a wonder that the building survived at all. The library survives as an oasis of learning, dwarfed by its skyscraper neighbors, a testament to the will of preservationists to protect Los Angeles' cultural heritage.
Los Angeles Central Library is located at 630 W. 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1967 (No. 46) -
Richard & Carol Soucek King Residence, Buff & Hensman, Architects 1979Designer Carol Soucek-King and her entrepeneur/attorney husband Richard commissioned Architects Conrad Buff III and Donald C. Hensmen for the design of their Pasadena home, the only house in Arroyo Seco Park.
The Kings purchased the land in the late 70s; the dramatic minimalist/modern home under the historic Arroyo Seco Bridge is the perfect setting for 'salons' of the Institute of Philosophy and the Arts', reflecting the Kings desire to share their passion for the 'spiritually creative life.'
The King Residence is located at 60 El Circulo Drive. The couple have plans to donate the home to the University of Southern California to be preserved in perpetuity as the Carol Soucek King and Richard King Center for Architecture. -
Rev. Williel Thomson Residence, Highland Park, 1908This imposing Late Queen Anne Style Victorian is situated on a deep lot located at 215 South Avenue 52 in historic Highland Park. It was built in 1898 for the Rev. Williel Thomson. It was declared a Los Angeles' Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991 (No. 542). -
Randolph Huntington Miner Residence, Sumner Hunt, Architect c.1904
The English Tudor house has a storied history; from the early 1900s until WWI, Julita Miner, granddaughter of a former governor of Spanish California and her husband, Capt. Randolph Miner were reigning socialites of Los Angeles, entertaining lavishly at the home. In later years Theda Bara, Fatty Arbuckle, Joseph Schenk and Norma Talmadge would also call the mansion home.
Today the home is the AMAT House of the Congregation Of The Mission. Located at 649 West Adams Blvd. -
R.F. Elliot House, R.M. Schindler, Architect 1930, Marmol & Radziner (Remodel) 2001Driving up a short cul-de-sac off Talmadge Street in Los Feliz, it might be easy to overlook the R.F. Elliot House, designed by Rudolph M. Schindler in 1930. Hidden behind dense vegetation, it is possible to see only the garage from the street. Thankfully, I was able to visit the house in a MAK Center tour a couple of years ago. Built for Schindler's insurance agent, Robert F. Elliot, the house was restored in recent years by Cameron Silver, owner of a vintage clothing store (Decades)and his partner Jeffrey Snyder, an interior decorator and set designer. Silver and Snyder retained architects Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, who have built a reputation for sensitive restoration of historic homes, including Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in Palm Springs and the Albert Frey home built for Raymond Loewy, as well as Schindler's King Road House.
The R.F. Elliot Residence is located at 4237 Newdale Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.Website:www.Marmol-Radziner.com -
Powers Residence, Arthur L. Haley, Architect, 1904Alvarado Terrace, just south of Pico Boulevard and east of Hoover Street has a half a dozen lovely period homes facing Terrace Park. Built in 1904 by Pomeroy Powers, President of the Los Angeles City Council from 1900-1904. Powers was a real estate developer who helped establish the small park across the street.
The Powers Residence is located at 1345 Alvarado Terrace. The home was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (No. 86). -
Pompeian Room, Doheny MansionThe Pompeian Room is widely admired for its breathtaking beauty featuring a glass dome made by Louis Tiffany, marble columns from Siena and a lovely bronzed gold-leaf frieze. -
Physical Education Building, USC, John & Donald Parkinson, Architects 1928One of six northern Italian Romanesque style buildings designed by John & Donald Parkinson for the university between 1920 and 1928. The 1000-seat facility is the oldest athletic training building on campus. The view is of the west entrance, featuring a single Roman arch and extensive cast stone detailing.Website:www,parkinsonarchitecture.com -
Pershing Square, Ricardo Legorreta, Architect, 1994 (re-design)Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, has had many incarnations. First dedicated as Los Angeles Park in 1870, in succeeding years, its name changed to 6th Street Park, and later, Central Park. In 1910, the park was renovated with a new design by the eminent architect John Parkinson (designer of Los Angeles City Hall and Union Station, along with dozens of other Los Angeles' landmarks). The park was re-named Pershing Square in 1918, after WWI hero Gen. John Joseph Pershing.
In subsequent years, the park became seriously neglected with the shifting fortunes of Los Angeles' downtown. In 1992, the park was closed for a two-year, $14.5 million renovation designed by Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta (a disciple of Luis Barragan) and landscape architect Laurie Olin. The new park features a 10-story purple bell tower and a walkway designed by artist Barbara McCarren, resembling an earthquake faultline.
Pershing Square is located in downtown Los Angeles, bounded by Olive Street on the west, Hill Street on the east and between 5th Street to the north and 6th Street to the south. -
Pasinetti HouseBuilt in 1958 and published in the January 1959 issue of Arts & Architecture Magazine, the Pasinetti House was commissioned by noted Italian writer Pier Maria Pasinetti as his U.S. residence. It was designed by his friend, the celebrated Romanian architect Haralamb Georgescu and is considered to be one of his best residential works in the world. Restored and updated in 2009 by Willow Glen Partners. Located at 1421 Summitridge Drive in Beverly Hills.Email:tbraseth@aol.com -
Pasadena Public Library, Lamanda Park Branch, Pulliam, Matthews & Associates, Architects 1966Think 'Modern-day Stonehenge' and you get a sense of the place. Set back from the street, the single-story edifice has a monumental feel.
The library is located at 140 S. Altadena Drive in east Pasadena. -
Pasadena Police Dept., Robert A.M. Stern, Stern Ehrenkrantz Ramager, Design Architects 1989-1990Stern Ehrenkrant Ramager worked with a consortium of resources including EKONA as planning architect, landscape architects Campbell & Campbell and sculptor Robert Irwin in designing a building that would compliment the other classical structures in Pasadena's civic center precinct.
The building is located on the southwest corner of Garfield and Walnut Streets in Pasadena. -
Pasadena Masonic Temple, Cyril Bennett & Fitch Haskell, Architects 1927Bennett & Haskell's design for a classical Greek temple makes quite a statement about the power and influence of freemasonry in Pasadena, particularly in the affluent roaring 20's. The Beaux-Arts structure is located on a quite side street in Pasadena's central business district. Ten fluted Ionic columns on the west facade are the most prominent feature.
Architects Cyril Bennett and Fitch Haskell joined forces in 1923, designing many important Pasadena landmarks, including the Pasadena Civic Auditorium (1932), the Parish House and Rectory at All Saints Episcopal Church (1930) and the California State Armory (now the Armory Gallery, in 1932) The temple is located at 200 South Euclid Avenue. -
Pasadena City Hall, John Bakewell Jr. & Arthur Brown Jr., Architects 1925-27A showcase epitomizing the prestige and influence of the city in the Roaring 20's, Pasadena's City Hall was designed by the San Francisco architectural firm, Bakewell and Brown, completed in 1927. The pair designed many famous San Francisco landmarks, including City Hall, Coit Tower, Temple Emanuel, War Memorial Opera House and the Federal Building at the United Nations Plaza. The Beaux-Arts masterpiece was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Located at 100 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena. -
Parsons Bungalow, Arthur + Alfred Heineman, Architects 1910; Tim Andersen (Restoration, 1980)
Described by authors Gebhard and Winter (An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles) as 'simply the finest, most characteristic California bungalows to be found anywhere', the Parsons Bungalow originally stood on the corner of Los Robles Avenue and California Street in Pasadena. The house was moved to Altadena in 1980; however it proved impossible to move the original cobblestone foundation and pillars, which had to be rebuilt.
The Parsons Bungalow is located at 1605 E. Altadena Drive in Altadena. -
Park Oak Drive Residence- James R. Meyer (LEAN ARCH) Architects 2005Sophisticated remodel by the firm LEAN ARCH, with James R. Meyer as Principal Architect. A complete makeover of a 60's split level barn and a 'misdirected French suburban tract home.' according to developer Robot & Sons who purchased the property in 2004 and hired 'red-hot Modernist Architect James R. Meyer to do the design work. The architect and builders selected simple materials: wood, stone, concrete and walls of light to create an 'urban sanctuary' in the exclusive Los Feliz Oaks community. The residence is located at 2458 Park Oak Drive. The home received the Los Feliz Improvement Association's Meliora Award in 2005, for Best Restoration.
I had the pleasure of meeting the architect during the 2008 AIA/LA Home Tour of Los Feliz on October 26, 2008, in the company of highly regarded German photographer Martin Schall. I will have the pleasure of seeing him again next week, when we pay a visit to Julius Shulman.Website:www.LeanArch.com -
Osborn Architects Office, Osborn Architects (OA), 1998-99Award-winning home of the architectural practice, Osborn Architects in Glendale, CA. The open floor design encourages collaboration between principals, project managers and staff in an 'open mezzaninine with breakout meeting areas between workstations that allow for spontaneous conference.'
The building extends over the parking area in a dramatic complex of truss supports and sails like some mysterious marooned vessel beckoning our exploration. The complex received immediate recognition upon completion; the 'Outstanding Architectural Improvement Award' by the City of Glendale (1999), 'Distinguished Building Award' by the L.A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1998 and the 'Merit Award' by the Pasadena and Foothill Chapter of the AIA.
The Osborn Architects Office is located at 320 East Harvard Street in the City of Glendale, CA. The firm is directed by Timothy A. Ballard AIA, Principal, and Michael T. Pinto, Design Principal.Website:www.osborn320.com -
Octagon House, 3800 Homer StreetOriginally located on San Pasqual Avenue in Pasadena; relocated to 1917 Allen Street, Pasadena in 1917, the Octagon House was built by Gilbert Longfellow and moved to Heritage Square in 1986. It one of two 8-sided houses remaining in California and the only one in Southern California. Octagonal house design was briefly in fashion in the 19th century. The site was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989 (No. 413). -
Occidental College, Weingart Center for the Liberal Arts, Myron Hunt & H.C. Chambers Architects 1925Established as a gift from the Weingart Foundation, the center houses the Department of Art and the Core Curriculum office. Originally designated Orr Hall, a woman's residence hall, named after Bertha Harton Orr. -
Occidental College, Thorne Hall, Myron Hunt & H.C. Chambers, Architects 1938Thorne Hall was the last of Architect Myron Hunt's twenty two original buildings to be contructed on the campus of Occidental College. Erected in memory of Belle Wilbur Thorne by her husband, Charles H. Thorne, Thorne Hall is the school's main auditorium, seating 835.
The auditorium was completely remodeled in 1989 by the firm Brenda Levin Associates, with funding provided by the James Irvine Foundation. -
Occidental College, Johnson Student Center, Myron Hunt & H.C. Chambers, Architects 1928Formerly Freeman Union, the center of student life on the campus of Occidental College. The original design by Hunt & Chambers has been enlarged twice, in 1956 and 1962. The firm. Brenda Levin Associates remodeled the facility between 1997 and 1999; the college renamed the center after Robert Freeman an important trustee and generous benefactor. -
Occidental College, Johnson Hall, Myron Hunt, Architect 1914Architect Myron Hunt, in association witih H.C. Chambers designed the principal buildings of Occidental College up until the-mid 30s. Johnson Hall (along with Swan and Fowler Halls) was amongst the first, completed in 1914. The overall impression of the campus architecture is one of a solidly classical nature, like the buildings you might see along Pennsylvania Avenue in our nation's capital.
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Road in Eagle Rock. -
Occidental College, Clapp Library, Myron Hunt & H.C. Chambers, Architect 1924The gift of Emma B. Norton in memory of her daughter, the Mary Norton Clapp Library, originally designed by Hunt & Chambers in 1924, has undergone successive expansions. In 1955, the original structure was doubled in size, adding the Carl F. Braun Memorial Fine Book Room by the Braun Family, the Jeffers Room, as a memorial to Robinson Jeffers (Class of 1905) and the Bill Henry Room, a memorial to an alumnus of the Class of '14. In 1970, furthur expansion added a four story major addition of shelf space, reading rooms, and and audio-visual center.
Occidental College is a liberal arts college located in Eagle Rock at 1600 Campus Road. The original campus was located in Highland Park and moved to its present location in 1914. -
Norton Simon Museum, Thornton Ladd & John Kelsey, Architects 1969Originaly the Pasadena Art Museum, the museum was renamed for industrialist Norton Simon in return for absorbing the museums debts. Norton and his wife, actress Jennifer Jones were looking for a permanent home for their growing collection of over 4,000 objects.
The distinguishing feature of the structure are the undulating walls of handmade tiles, designed by Ceramic Artisan Edith Heath.
In 1995, Architect Frank Gehry began a major renovation of the interiors. The gardens were redesigned by Power and Associates to house the 20th century sculpture collection. A new theater was designed by Gensler & Associates, and is used for lectures, film, dance performances and concerts.
The museum is located at 411 West Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.
The exterior is clad in umber-colored tiles, designed by Artist Edith Heath. -
Nichols House, Edward R. Niles Architect 1979
The Nichols House (and its next-door 'twin') are relatively mild design statements from Architect Edward R. Niles whose later work in Malibu is noted for its cutting edginess. I spent quite a few Sunday afternoons at the house, when my real estate partner had the listing; in 2002 I was a brand-new real estate agent just learning the complexities of the business. Too bad I didn't know the importance of the architect's work; it would have been an important enhancement to my efforts.
The Nichols House is located at 3657 Amesbury Road. For examples of Niles' later work, the book 'Free Expression: House Design : Edward R. Niles (House Design, 4)' by Michael Webb and Edward R. Niles offers excellent insight. -
Neutra VDL Studio and ResidencesSeventy-five years ago, in Los Angeles, with a no-interest loan from Dutch philanthropist Dr CH Van Der Leeuw, Viennese-American architect Richard Neutra built a radical 'glass house' with rooftop and balcony gardens on Silverlake Boulevard. He called it the VDL Research house, after his benefactor. It was designed to accommodate his office and two families on a small 60 x 70 foot lot.
Seven years later, as his family expanded, he built a garden house on the back of the lot. This compact wing had walls that slid open onto a pocket garden to be shared by the addition and main house. In 1963 after a disastrous fire, that left unscathed only the 1940 Garden house and basement of the original wing, Richard and his son and partner Dion Neutra had a chance to redesign the main house. Two floors and a penthouse solarium were built on the original prefabricated basement structure. They applied what the practice had learned in the interim about sun louvers, water roofs, 'nature-near', and physiologically motivated design.
The house is open to the public without appointment on MOST Saturdays from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm (see website for dates when we are closed.) Tours are $10/person and are given by architecture students from Cal Poly Pomona.Website:www.neutra-vdl.orgEmail:sarah@neutra-vdl.org -
Naiditch Residence, Dean Nota, Architect 1994Dean Nota's design for the Naiditch House evokes the image of a 'spaceship in the clouds', riding along a ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains foothills. The linear composition is laid out on split levels, literally hugging the edge of a steep precipice.
Nota was in the first graduating class of the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI ARC) in 1973. After graduation, he interned in the office of Ray Kappe, rising to the position of Senior Associate Architect. He opened his own office in Los Angeles in 1982.
The house is located at 3072 Zane Grey Terrace in Altadena, For a better view, drive to the end of Stonehill Drive, the street below Zane Grey). Nota's current work is more concentrated in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, where he maintains his office. For more information, please visit the firm's website (link below).Website:www.nota.net -
Mulvihill House, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Architect 1949
Owner Harriet Lyle was my gracious host, visiting the house on July 28, 2010. Although Authors Gebhard and Winter (An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles) claim the house was 'remodeled', Harriet insisted everything was pretty much original. Her husband, John Tidwell Lyle (1934 - 1998) was a professor of landscape architecture at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona)]; the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona and the Lyle plaza at the entrance to Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College are named after him. He designed the gardens and a Guest House on the property (also featured on this webpage),
Lyle is the author of such books as Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development and Design for Human Ecosystems. Lyle was the principal architect for the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona and the principal landscape architect for the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College. The house is located at 580 N. Hermosa Avenue in Sierra Madre. -
Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy, USC, Ralph C. Flewelling, Architect 1928-29Described alternately as 'pre-Renaissance Tuscan' and 'Lombardy Romanesque', the Seely Wintersmith Mudd Hall of Philosophy, is (along with the statue of Tommy Trojan and the Bovard Administration Building), the most identifiable landmark associated with the University of Southern California. Designed to complement the recently completed northern Italian Renaissance architecture already in place, the Mudd Memorial Hall surpasses the others in terms of artistry and details. The two story red brick building is trimmed in cast stone and roofed in Spanish tile and crowned with a high campanile. A central fountain courtyard inviting contemplation is entered through an open cloister. -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)A Moorish Fantasy in the Hollywood Hills, the former home of Charlie Chaplin and Mary Astor. Chaplin rented the house in 1921 before building his own house at 1085 Summit Drive. In 1925, Actress Mary Astor's parents, who controlled all her income at the time, purchased the house, entertaining lavishly with servants, a grand piano, a luxury car and a chauffer with disastrous results. Mary took their control away in 1930, giving them a small allowance, but they were unable to live within their means, and had to sell the house at auction for only $21,500!
The home has been restored to its original glory with the finest of marble and mosaic finishes, stained and leaded glass windows. Besides the Moorish motif, there are also Art Noveau and Gothic details. Other special features of this magnificent home include a rooftop deck with a 360 degree view, extensive grounds with meandering pools and a waterfall. Truly a Hollywood Fantasy!
The Moorcroft Estate is located in the Hollywood Hills at 6147 Temple Hill Drive. It is currently (September 2006) on the market for just under $9 Million Dollars. Due to its enormous size and variety of details, I will devote several photos to this great house. -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)A footbridge allows passage over the meandering pool. The house can be seen in the distance. -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)The Grand Portico & Entryway into the Moorcroft Estate. -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)Detailed view of one of the four guest bedrooms. Note the elegant windows and faux finishes, Moorish style arch passageway. stenciled crown moldings, wrought iron curtain rods and Morroccan lanterns. No detail is left undone! -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)An intimate alcove. Bridge anyone? Note the elegant and beautiful arched ceiling, and matching decorative columns and cabinets. The picture is complete with the lovely stained glass windows and rich fabrics. -
Moorcroft- Hollywood Home of Charlie Chaplin & Mary Astor (1920)The Estate as seen from the carriage entrance. -
Millard House, 'La Miniatura', Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1923As seen from the street. -
Millard House 'La Miniatura'- Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1923Located on nearly an acre in Pasadena's historic Prospect District, the Millard House was Wright's first residence to utilize textile block construction. Wright designed it for Alice Millard, a dealer in antiquities in 1923. Situated in a tree-shaded glen and overlooking a lagoon, the setting is nothing short of mesmerizing. Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. designed a studio for the house in 1926; it compliments the original house in scale and composition. (Lloyd Wright also designed the landscaping). The firm, Marmol Radzinger Associates completed a recent restoration.
The Millard House is located at 645 Prospect Crescent in Pasadena, and is currently (December 2008) listed for sale at $7,733,00. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. -
Millard House 'La Miniatura', Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1923Texture block details of the Millard House in Pasadena. -
Millard House 'La Miniatura'- Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1923An elevated passageway provides a dramatic view of one of the homes bedrooms. -
Millard House 'La Miniatura', Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1923A semi-enclosed passageway leads to the main entrance. -
Midtown School, John Lautner, Architect 1960Midtown School is the only school that John Lautner designed during his career. It is currently the Los Feliz campus ot Lycee International, also known as the French American School (LILA). Located on 6.5 acres at the foot of the Shakespeare Bridge, the four separate 'pavilions' provide for airy classrooms and a low scale to suit the needs of children.
Located at 4155 Russel Avenue in Los Feliz, the campus was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 553) by the City of Los Angeles in 1991.
Architecture enthusiast Tad Brady, owner of the nearby Haigh House designed by Wesley Eager, advises 'the photo you have chosen for the Midtown School is of a building added to the property in 1981, along with two smaller square buildings. The new buildings, built by the Apple School which owned the property at the time, were designed to work with Lautner's buildings. Apparently the Apple School went bankrupt and the property was vacant for a time. A proposal to turn the facility and grounds into a park did not pass, and the city leased the property to the LILA.'Email:mjlocke@pacbell.net -
McCarty Memorial Christian Church, Thomas P. Barber Paul Kingsbury, Architects 1932An important symbol of the civil rights movement, McCarty Memorial Christian Church, was founded as a 'white church' in 1932, and gained attention when it was integrated in the 1950s. Considered one of the 'finest examples of pure Gothic architecture in America' (as observed in the Los Angeles Times'). As demographics changed, so did the fortunes of the West Adams neighborhood; by 1954, attendance at the church had dropped from 1500 worshippers to 370 members, with 'white flight' came urban problems and a need for the church to change with the times.
Under the leadership of pastor Kring Allen, the church was successfully integrated in 1954. The pastor invited seventy parishioners to a retreat in the San Bernardino Mountains, where they 'housed together, worked together and studied together' Allen later mused. The experience brought the congregation together. We became a completely integrated nucleus', he added.
Dr. and Mrs. Isaac McCarty , who built and paid for the church, were avid travelers, studying church architecture as they went about Europe, with the intention of establishing a great cathedral in Los Angeles. The reinforced-concrete edifice features a 130 ft. tower with open belfry and lovely stained glass windows.
McCarty Memorial Church is located at 4101 W. Adams Blvd. It is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. (I can imagine that Architects Barber and Kingsbury, as well as Dr. McCarty, were influenced by the design of Westminster Presbyterian Church on Lake Avenue in Pasadena, designed by Architects Marston, Van Pelt and Maybury in 1928; I had to do a double take when I first saw the McCarthy Church while visiting the West Adams neighborhood recently). -
May Ormerod Harris Hall of Architecture & Fine Arts, Ralph C. Flewelling, Architect 1939A decade after Flewelling completed his signature work, the Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy (on the main campus of the University of Southern California), he was called upon again to design buildings for the School of Architecture. Flewelling's designs for both the Harris Hall of Architecture and Fine Arts and the adjacent Fisher Art Gallery succeeds admirably, creating a bridge between the early Romanesque buildings of the Parkinson era and two later major building programs (in the early '50's, Marsh, Smith & Powell proposed a second master plan, followed by a third master plan by the firm of William Pereira & Associates in the sxties). The Arts & Architecture complex is fittingly modernized, yet retains a strong classical element as can be seen in this view of the south entrance. -
Mattison Boyd Jones HouseGrowing up in Glendale, California, I often drove my bicycle or rode in the family car past this beautiful Southern plantation home which everyone that I knew affectionately referred to as 'Tara' (after the mansion in David Selznick's film 'Gone with the Wind'). Built in the Colonial Revival Style, this magnificent property was the home of the Mattison Boyd Jones family, prominent early residents of Glendale reflecting the romantic architectural style of Jones birthplace in Tuttle, Kentucky.
In 1911, Jones moved to Glendale where he was active in the civic life of the community, serving as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank branch in Glendale and President of the Brand Boulevard Improvement Association.
In 1922, Jones built his southern style mansion on Kenneth Road, which became known as 'Bel Aire' or the 'White House'. It has frequently been used as a background for the filming of motion pictures, television and commercials.
The Mattison Boyd Jones House is located at 727 West Kenneth Road in Glendale, CA. It is listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places. -
Mary P. Field House, 4967 Sycamore Terrace, Highland ParkThis large Craftsman Style home with Swiss Chalet influences was built for Mary Field in 1903. Along with several of its neighbors, it features a beautiful wall fashioned with stones from the nearby Arroyo Seco. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988 (No. 372). -
Mary Andrews Clark Y.M.C.A. Residence, Arthur B. Benton, Architect 1913The Mary Andrews Clark Residence, designed in the French Chateau Style, is so massive that to get a good photo of it you'd need to stand a block or two away. Unfortunately, from a photographer's standpoint, many of the impressive design elements are hidden from view by mature trees. The residence was designed for Senator William Andrews Clark of Montana as a memorial to his mother.
The Mary Andrews Clark Residence is located at 306 Loma Drive (corner of 3rd Street). It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1976 (No. 158). -
Mar Vista House, Gregory Ain (Ain, Johnson & Day) 1946-48Another example from the Mar Vista Project; this one located at 3508 Moore Street. -
Mar Vista House, Gregory Ain (Ain, Johnson & Day) 1946-48In the dynamic growth of post World War II Los Angeles, Architect Gregory Ain's experiments in low-cost, multi-family housing stand out as his greatest contribution. The Mar Vista project followed the success of the Park Planned Homes development, twenty-eight single family homes on Highview Avenue in Altadena, CA (1946).
The Mar Vista project was even more ambitious; fifty-two houses in all, dissimilar from one another by 'turning the houses in different directions'. Ain used a simple post-and-beam system with clerestory windows and a sliding panel between one of the bedrooms and the living room, providing a sense of openness in the small (1,050 sq. ft.) homes.
Gregory Ain's Mar Vista Homes are located between Beethoven, Moore and Meier Streets, south of Marco Place. The above house, located at 3556 Moore Street, exemplifies the style. -
Manual Arts High School, John and Donald B. Parkinson Architect 1934-35The father-and-son team of John and Donald Parkinson produced some of Los Angeles most enduring architecture between 1920 and 1945, including the Master Plan for the campus of the University of Southern California (1919-1937), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923 & 1930-31), Bullock's Wilshire (1929) and Union Station (1939). The horizontal, parallel details and rounded corners of the school's buildings are evidence of the Streamline Moderne style, a favorite of the firm during the 25-year partnership of father and son.
'The campus buildings are a second incarnation; the firm designed the original school, then also designed the second version which is what we see today.' according to Scott Field, Executive Director of the Parkinson Archives.
Manual Arts High School is located at 4131 S. Vermont Avenue in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. -
Mansion Adena (Lewis Cottage), attributed to Eugene Getschell c.1886Acclaimed by Architectural Digest Editor Elizabeth McMillan as 'the finest example of Victorian architecture in Southern California', Lewis Cottage was owned by Anna and Henry Lewis, a prominent founding family of Pasadena.
As of 1900, the property was the residence of Anna Luckey, an early advocate for social welfare services and author of children's books. Mrs. Luckey started the first social sevice agency for Pasadena's poor, and as a result, Pasadena became one of the first cities in the nation to have its own welfare department.
The firm CM Design has completed a recent extensive restoration. The house is located at 361 Adena Street in north Pasadena. -
Malin House 'The Chemosphere', John Lautner, Architect, 1961Lautner built this house for Leonard Malin, an aircraft electronics engineer short on money but high on imagination. Malin gave the architect a budget of $30,000, a sum that was agreed upon and construction began in May 1959. The house is today considered one of the great architectural icons of Los Angeles.
The Chemosphere, which resembles a flying saucer (and is sometimes mistaken for one) is located at 7776 Torreyson Drive in the Hollywood Hills. It can best be seen from the corner of Flynn Ranch Road and Torreyson Drive or directly across the street at 7777 Torreyson Drive. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2004 (No. 785). -
MacGowan House, Hudson & Munsell, Architects 1913; Parkinson Field Associates (Restoration)Desinged for the first commissioner of the Los Angeles Health Department, Dr. Grandville MacGowan, by the firm Hudson & Munsell, completed in 1913. At the time of its completion, West Adams was one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the city; the mansion suffered various uses in the intervening years.
The property was purchased by a religious order in 2002, for a seminary and educational facility, hiring Parkinson Field Associates for extensive restoration between 2002 and 2005, including the exterior and interiors, carriage house and grounds.
Located at 3726 West Adams Blvd.; Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1990 (No. 311). The firm, Hudson & Munsell also designed the Cohn Residence (LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 84) and the Thomas Potter Residence (LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 327); all three monuments show influence of the Tudor Revival style.Website:www.parkinsonfield.com -
Lynch House- Architect UnknownAn era of unparalleled optimism reached its zenith in Southern California in the 'Roaring 20's'. In the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains, the Rossmoyne section of Glendale experienced a period of extravagant home-building, as the well-to-do established a neighborhood of finely turned-out homes. This Spanish Colonial home is located at 1230 Rossmoyne Avenue and was built in 1924.
In 2005, the Glendale Historical Society placed the 'Lynch House' on the Glendale Register of Historical Places. -
Loyola Law School, William M. Rains Law Library, Frank O. Gehry & Associates, Architects 1981-1984The campus of Loyola Law School is a bit of a world-unto-itself, sequestered in an urban setting east of MacArthur Park. Occupying an entire city block, the project gave Gehry the opportunity to explore the idea of a modern 'acropolis', in reference to the 'ancient traditions and architecture of law'. The collonade of the Darling Pavilion and Rains Law Library suggest a post-modern interpretaton of a Roman forum.
The campus of Loyola Law School is located at 1441 West Olympic Blvd. in the neighborhood east of MacArthur Park. -
Loyola Law School, Fritz B. Burns Academic Center, Frank O. Gehry,Architect 1981-84In the Burns Academic Center, Architect Gehry offers a surprising composition; a zigzagging staircase 'crashes' the mustard-yellow facade, creating a dramatic focal point. A central atrium features a floor-to-ceiling bas relief, depicting the fall of Icarus. Gehry chose the work to represent the striving for 'justice, human failure and equally inevitable renewal of human hope.'
Fritz B. Burns was a real estate developer and philanthropist who had a great love for Loyola Law School; he was a generous supporter of the school until his death in 1979. The school is located at 1441 W. Olympic Blvd. in the neighborhood east of MacArthur Park. -
Loyola High School of Los Angeles, Albert C. Martin, Architect 1918Founded in 1865 as St. Vincent's College, Loyola High School is the oldest high school in Southern California, predating the University of California. Roman Catholic Bishop Thaddeus Amat, a member of the Vincentian order, presided over the Los Angeles Archdiocese at the time of the school's founding. In 1911, the management of the school was handed over to the Jesuits, and the school was moved from its original location in downtown Los Angeles to Highland Park. In 1918, the school moved to the Harvard Heights neighborhood, renaming the school Loyola College in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.
The facility housed high school, college and law school until 1929, at which time the Jesuits purchased additional property, moving the law school to a campus west of downtown and the college to Westchester. The college today is known as Loyola Marymount University.
The school was designed by architect Albert C. Martin in the Collegiate Gothic style. Due to its proximity to Hollywood and its classical architecture, the campus has been used as a location in numerous films, including 'Donnie Darko', 'Coach Carter' and 'Thank You For Smoking'. Prominent alumni include billionaire real estate investor Edward P. Roski, John Shea (Shea Construction, builder of the Hoover Dam and the San Francisco BART), real estate tycoon Thomas Baruch, and veteran newsman Stan Chambers (KTLA Channel 5).
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is located at 1901 Venice Blvd. in the Harvard Heights neighborhood.Website:www.loyolahs.net -
Lovell Health House, Richard Neutra, Architect 1927-29Richard Neutra was introduced to Dr. Phillip M. Lovell, a strong advocate for a holistic approach to life by his colleague Rudolf Schindler. Dr. Lovell hired Neutra to remodel his medical and consulting office, and later gave him the commission to build his famous Health House in Los Feliz. Visiting it today, (February 2006) it looks as fresh and new as it did when Neutra completed it in 1929. Built entirely of glass and steel, the Lovell House is considered one of Neutra's greatest achievements.
The Lovell Health House is located in Los Feliz at 4616 Dundee Drive. In 1974, it was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles (No. 123).
It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Website:www.Neutra.org -
Lovell Health House, Richard Neutra, Architect 1927-29I had the pleasure of meeting Betty Topper the current owner of the Lovell Health House recently as I was setting up the itinerary for the French Institute of Architects Tour of Los Angeles Modernism during October 2008. Betty was kind enough to let the group tour her home during their visit, which proved to be a highlight of the day. I am pleased to present a photo of the interior of the main living area, Note the ceiling to floor windows and the small round light in the room divider; the light is an actual headlight from a 1928 Ford automobile!
The Lovell Health House is located at 4616 Dundee Drive in Los Feliz. -
Lovell Health House, Richard Neutra, Architect 1927-29View from the top level.Website:www.Neutra.org -
Louis Denker House, B. Cooper Corbett, Architect 1912Architect Benjamin Cooper Corbett Corbett had a successful architectural practice in the Los Angeles area, flourishing between 1900 and 1915. He favored the Beaux-Arts style with its European sentimentalities. The Denkin House is a prominent example of his work. Other examples include the Los Feliz estate of Cecil B. DeMille (1912) the Elizabethan style home for Adrian Loeb in Pico Heights, and the Mary V. Elliott House in Pasadena (1912).
The Denker House is located at 3820 W. Adams Blvd. in Exposition Park. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 591) in 1994. -
Los Feliz Manor Apartments, Jack Grundfor, 1929Architectural historian Laura Massino Smith describes this building as a 'lovingly preserved apartment building with Mayan influences featuring turquoise-glazed terra cotta decoration, and filigree-like metal grillwork. Inside, Murphy beds pop out of the wall in very small studio apartments.'
The Los Feliz Manor Apartment Building is located at 4643 Los Feliz Boulevard in Los Feliz.
Incidentally, Laura Massino Smith has written great little guide books on Los Feliz and other Los Angeles neighborhoods AND conducts very interesting personal guided tours of Los Angeles architecture. For more information, visit Laura's website. (See link below).Website:www.arcitecturetoursla.com -
Los Angeles Times Building, Gordon B. Kaufmann, Architect 1934Best known as the architect of the Hoover Dam, Kaufmann (1888-1949) arrived in California in 1914, and established his early reputation with the designs for Scripps College between 1927 and 1930. His early designs were almost exclusively in the Mediterranean Revival style. In 1928, he completed the Athenaeum, a private club on the campus of California Institute of Technology.
Later in his career, Kaufmann's projects were primarily in the Moderne style; the Los Angeles Times Building is a perfect example. The building won a Gold Medal for Architecture at the 1937 Paris Exposition. The Globe Lobby features murals by Hugo Balin, who also painted the murals in the rotunda of the Griffith Park Observatory. Balin's work represent the Los Angeles of the 1930s in a profound way, and are collectively some of the finest murals in the west.
The Los Angeles Times Building is located at 220 W. First Street in downtown Los Angeles. -
Los Angeles Police Department Administration Building, Paul Danna & Jose Palacios, Architects 2009A visit to downtown Los Angeles is a rewarding experience; the revitalization of the city's historic core, coupled with recent new construction is a heady experience for the architecture enthusiast. The Los Angeles Police Department, which held its ribbon-cutting grand opening party yesterday, October 24, 2009 is a prime example.
A one-acre park sets the new facility back from the street, providing much-appreciated green space. Architects Paul Danna and Jose Palacios (AECOM) worked with Melendrez Landscape Architects to create a pedestrian-friendly main plaza.
The new LAPD Headquarters building is located at 100 South Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. -
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, John & Donald Parkinson, Architects, 1923As early as 1910, talk was often heard of constructing a great sports stadium at Exposition Park. At a meeting of the California Fiesta Association in 1919, the idea was proposed that a 'colosseum' be built to honor those who had given their lives in WWI. The following year, the name was changed to 'Coliseum' with John Parkinson selected as architect. Construction began in late 1921 and completed in the spring of 1923. The total cost of the project was $800,000.
The years 1930-32 saw a major expansion for the 1932 Olympic Games. The stadium, which originally had a capacity of 75,000 was enlarged to 101,574 seats. A press box was added in 1948, followed by a replacement track in 1966 and a new computerized scoreboard in 1972. The 1984 Olympics lead to furthur enhancements.
Besides the two olympiads, the venue has been the site of many memorable events. Pope John Paul II gave a Papal Mass in 1987. The Los Angeles Dodgers, after relocating from Brooklyn, NY used the stadium between 1958 and 1962. It was the site of John F. Kennedy's acceptance speech to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 1960. Since 1923, it has been the home of USC Trojans Football.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is located at 3911 S. Figueroa Street in Exposition Park.Website:www.lacoliseum.com -
Los Angeles First National Bank Building, Meyer & Holler. Architects 1927Designed by the same firm that brought us the Egyptian and Chinese Theaters, the building was the tallest in Hollywood when it was completed in 1927. Combining French Chateauesque and Art Deco styles, the structure forms an integral part of Hollywood's entertainment district. Located at 6777 Hollywood Blvd. -
Los Angeles Fire Station No. 27, Peter K. Schabarum, Designer 1930When completed in 1930, the station was the largest west of the Mississippi. The Mediterranean style structure was designed by Peter Schabarum, and now functions as the LAFD Historical Society Museum (est. 2000), William Rolland, LAFD Medal of Valor Recipient, Founder..
Dedicated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976 (No. 165), the station is located at 1355 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood.
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Los Angeles City Hall- John Parkinson, John C. Austin & Albert C. Martin, Architects 1928Rising 454 feet in height, Los Angeles' City Hall was the tallest building in the city until 1964 due to seismic concerns. Modern building methods and a seismic retrofit have changed all that, however, the building remains a temple of classic proportions, and an enduring symbol of the city.
The tower is still the tallest base-isolated structure in the world, allowing the building to withstand an earthquake up to an 8.2 magnitude. Concrete used in the construction process utilized sand from each of California's 58 counties and water from twenty-one historic missions. The tower shows the influence of the adjacent Richard Riordan Central Library (designed by Bertam Goodhue in 1926) and is said to be inspired by the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Los Angeles City Hall is located at 200 N. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Monument in 1976 (No. 150). -
Lawrence Segal House, Hyun & Cohn Architects 1955I have passed this lovely mid-century home hundreds of times on my way to the hiking trails of Griffith Park, admiring its understated beauty. Recently I was lucky enough to encounter the owner in the driveway, and complimenting the design of her home asked, Do you happen to know who designed it?' After a moment's hesitation, she replied, 'Some Korean guy'.
My mind quickly traveled to my first encounter with architect David Hyun. I had met David on the streets of Silver Lake in 2003, while campaigning for the Governing Board of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. David was kind enough to invite me into his home, where he told me his life story. (you can read about it in 'Who's Who in Silver Lake: David Hyun, Architect and Idealist'). The visionary architect is credited with the revitalizaton of Little Tokyo in the 1970's. HIs greatest architectural acheivement was the establishment of the Japanese American Cultural Center in 1978, transforming an urban slum into a thriving urban community. His personally designed residence in Silver Lake is located at 1954 Redesdale Avenue (details in the SILVER LAKE ARCHITECTURE page).
The Lawrence Segal House is located at 3626 Cadman Drive in Los Feliz.
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Lake Hollywood, William Mulholland, Engineer 1924Picturesque man-made reservoir located in Weid Canyon, east of the Cahuenga Pass. Built under the supervision of William Mulholland, the City Engineer charged with building the system of aqueducts and reservoirs that provide most of the drinking water for Los Angeles. The dam is 210 feet high, 933 feet long and 16 feet wide at the crest with a maximum depth of 183 feet. It has a capacity to hold more than 2.5 billion gallons of water. -
Lago Vista Condominiums, Allyn E. Morris, Architect 1973
With the publication of 'Forgotten Modern', highlighting the achievement of his first residential design, (Bubeck House in Eagle Rock (1956) architect Allyn E. Morris is finally getting some much deserved recognition.
Although he was an integral member of the L.A. Group of 12, Morris' designs were not widely recognized.during his lifetime. (Morris passed away on July 31, 2009 in Fresno). The Lago Vista Condominiums represent some of Morris' best work, a preference for dynamic 'Bauhaus-inspired' design, multi-level, interlocking shapes and contours instead of the minimalism found in most architecture of the period.
No less than seven of Morris' architectural achievements are noted in David Gebhard and Robert Winter's 'An Architectural Guide to Los Angeles', the definitive reference work on Los Angeles' built environment. Of these, five are in Silver Lake: the architect's own studio/home, the Murakami House and two duplexes on Silver Ridge Avenue, and the Landa Apartments on the corner of Griffith Park and Landa Street. Other notable works include the Aldemus Apartments in Highland Park and the Muller House in West Hollywood.
The Lago Vista condominium complex is located at 1701 Clinton Street in Echo Park on a bluff overlooking Echo Park Lake.Website:www.1701ClintonStreet.com -
Kodak Theatre, David Rockwell, Designer, the Rockwell Group, and Theatre Projects Consultants, 2001The “Crown Jewel” of the Hollywood & Highland Retail Center, a dining and entertainment complex in the heart of Hollywood. The 3,000-plus seat theatre opened in 2001; it is the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. The Grand Staircase is flanked by columns displaying the names of winners for Best Picture since 1927-1928.
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Kleihauer Memorial Chapel, Carleton M. Winslow Jr. & Warren Waltz, Architects 1967Tucked away from the street behind a chained gate, the Kleihauer Memorial Chapel of the now-defunct Hollywood Christian Church is a small treasure. Designed by the famed ecclesiastical architect Carleton M. Winslow Jr. and Warren Waltz in 1967, the now-forsaken worship center starkly demonstrates the changing fortunes (and challenges) of the inner-city church.
The Kleihauer Memorial Chapel is located at 1717 N. Gramercy Place in Hollywood. -
Kinney-Everhardy Residence, 1353 Alvarado TerraceDesigned by Sumner P. Hunt & Wesley Eager in 1902 for A.W. Kinney, a prominent Angelino businessman. It is one of the half dozen elegant mansions on Alvarado Terrace, promoted by real estate developer Pomeroy Powers who was President of the Los Angeles City Council from 1900 to 1904.
Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (NO. 88). -
Kerr House- A. Quincy Jones & Frederick E. Emmons, Architects 1950During the years 1950-1969, the prolific partnership of A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons was responsible for the design of approximately 5,000 modern homes. In 1969, the firm was recognized as the 'AIA Firm of the Year', the same year that Emmons retired. The firm was noted for their pioneering work in bringing stylish architecture to a level of affordability that could be enjoyed by middle-income families. During his long career, Jones also partnered with Paul R. Williams on several project in Palm Springs including the Palm Springs Tennis Club, participated in the Case Study House program and was professor and Dean at the University of Southern California School of Architecture from 1951-1967.
The Kerr House is located at 1709 Golf Club Drive in the Chevy Chase Canyon area of Glendale, CA. The firm also designed two other Glendale homes, the Fuller House at 3068 Chevy Chase Drive and the Leavitt House at 1919 Bayberry Drive. -
Kerkhoff House, Hunt & Eager Architects, 1906Kerkhoff House, located at 734 West Adams Boulevard is a grand mansion in the English Tudor Style. Built by architects Hunt & Eager, it is situated on the campus of the University of Southern California and is now part of the school. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1994 (No. 606). -
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Grinstein/Daniels Architects, 1990Cutting through city streets to get around the congestion of the Santa Monica Freeway, I have often passed this stylistic 'bucket of chicken' on Western Avenue. In a neighborhood that otherwise looks a bit bleak, the fast food restaurant brings a bit of cheer (and maybe even a little hope) to the streetscape.
Designed by architect Jeffrey Daniels in 1990, one can see the influence of Frank Gehry in this symbolic work. The architect, who earned his Masters Degree in Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked for the Gehry firm from 1978 to 1980.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is located at 340 N. Western Avenue (near Third Street). -
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Grinstein/Daniels Architects, 1990View from Western Avenue. The influence of Frank Gehry can be appreciated in this photo. In a whimsical way, I can't help but think of Disney Hall). -
KCET Studios, 4401 West Sunset BoulevardPrior to its purchase in 1970 by KCET's parent company, Community Televison of Southern California, the studio was one of the earliest movie production studios in Los Angeles and was the home of several motion picture firms including Monogram, ColorVision and Allied Artists. The Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle all made movies here. A few of the notable films produced here include 'Friendly Persuasion', 'Hurricane' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. The property has been the home of KCET, a public broadcast station since 1971.
The KCET Studios are located at 4401 West Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz Village area. Due to its historic significance, the property was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1978 (No. 198).Website:www.KCET.org -
Joseph Dupuy House, Joseph Dupuy, Designer c. 1902The residence of musician Joseph Dupuy, who designed the home with a Polynesian flair, the home is known locally as the 'South Seas House.' The house fell into disrepair in recent years; community-minded residents convinced local officials to secure funding to restore the house and use it as a community center. Nearly $1 million went into extensive repairs.
The house, which is owned and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, is located at 2301 W. 24th Street in Exposition Park. -
Johnstone House, William Kesling, 1935
One of Kesling's earliest commissions and one of his best. The home was built right after the success of his 'Model Home' in Silver Lake, which established the young architect-builder as a force in the Modernist Movement. It must have appeared on the outer edge of the avante-garde in the affluent Los Feliz of the time, when elegant homes of Spanish, Mediterranean and English Tudor design were most preferred. Resistance to this new 'machine' architecture was high; it took the speculators almost two years to sell the house after its completion.
The Johnstone House is located in Los Feliz on Lowry Road just north of Los Feliz Boulevard on the west side of the street.
For more information on William Kesling, be sure and read the fascinating book, 'Kesling Modern Structures: Popularizing Modern Design in Southern California: 1934-1962' by Patrick Pascal (with Photographs by Julius Shulman and David Sadofski, Balcony Press, 2002). Be sure and read the interesting articles on Kesling homes in Silver Lake described on our webpage 'The Architecture of Silver Lake' (go back to the MENU on the left). -
John T. Lyle Guest House, John Tidwell Lyle, ArchitectLandscape Architect John T. Lyle designed the guest house and gardens for the Harwell Hamilton Harris-designed Mulvihill House in Sierra Madre which he shared with his wife, Harriet. The guest house is joined to the main house by a bridge. Located at 580 N. Hermosa Avenue in Sierra Madre.
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John Storer House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect, 1923One of five residences built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles and probably the best preserved thanks to producer Joel Silver. Silver purchased the house in the 1980s. Restoration work and improvements by Lloyd Wright and later, Eric Wright, Martin Eli Weil and Linda Marder has kept the house in a remarkable condition. Set against a steep hillside on a tranquil street in West Hollywood, the Storer House is a civic treasure.
The John Storer House is located at 8161 Hollywood Blvd. in West Hollywood. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument by the L.A. Cultural Affairs Department in 1972. (No. 96). -
John Marshall High School, George M. Lindsey, Architect, 1930-1931Slated for demoliton after the 1971 Earthquake (due to the fact that the building was largely unreinforced brick construction), the community waged a battle to preserve it. Tutor-Saliba/Potashnik JV Construction won a contract with the Los Angeles Board of Education to reinforce the construction at great expense to preserve the magnificent architecture.
The school is a fine example of the Collegiate Gothic Style. Due to its proximity to Hollywood and its classical style, it has been featured in numerous movies including 'Grease', 'Rebel Without a Cause' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' amongst others. Marshall High School alumni include Julie Newman and Leonardo DiCaprio, who graduated with the help of a tutor. Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss was a Marshall dropout (her dad still runs a medical practice in Los Feliz). Popular Los Angeles City Council Member Tom LaBonge and Modernist Architect Michael Rotundi are also graduates. -
John DeKeyser Residence, R.M. Schindler, Architect 1935Accessible only by private walkway 65 steps above HIghland Avenue (or 75 steps down from Frank Lloyd Wright's Freeman House) (see article on this webpage), Schindler built this house for a music historian who valued his privacy. The house consists of a 2 bedroom main house and a one bedroom apartment below, each with private patio, deck or balcony.
The DeKeyser Residence is located in Hollywood at 1911 N. Highland Avenue. It is currently on the market for $895,000 (April 2006). -
John Brockman Clock Tower EstateHistoric 'Clock Tower' Estate built by John Brockman, a wealthy civil war hero and friend of Abraham Lincoln in 1910. Brockman constructed the clock tower in 1920. The clock was removed from a property which Brockman donated to the Orthopaedic Hospital in downtown Los Angeles, for which Brockman was a primary benefactor. The original hands of the clock are displayed in the hospital to this day. Brockman had the house built in the style of the Bwick Reim Villa located in Hessen, Germany, his birthplace. The influence of the Prairie and Craftsman Styles are evident everywhere: large porches and public rooms, massive fireplaces, and rich wood paneling.
I had the pleasure of visiting this remarkable property in July 2006, when it came up for sale for the first time in twenty-three years. The realtor who has the listing, Maureen Bush, had done quite a bit of research on the history of the estate. 'In the 1930s, the house was purchased by a prominent attorney, W. Joseph Ford, whose many famous trials include the notorious 1910 McNamara case where union members, The McNamara Brothers, bombed the Los Angeles Times Building (killing 22). The brothers also attempted to bomb the home of Otis, erstwhile Times owner. The defending attorney in the case was Clarence Darrow, who hoped to save the defendents from the death penalty.
Ford was also the attorney for the defense in a rape case involving Alexander Pantages. A young lady auditioning for a part, ran from Mr. Pantages' office shouting 'Beast!' while being observed ripping her clothes off. The landmark case changed the way rape cases are tried. It was the first time that previous history details were not allowed to be divulged. During the trial, Pantages' wife, Lois, killed a Japanese American gardener. Ford later defended Lois. In 1931, Ford was the prosecuting attorney in the infamous 'Debonair Dave' Case. David H. Clark, a former District Attorney, who had turned to a life of crime, was charged with killing two people. Ford tried each murder seperately to insure convictions, a unique strategy at the time.'
Once surrounded by a vast 100 acre park, the estate now stands on almost an acre of land and maintains most of its original architectural integrity. The home boasts four fireplaces, six bedrooms and six baths, a billiards room, huge family room, the original carriage entry and a moat-like koi pond. It is currently listed for sale for $4.2 Million.
The John Brockman Clock Tower Estate is located at 1605 Arbor Drive in Glendale.
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House of the Seven Dwarfs- Ben Sherwood, Builder 1931Located near the original Disney Studios, these charming cottages built in 1931 are known by locals as 'The House of the Seven Dwarfs'. Consisting of eight half-timbered, steep-roofed small cottages built around a courtyard and anchored at the end by a Norman tower, the cottages exemplify the Storybook Architecture Style which flourished in Los Angeles in the 20's and 30's.
The House of the Seven Dwarfs is located at 2900-2912 1/2 Griffith Park Blvd. in Los Feliz. -
Homeland- William F. Markham, 1926Growing up in Glendale, this very private Italianate villa has long held my fascination. Hidden behind a tall row of cypresses, a partial view only heightens curiosity. The mansion was built in 1926 by 'Captain' William F. Markham, the developer and inventor of the Markham Air Rifle at Plymouth, Michigan in 1886. In 1916, Markham sold his interests in the rifle company and moved to California. I can only guess that the success of the rifle enabled the builder to afford such a fine home in a more hospitable environment!
The Homeland Mansion is located at 1405 East Mountain Street in Glendale, CA. In 1977, it was listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places (No. 25). -
Holy Family Catholic Church, Albert C. Martin, Architect 1922Interior View of the Sanctuary. -
Holy Family Catholic Church, Albert C. Martin, Architect 1922Albert C. Martin (1879-1960) was one of the most prolific and highly respected architects in Los Angeles during a long career spanning more than a half century. Among the diverse landmarks he designed are the Ventura County Courthouse (1911), the St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church (1923), Los Angeles City Hall (1928, with architects John C. Austin and John Parkinson), and the Streamline Moderne May Company-Wilshire Department Store (1946).
The Holy Family Catholic Church was completed in 1922 in an Italian Renaissance Revival style. The church celebrated its centennial year in 2007.
Holy Family Catholic Church is located 220 E. Elk Avenue in Glendale, CA. -
Hollywood & Highland, Ehrenkrantz, Ekstut & Kuhn, Architects 2001The retail and entertainment complex on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Avenue pays homage to Hollywood's status as the 'world's film capital' with replicas from the D.W. Griffith silent movie, 'Interolance', filmed in 1916. The complex also houses the Hollywood/Metro Subway Station and the Kodak Theater, the permanent home of the annual Academy Awards presentation. -
Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1921One of Los Angeles' great civic landmarks, Hollyhock House was built for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, who inherited the estate of her grandfather, William Barnsdall (who had the good fortune of discovering the second oil-producing well in the United States). The heiress had a passion for the arts, serving as co-director of an experimental theater company in Chicago, where she met architect Frank Lloyd Wright. While on a trip to California in 1915, the idea of developing a theatrical community in Los Angeles sparked her imagination with the innovative Wright to be her choice as architect.
The house takes its name from the hollyhock, a favorite flower of Barnsdall, which is stylized in the decorative elements of the home including the roofline, walls, columns, and furniture. The master plan called for an arts complex to be built on the thirty-six acre site known as Olive Hill consisting of a home for Barnsdall and her daughter, two guest houses, theater, dormitory and studios for actors and artists, shops, a home for the center's director and a movie theater. Only three of the structures were actually realized, the residence and guest houses. Although Wright is credited with the design, the actual construction was supervised by his apprentice, Rudolf Schindler, and Wright's son, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr., who would establish prominent careers of their own. (Frank Lloyd Wright was preoccupied with work on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo during most of the construction).
In 1927, Barnsdall, without ever having lived at Hollyhock, deeded the house and eleven surrounding acres to the City of Los Angeles. It was leased to various organizations including the California Art Club and Dorothy Clune Murray's Olive Hill Foundation in the ensuing decades, enduring alterations to suit the various needs of the tenants. In 1974, the facility underwent an extensive restoration, bringing back much of the original appearance.
Although Barnsdall's dream of a center for the arts was not realized during her lifetime, she would be proud to see the home in its present state. Today, the Barsdall Arts Park offers a modern civic art gallery, theater, and art studios, and a stunning example of the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright.
In 1963, the Hollyhock House was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Landmark by the Cultural Affairs Commission (No. 12). The Barnsdall Art Park is located at 4804 Hollywood Boulevard. Hourly tours are available Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 12:30 p.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m.Website:www.hollyhockhouse.net -
Holliston Avenue United Methodist Church, John C. Austin, Architect 1899John C. Austin was a preeminent architects of early Los Angeles, credited with the design of some of the city's most enduring monuments, including the Moorish Shrine Auditorium (1925), the Classical Revival Hollywood Masonic Temple (1921)the Gothic Revival Memorial Branch Library (1930)and the Art Deco Griffith Park Observatory (1933-35).
He was one of three prominent architects selected to design Los Angeles City Hall (1928); the others were Albert C. Martin and John Parkinson.
The Hollison Avenue United Methodist Church was originally the First Methodist Church; located at the corner of Colorado Blvd. and Marengo Avenue. It was moved stone by stone to its present location at the corner of Holliston and Colorado. The design is very much Richardsonian Romanesque, a style seen infrequently in the west; a notable example is the Stimson Residence located in West Adams. -
Hollenbeck Police Station, A.C. Martin Partners, Architects 2009Boyle Heights new community police station is a powerful statement of the LAPD's intention to create 'an open, community serving police force'. The architect has carefully considered the community’s distinct tradition of artistic expression.
The LAPD's forward-thinking philosophy is expressed in three rectangular 2-story 'volumes'. A 54,000 sq ft. main building, 7,000 sq ft vehicle maintenance facility, and 115,000 sq ft parking structure are the station's components.
A 'staccato rhythm of rectangular windows and insets', highlights the facade, set against an open, public plaza, creating a welcoming public entrance. The façade allows light and diffused views into the lobby by day, and is transformed into a glowing beacon at night. The station achieves a high LEED® certification.
The facility is located at 2111 E. First Street in Boyle Heights.Website:www.ACMartin.com -
Herivel House, 4979 Sycamore TerraceSycamore Terrace, situated on the west side and above Figueroa Street in Highland Park, has a number of historically-significant properties. The Herivel House was designed by the Meyer & Holler Milwaukie Building Company for John Johnson. The actual construction was done by the California Real Estate & Building Company in 1912. It is an excellent example of the Craftsman Style. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988 (No. 370). -
Heritage Hall (USC) Grillias Savage Alves, Architects 1969Home of the athletic department of the University of Southern California Heritage Hall houses the university's athletic offices and celebrates Trojan prowess on the fields of play. Originally built in 1968, the building has been expanded in size three times to its current 48,000 sq. feet. A mecca for sports enthusiasts, Heritage Hall contains the Heisman trophies of the seven awardees from the University (Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush), various NCAA championship trophies, busts of prominent Trojan athletes, coaches and athletic directors, an Honors Rail saluting Trojan Olympians, NCAA individual champions and first team All-Americans. -
Herald-Examiner Building, Julia Morgan, Architect 1912Spanish Colonial Revival style home of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper, designed by Architect Julia Morgan, the 'most important female architect of the early 20th Century'. Morgan was a pioneer in the field, overcoming the many obstacles faced by women of the era (a time in which they did not have even the right to vote). She was the first female graduate of the University of California Civil Engineering program, and the first woman to be trained at Paris' famed Ecole de Beaux Arts, considered the most important school of classical architecture of the period.
She served an apprenticeship under San Francisco Architect Bernard Maybeck (designer of San Francisco's famed 'Palace of Fine Arts'). Maybeck claimed 'there was never a job too large or too small for her.' During her long career, Morgan designed over 600 buildings; the Heast Castle (San Simeon) for publisher William Randolph Hearst and the Y.W.CA. Hollywood Studio Club are among her accomplishments (the latter was home to both Marilyn Monroe and Kim Novak).
The Herald-Examiner Building is located at 1111 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles-Civic Cultural Monument in 1977 (No. 178). -
Helios House, Nader Tehrani & Monica Ponce de Leon, OfficedA Architects 2007A traffic stopper at the intersection of Robertson and Olympic Blvd. in West Los Angeles, Helios House is a gas station like none other. Designed by the Boston-based firm, OfficedA Architects with Nader Tehrani and Monica Ponce de Leon as principal architects, the BP gas station explores 'consumer receptivity to green design, using education, eco-friendly and recycled materials'.
Helios House is the first gas station in the U.S. to be submitted to L.E.E.D., (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), considered the benchmark of the U.S. Green Building Council, which 'verifies the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings'. According to BP, Helios House 'exceeds current environmental standards for on-site water collection and uses 16 percent less electricity than traditional stations'. Besides, it's a sight to see!
Helios House is located at 8770 West Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles. -
Heart House, John and Donald Parkinson, Architects 1910The list of contributions by the Parkinson architectural firm is impressive! From the Italian Renaissance style buildings at the University of Southern California (Science Hall, Physical Education Building, Bridge Hall, Wilson Student Union, Bovard Administration) to the Art Deco/Moderne (Bullocks Wilshire Department Store, Union Station, Manuel Arts High School), the father and son team have made a second-to-none contribution to Los Angeles' built environment.
The Heart House in the Westlake-Hancock Park neighborhood is one of the few remaining Craftsman style single family homes designed by the firm, completed in 1910. Located at 112 North Harvard Boulevard and designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2000 (No. 684). -
Hamilton-Rabinovitz House, Buff, Smith + Hensman, Architects 1991
The architectural firm Buff + Hensman had its beginning in the classrooms of the USC School of Architecture. Conrad Buff III and Donald Hensman met there as students and joined the faculty upon graduation. The idea of a partnership came from Calvin Straub, a gifted professor; the firm Buff, Straub and Hensman was formed in 1958. Dennis Smith, a student of all three, worked for the firm and others after graduation in 1960, returning as an associate in 1974. Smith became a partner in 1988 and succeeded Hensman as president in 1988.
The Hamilton-Rabinovitz House, located at 1010 Kewen Drive in San Marino, developed out of the owner's wish to save an existing 1920s cottage, pool and trees. The firm added over 5000 feet of new living space, preserving the cottage as a guest suite. The house is designed on a bold scale with large, open spaces; a dramatic contrast with the intimate interior vignettes. Each wing of the house is connected by bridges and terraces, all having views of the pool. -
Hall of the Crucifixion & Resurrrection, Roy W. Donlay, Architect 1950Dedicated on Good Friday, 1951, the Hall of the Crucifixion & Resurrection was designed and built for the exclusive purpose of displaying the enormous painting 'The Crucifixion' by Jan Styka, painted in 1895. It is the largest canvas painting on display in the world measuring 195 feet in length and 45 feet in height. It took the artist nearly 17 years to complete.
The edifice is of an Italian Renaissance design by Roy W. Donley with David S. Allison acting as consulting architect. The building crowns a hilltop within Forest Lawn Memorial Park located at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue in Glendale.Website:www.forestlawn.com -
Hall of Justice, Allied Architects 1922The Hall of Justice was the centerpiece of the Los Angeles County justice system for more than seventy years until it was severly damaged in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The building was home to Los Angeles County's courts, coroner, sheriff, and district attorney's offices at the time. It also served as the primary county jail. Famous inmates include Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. Actress Marilyn Monroe and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy had their autopsies performed here. The building was frequently featured in television shows including Dragnet and Get Smart.
The Hall of Justice is located at 210 W. Temmple Street in downtown Los Angeles. -
Hale House, 3800 Homer Street, Heritage Square
The 'main attraction' at Los Angeles' Heritage Square, the Hale House has been fully restored to its original 1887 elegance. The house was originally located at 4501 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park at a time when the area was quite fashionable, then moved to 4425 North Figueroa before being purchased by James G. Hale in 1906. The Hale Family retained ownership of the property until 1970, when it was acquired by the Heritage Square Museum.
The house, built by George W. Morgan in 1887 is the largest property in the Heritage Square complex. It is a very fine example of the Queen Anne and Eastlake Victorian styles. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (no. 40) in 1970. -
Haigh House, Wesley Eager, Architect 1935
Haigh House is a fine example of the Streamline Moderne Style that flourished in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Signature elements of the design include the generous use of glass block, curving walls and matching contours such as railings. The Haigh House is actually a duplex that has been cleverly designed to look very much like a single family residence.
The Haigh House is located at 4004-4006 Franklin Avenue adjacent to the famed Shakespeare Bridge. -
Gwynn Wilson Student Union Building, USC, John & Donald Parkinson, Architects, 1927One of six buildings built on the main campus of the University of Southern California between 1923 and 1928, the Gwynn Wilson Student Union is my personal favorite. Designed in the North Italian Renaissance style, the building is richly decorated with 'whimsical carvings of college life' by Adolphe of Gladding-McBean, including a portrait of a monkey thumbing its nose at Chancellor Rufus B. Von KleinSmid. Tradition has it that the artist grew tired of the Chancellor's oversight and carved the monkey as a way of getting back at him! In the foreground is the Shumway Fountain, a gift from USC Trustee Forrest Shumway and his wife Patsy, dedicated in 1984. -
Guasti Villa, Hudson & Munsell Architects 1910Secundo Guasti, was a poor farm laborer who immigrated to Los Angeles from Asti, Italy in 1878. Hired as a cook at a local Italian restaurant, he fell in love and married the daughter of the proprietor. The pair purchased 5,000 acres near present-day Ontario Airport in 1901; within a few years, the property Italian Vineyard Company, became the largest winery in California. Guasti built a 'company town' around the vineyard, importing whole families from Italy. The town had its own railroad station, school and general store. The winery had a tragic ending, however in 1902; a locomotive derailed at the site, killing thirty-two men in the process. Guasti had a cemetary built nearby. The winery never recovered. (the winery is a present-day tourist attraction; called the 'Haunted Vineyard', located at 3099 Guasti Road)
In 1910, Guasti had a grand mansion designed for him in the elegant West Adams neighborhood, selecting Hudson & Munsell as architects. After Guasti's death in 1927, the family sold the mansion to famed Film Director/Choreographer Busby Berkeley. The mansion is one of the finest examples of late 18th Century French Beaux-Arts style in Los Angeles.
The Guasti Villa is located at 3500 West Adams Blvd. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1936 (No. 478). -
Griffith Observatory, John C. Austin & F.M. Ashley, Designers, 1935A fine example of the Art Deco, Griffith Observatory was a gift to the public from wealthy mining speculator, Griffith Jenkins Griffith. Although he never witnessed its completion, (Griffith died in 1919), he left a significant trust fund to complete his dreams for the park including a Greek amphitheater (the Greek Theatre, completed in 1930) as well as a hall of science and an observatory.
The Art Deco theme is enhanced by a fine mural around the rotunda by Hugo Ballin and ceiling decorations in terracotta by Anthony Heinsbergen. The courtyard has a fine sculpture entitled the 'Astronomer's Monument' depicting six famous astronomers, a design by Archibald Garner with six contributing sculptors including Garner, Djey el Djey, Arnold Forester, Roger Noble Burnham, Roger Newell and George Stanley. (Artist Stanley, who sculpted the monument's Isaac Newton, also created the famous 'Oscar' statuette, with Cedric Gibbons).
The Griffith Observatory was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976 (No. 168).
The Griffith Observatory re-opened in November 2006. The expanded facility has doubled in exhibit space and has been restored to its original art deco elegance. -
Grier Musser Museum, 403 S. Bonnie Brae St., Los Angeles
The Grier Musser Museum is an 1898 Queen Anne/ Colonial Revival house. Its architectural details include shingling, brackets, plasterwork, turned woodwork, porch columns, a dentil course, and flat window & door openings. Its intact condition and architectural quality make it a significant feature within the Westlake area. In 1987, the museum became cultural monument #333 of Los Angeles.
To visit the museum, please call (213) 413-1814 for reservations, or for more information visit our website: griermussermuseum.com
Website:griermussermuseum.comEmail:griermusser@hotmail.com -
Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, GlendaleMoving to Glendale (CA) in the late fifties, it was a regular ritual to take our out-of-town guests to see the replicas of famous statues and other works of art to be found at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The world-famous cemetary attracts over a million visitors a year. Established in 1906 by Dr. Herbert L. Eaton, a firm believer in a 'joyous life after death' who pledged to build a great park that reflected his optimism, filled with 'towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing fountains, beautiful statuary, and...memorial architecture...'
There are now six Forest Lawn cemetries scattered around southern California, containing a total of about 1500 statues. Highlights at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale (the first and most famous of the six) include a re-creation of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper rendered in stained glass, full-size reproductions of Michelangelo's Moses and David, and three lovely reproductions of quaint English village churches. The Great Mausoleum said to be inspired by the Campo Santo in Genoa, Italy has been called the 'New World's Westminster Abbey' by Time Magazine. Among the hundreds of celebrities buried here are Gracie Allen, Humphrey Bogart, Gutzon Borglum (sculptor of Mt. Rushmore), Nat 'King' Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr., Walt Disney, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, Red Skelton and Jimmy Stewart. -
Grauman's Chinese Theatre- Raymond M. Kennedy, Meyer & Holler, Architects 1927After the completion of the nearby Egyptian Theater, Sid Grauman returned to the architectural firm, Meyer & Holler for the design of another 'theme' movie palace meant to imitate a giant Chinese pagoda. Its principal features include a great dragon and two Ming 'heaven' dogs guarding the main entrance, a copper roof lined with tiny dragons, and of course, the world-famous courtyard with the imprints of approximately 200 Hollywood celebrity autographs, hand and footprints.
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. In 1968, it was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. -
Graham House, Frank L. Meline, Designer 1917Architectural Historian Laura Massino Smith affectionally refers to the Graham House as the 'Wedgewood House' inasmuch as it looks like a piece of fine Wedgewood China. Th blue-and-white house is an interesting combination of styles with a Spanish terra cotta tile roof and Neo-Classical columns and sculpture.
Meline also designed the original Romanesque Revival style Fox Theater in Hollywood (1918) and the Windsor Estate (1918) in Windsor Square, former home of actor John Barrymore and opera singer Lawrence Tibbitt.
The house is just a few doors away from Lloyd Wright's fabled Sowden House at 5137 Franklin Avenue. -
Goodwill Industries, William Dale Brantley (aArts Architecture), 1999Designed by veteran westside architect William Dale Brantley, the structure is an outstanding example of post-modern architecture. The idea, according to art historian Laura Massino Smith is the 'glorification of technology and the concept that the process of a building's construction is more interesting than a finished product covered by walls.'*
The Goodwill Industries Thrift and Donation Center is located at 4575 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Feliz.
*Laura Massino Smith is a brilliant source of information on the local architecture scene. Her guidebooks and customized tours of Los Angeles architecture are a great resource for the enthusiast.Website:www.ArchitectureToursLA.com -
Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot- Kenneth MacDonald & Maurice Cuchot, Architects 1923Serving as the Glendale Amtrak/Metrolink Station, the station was originally known as the Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Designed in the Spanish Mission Revival Style in 1923, it replaced an older facility dating from 1883. The station is an important stopping point for passenger travel between San Luis Obispo and San Diego.
On September 20, 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Krushev made a famous stop here. In 1997, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Glendale Register of Historic Places. The entire complex was renovated recently.
The Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot is located at 400 Cerritos Avenue in Glendale. -
Glendale Municipal Services Building, Merrill W. Baird, A.C. Martin Architects 1966In the early 1950s, Glendale was a typical suburb without a distinct identity. Incorporated in 1908, the community experienced rapid growth, largely due to its proximity to downtown Los Angeles (ten miles south), and today is the third largest city in Los Angeles County with a population of approximately 200,000.
As population began to explode after World War II, Glendale began to express a unique identity, setting itself apart from its larger neighbor, Los Angeles, embracing Modernism as an expression of its forward-thinking. Anchored by and complimenting the adjacent Moderne Style Glendale City Hall (designed by architect Albert E. Hansen,1940-42), the Municipal Services Building serves as a key element of Glendale's Civic Center, anchoring the intersection of East Broadway and Glendale Avenue. Upon completion, City Manager C.E. Perkins exclaimed, 'The new building reflects the evolution of Glendale from a suburban bedroom community to an independent city.'
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Glendale Federal Savings & Loan Building, W.A. Sarmiento, Designer, 1959In 2007, Glendale has one of the largest banking communities in California and Brand Boulevard, Glendale's 'Main Street' is a boulevard of tall buildings. In 1957, (when my dad accepted a position with Van de Kamp's Holland-Dutch Bakeries and we moved to Southern California) Brand Boulevard was a typical suburban 'main street' with only a few structures over a couple of stories tall. When 'Glendale Fed' was completed in 1959, it was the tallest building in town and an instant hit.
The landmark is one of the best examples of the Corporate International Style. Its distinctive features are a red brick 'fire tower' and horizontal, solar-powered blue louvers which pivot with the angle of the sun throughout the day, pouring sunlight into the interior.
In 2000, the building was listed in the California Survey of Historic Landmarks, thanks to a successful preservation campaign led by the Glendale Historical Society and the Los Angeles Conservancy.
The Glendale Federal Savings & Loan Building is located at 401 N. Brand Blvd. -
Glendale City Hall, Albert E. Hansen, Architect 1940-42A fine example of the classical Moderne style, a favored style of public buildings built in the United States between the Great Depression and the advent of America's participaton in World War II.
Glendale's City Hall is located at the northwest corner of Broadway and Howard Street. -
George Bauer Residence- Harwell Hamilton Harris, Architect 1938The George Bauer Residence expresses the architect's vision of architecture as art in this elegant home in Glenoaks Canyon. An impression of serenity and space is achieved by opening one room into another and the use of dramatic slanting rooflines and Japanese-influenced details. Described in California Arts & Architecture as 'simple, light and playful', the influence of both Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra can be seen in the design.
The George Bauer Residence is located at 2528 E. Glenoaks Blvd. in Glendale. For more information about the architect, the book 'Harwell Hamilton Harris' by Lisa Germany makes for enjoyable reading. -
Gamble House, Charles & Henry Greene, Architects 1908Considered to be the finest example of the American Arts & Crafts movement in architecture, the Gamble House was built for David & Mary Gamble, principal of the Proctor and Gamble Company. The Greenes spared no expense in creating both house and furnishings noted for their exquisite craftsmanship.
The Gamble House is located at 4 Westmoreland Place in Pasadena. It is administered jointly by the City of Pasadena and the University of Southern California. It is a National Historic Landmark.Website:www.gamblehouse.org -
Galen Center (USC), Fernando Vazquez, HNTB Architecture 2006A long-awaited indoor sports arena for the University of Southern California finally began construction on October 31, 2004 under the direction of HNTB Architecture. Designed by the firm's Fernando Vasquez, the mega arena compliments the other brick-clad buildings on the main campus; its massive brick pillars reminiscent of Edward D. Stone's design for the Waite Phillips Hall of Education. Huge bas-relief sculptures of athletes, cap-and-gown graduates and dancers adorn the corners. The interior houses the main arena, a practice facility and administrative offices. A huge picture window on the arena's north side dramatically frames a view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline.
The USC basketball program waited for over 100 years for the realization of their own arena. Gifts totalling $50 million from long-time Trojan booster Lois Galen and his wife Helen made the center possible. The Center cost an estimated $147 million to complete, including the arena, team offices and a practice facility. Teams began competing in the arena in October 2006. -
G.W.E. Griffith House, 5915 Echo Street, Highland ParkThe Griffith House is an outstanding example of the Colonial Revival Style with the addition of some interesting Moorish details. Believed to be designed by Architect Fred R. Dorn, it was one of several homes built by the architect for Griffith during the period. The house was built in 1903 and originally stood at 110 South Avenue 58. It was moved to its present location in 1914.
Declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1988 (No. 374). -
Furlong House, Frank Tyler, Architect 1910
Furlong House was designed by architect Frank Tyler and built in 1910 by Hugh M. and Margaret Cowper. In 1921 the home was purchased by Thomas J. Furlong, the City Clerk and Treasurer of the City of Vernon. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural merits, but its most interesting aspect is its service for almost forty years as the home of an important part of the Furlong family, who were instrumental in creating the City of Vernon, once Los Angeles's principal industrial suburbs, and who guided its affairs from 1905 until 1974.
The home was purchased in 1958 by the Cercle Catholique Francais, providing aid to recently-arrived French immigrants until 1964, when it was sold to Ernest Johnson, a clerk on the Southern Pacific Railroad, from whom the present authors bought the house in March 1988. The house remains much as it was in the days when Thomas and Robert Furlong lived there. Many of the original light fixtures from 1910 are still in service. The house was fully restored by the current owners in 1999.
The Furlong House is described as Tudor-Craftsman in style. It is located at 2657 S. Van Buren Place in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2000 (No. 678).
Real estate developer Percy H. Clark built six of the homes on the 2600 block of Van Buren Place between 1903 and 1916, ranging in style from Craftsman, Shingle-Craftsman and Tudor-Craftsman. The block is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Thanks to Jennifer Chernofsky, current owner of the Furlong House, for providing this information as well as introducing me to her neighbors and giving me a tour of her neighborhood on June 24, 2010.
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French Chateau Apartments, Arlos Sedgley, Architect 1937Originally configured as apartments, the units have undergone extensive restoration and have been converted to condominiums. As of November 12, 2008, five units were available for sale; the lowest, a one bedroom, one bath, 1169 sq. ft. unit for $439,000.
The renovated property is an 'exquisite' representation of some of Los Angeles finest historic architecture, evocative of the glamour of Hollywood that makes Los Angeles special, according to the listing broker.
Le French Chateau is located at 900 South Hobart Blvd. in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. In 2005, the complex was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 815). -
Freeman House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect 1924Built by the master architect, Frank Lloyd Wright for Samuel and Harriet Freeman in 1924. The young couple entertained the rich and famous in this house during a nearly sixty year time span. Harriet Freeman, in particular, loved the avante-garde arts and culture scene; her salons brought together visitors and guests including Clark Gable, Martha Graham, Xavier Cugat, Richard & Dionne Neutra, Edward Weston, Jean Negulesco and Galka Sheyer
The third of Wright's 'knit-block' houses, the Freeman House expresses the architect's fascination with the Mayan culture, however the radical use of mitered windows which extend from the roof to the floors below transform the house into something distinctly modern.
In 1986, the house that the Freemans had lived in for 61 years was bequethed to the University of Southern California School of Architecture for its protection and preservation. The house was badly damaged by the Northridge Earthquake in 1994. Funds exceeding $2.5 million have already been spent to shore up the foundation and prevent further erosion. According to Architect-in-Residence Maria Romanach, 'the composition of the textile blocks which Wright used in the construction had troubles from the very beginning. Dirt was mixed in with the concrete to give it a more natural look and the compound proved to be unstable. Wright, who was out of the country much of the time working on more high profile projects such as the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, dispatched his associate, Rudolf Schindler to come up with a solution. Shindler filled the gaps in the textile blocks with mortar as a means to stabilize them, however the changes compromised the design aesthetic and infuriated Wright. Schindler's 'transgressions' on this and other unauthorized modifications brought about the end of their relationship'.
Today, Professor Romanach utilizes the house as a teaching laboratory to teach architecture students good principles of design. It is hoped that adequate funding will be raised in the near future to restore this architectural jewel and preserve it for future generations.
The Freeman House is located at 1962 Glencoe Way in the Hollywood Hills. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 247) by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department in 1981. -
Foy House, 1337-1341 Carroll AvenueThe residence of Mary E. Foy, the first woman to hold the position of City Librarian in 1880. The residence was originally located at the intersection of Figueroa and 7th Streets; then relocated to 633 South Witmer Street (1919-1921). It was moved to its present location in 1993. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 8) by the City of Los Angeles in 1962. -
Forthmann House & Carriage House, Burgess J. Reeve, Architect, c. 1880Originally located at 629 West 18th Street and moved to its present location in the West Adams District in 1989, the Forthmann House remains one of the most imposing Victorian homes still intact in Los Angeles. The University of Southern California, located nearby, occupies the edifice as the University Community House.
The City of Los Angeles declared the Forthmann House an Historic-Cultural Monument in 1972 (No. 102). It is located at 2801 S. Hoover Street. -
Ford House, Heritage SquareThe Ford House was built in 1887 by the Beaudry Brothers and was situated in downtown Los Angeles on Beaudry Street near Third Street. Its original owner was a gifted wood-carver by the name of John J. Ford. His work was so excellent that it can still be found today in the ornate wood carvings of the Iolani Palace in Hawaii, Leland Stanford's private railroad car and the California State Capital.
Mr. Ford purchased the home as it was near completion. Ford used his skills to embellish the woodwork in the most ornate one-of-a-kind designs, which makes the house uniquely interesting. -
Fitzgerald House, Joseph Cather Newsom, Architect 1903A romantic 'Italian Gothic' style residence designed for J.T. Fitzgerald by prominent Architect Joseph Cather Newsom in 1903. The once-elegant mansion is in a neglected state and is currently (November 2008) available for sale for $1.9M. Hopefully buyers will be found to restore the mansion, once known as the 'Elegant Manor'.
The Fitgerald House is located at 3115 West Adams Blvd. In 1982, it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 258). -
Fisher Gallery at the University of Southern California, Ralph C. Flewelling, Architect 1939Established in 1939, the Fisher Gallery is the oldest museum in Los Angeles devoted exclusively to the exhibition of fine art. It was built at the same time and conjunction with the University of Southern California's School of Architecture & Fine Arts as a gift from Elizabeth Holmes Fisher. Ralph C. Flewelling, who had previously designed the successful Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy in 1928, accomplished a more modern design (perhaps in keeping with changing fashion), yet the gallery retains a strong classical character. -
First United Methodist Church of Glendale- Flewelling+Moody, Architects 1961Spending my youth in Glendale in the 1960's, I can remember reacting to this new church being built by the Methodists as 'pretty far out.' It was just a few blocks away from my own church, the then-Gothic Glendale Presbyterian Church, destroyed by the 1971 Sylmar Earthquake. In those days, I suppose, my sensibilities were a bit outraged at this 'extreme' departure from a more traditional church architecture. Thankfully, with the passage of time, my appreciation for a wide range of architectural styles has matured. In Glendale's First United Methodist Church, the architects have blended the heroic proportions of a traditional cathedral with a modern sensibility. Constructed of pre-cast and post-tensioned concrete, a thin shell roof spans the nave without beams or girders. Five stained glass windows on each side, each forty feet high, bathe the sanctuary in resplendent color and light.
The firm, Flewelling & Moody, has antecedents dating to 1928. Ralph C. Flewelling, the firm's founder, designed the Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in 1928, for which he received the AIA Gold Medal for America's Most Beautiful Building. He later designed other USC buildings including the Fisher Gallery of Art and the Harris Hall of Architecture & Fine Arts.
The First United Methodist Church of Glendale is located at 134 N. Kenwood Street in Glendale. -
First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, Allison & Allison, Architects 1930-32The West Nave Entrance to the church. The Rose Window by Judson Studios illustrates the Christ surrounded by angels, kings, martyrs and prophets.Website:www.fccla.org -
First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, Allison & Allison, Architects 1930-1932Engliish Gothic Revival Church by Allison & Allison, Architects who also designed the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles, it is the fifth home of the oldest Protestant congregation in Los Angeles. Built of reinforced concrete, the structure is supported by 500 tons of steel bars. The central tower of the church is modeled after the tower of Magdalen College at Oxford University. The church is noteworthy for its bronze doors added in 1946 (each weighing 1,000 pounds and illustrating the life of Jesus), stained glass windows designed by Judson Studios and its pipe organ, reputed to be one of the largest organs in the world, including more than 20,000 pipes.
The First Congregational Church of Los Angeles is located at 540 South Commonwealth Avenue (Northwest corner of West Sixth Street).Website:www.fccla.org -
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Elmer Grey, Architect 1912Northern Italian Romanesque in style, the handsome brick edifice features two semicircular entrances or porches with elegant Corinthian columns surmounted by a singular rectangular tower. The ornate design and detailing demonstrate the strength of the Christian Scientists in Los Angeles during the early twentieth century.
Other prominent commissions by Elmer Grey include the main buildings of the Beverly Hills Hotel (1912) and the Pasadena Playhouse (1924). In association with Myron Hunt, he also designed the Wattles Mansion and Gardens (1907) and the Huntington Mansion (now the Huntington Library) .
The First Church of Christ, Scientist is located at 1366 S. Alvarado Street. It is currently the home of the Central Spanish Seventh-Day Adventist Church. In 1971, it was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 89). -
First Baptist Church- Allison & Allison, Architects 1927Founded in 1884, the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles moved to its present location (the original church was located at 6th and Broadway) in 1927. The church is ornate by Baptist standards: the church's rose windows are adapted from the Chartres Cathedral; the coffered, gold-leaf ceiling is modeled after the chapel in the Ducal Palace in Montava, Italy. The 130-room edifice is dominated by the 155-foot Crowell Bell Tower, named after Weymouth Crowell, an imporant patron of the church.
Many important Angelinos have played a part in the history of the church. Landowner Isaac Lankershim was a trustee of the original congregation as well as his son-in-law. hotel owner and developer Isaac Newton Van Nuys.
The First Baptist Church of Los Angeles is located at 760 Westmoreland Avenue. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 237) in 1981.Website:www.fbcofla.org -
First Baptist Church of Pasadena, Carlton Winslow, Sr. & Frederick Kennedy, Architects 1926Pasadena has some of the best church architecture in Southern California; a trip down Colorado Blvd. and its side streets is a visual reminder of the city's wealth, particularly in the boom of the Roaring 20's. The First Baptist Church with its fine Romanesque tower is a fine example.
Winslow came to Southern California with strong credentials. After studying architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago and Paris' Ecole de Beaux Arts, he joined the firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson to work as supervising architect for the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego (1915).
Winslow's work on the Exposition brought worldwide fame. In 1917 he moved to Los Angeles, remaining with Goodhue; the pair collaborated in the design of the Los Angeles Central Library. Other important commissions include the Community Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills, St. Mary of the Angels in Los Angeles, and the Church of the Star of the Sea in La Jolla.
First Baptist Church of Pasadena is located at 75 Marengo Avenue in the heart of the city's civic center. -
First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Cathedral- H.M. Patterson & George W. Kelham, Architects 1930Originally the West Adams Presbyterian Church, the cathedral is a fine example of the Romanesque Revival style. The property was purchased by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion denomination in 1972.
The First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Cathedral is located at 1449 West Adams Blvd. in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988 (No. 341). -
First African Methodist Episcopal Church- Paul R. Williams, Architect 1968The third home of the First AME Church of Los Angeles founded by a former slave, Bridgett 'Biddy' Mason (1818-1891), following the example of Richard Allen (1760-1831), who founded the denomination after he and his followers were refused the right to worship in a church that they had helped to build. The sanctuary is dominated by a huge mural honoring the church's founders and other important figures in African-American history, including Frederick Douglass and Rev. Hiram Revels, the first black U.S. senator.
The church is located in Sugar Hill, a well-to-do African-American neighborhood which has been home to Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Hattie McDaniel and Johnny Mathis. Paul R. Williams, the 'Architect of the Stars' and the first African-American to receive world-wide acclaim for his architectural designs, was appropriately selected to design the church.
The First African Methodist Episcopal Church is located at 2270 S. Harvard Street.Website:www.famechurch.org -
Fire Engine House No. 18, John Parkinson, Architect 1904Architect John Parkinson, often referred to as the 'architect who built Los Angeles', completed this lovely Mission Revival style fire station in 1904; with its twin towers, it has the look of a small village church.
Fire Station No. 18 is located at 2616 S. Hobart Blvd. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1988 (No. 349) -
Fenton House, Leo F. Bachman, Architect 1938The Fenton House is a fine example of the Streamline Moderne style, designed by Leo F. Bachman for Leo Fenton in 1938. Note the glass block detailing on the left, the matching vertical windows, and the large circlular balcony atop the living room bay window on the right. Lush foliage partially hides the details.
The Fenton House is located at 3527 Holboro Drive in Los Feliz. -
Farrell House, Lloyd Wright, Architect 1926The Farrell House demonsrates Wright's decorative skill in merging the Spanish Colonial Revival style with his signature textile blocks, left over from the construction of the Storer House (built in 1923, in West Hollywood). A wrought iron gate and central courtyard with fountain add to the drama. The house is located at 3209 Lowry Road in Los Feliz.
For more information on the work of Lloyd Wright, the book 'Lloyd Wright: The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.' by Alan Weintraub makes for excellent reading. -
Farmers & Merchants National Bank, Morgan & Walls Architects 1905The partnership of Octavius Morgan, John A. Walls and Stiles Oliver Clements designed some of Los Angeles most important commercial architecture of the early 20th century, including the Moderne style Pellissier Building (Wiltern Theater, HCM #118, 1930); the Renaissance Revival Giannini Building (Bank of Italy, now Bank of America, HCM#354, 1922); the Chapman Park Studio Building (HCM #280, 1929) and dozens more (the list is lengthy; other notable structures include the Mayan Theater, the Richfield Tower, El Capitan Theater, and the Citadel).
Bank Founder Isais Hellman selected Octavius Morgan and John Walls for the design of the Italian Renaissance style structure; it was an important financial institution during the early days of Los Angeles.
Located at 401 S. Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1983 (No. 271) -
Ezra T. Stimson Residence, 839 West Adams BoulevardDesigned by Architect Frederick Roehrig for Ezra Stimson in 1901, this imposing Tudor Revival home was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989 (No. 456). -
Ennis House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect, 1923-24The Ennis House is one of the most famous residences in the world, built by Frank Lloyd Wright for Mabel and Charles Ennis and completed in 1924. One of th first residences constructed from concrete block, The Ennis House is also one of the last Wright projects to employ stained glass, and one of the first to employ mitred glass windows. The Ennis House breaks Wright's principal of keeping the architecture on a human scale; the interiors have high, lofty ceilings and the whole very much has the feeling of great importance.
The house is in serious decay, having sustained damage from severe winter storms as well as the Northridge Earthquake. The house is currently administered by the non-profit Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage.
The Ennis House is located at 2655 Glendower Avenue in the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles. It is listed in the US. Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places as well as a Cultural Heritage Monument by the City of Los Angeles. -
Elliott House, Glendale, CA 1915Built in 1915, just nine years after Glendale was incorporated into a city, the Elliott House incorporates fine Craftsman styling with an Asian flair, as noted in the roofline. The house is located at 1330 N. Louise Street. In 2002, the house received historical monument status, and was listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places (No. 40). -
Elks Lodge No. 99, Curlett & Beelman, Architects 1923-24Built for the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.), this Neo-Gothic Shrine is notable for the massive sculptures adorning the corners of each wing and the upper central sections of the structure. The interiors, which were decorated by Anthony Heinsbergen must have made quite an impression on guests of the Elks Lodge during their heyday in the 20's, as they retain their grand opulence. The Grand Ballroom and Entrance Hall are especially noteworthy.
Faced with a declining membership, the ELKS Building has been sold. It is designated as the 'Park Plaza Hotel', although it is currently used strictly as a rental for filming and events.
Pictured is the Main Entrance to the Glendale Elks Building, located at 607 S. Park View Street in the MacArthur Park Area of Los Angeles. In 1983, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department recognized this important structure as an Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 267). -
Elks Lodge No. 99, Curlett & Beelman, Architects 1923-24View of the Grand Ballroom. -
Elks Lodge No. 99, Curlett & Beelman, Architects 1923-24The Entrance Hall & Staircase leading to the Grand Ballroom. -
Elks Lodge No. 99, Curlett & Beelman, Architects 1923-24Detailed View of the Entrance Hall. -
Elks Lodge No. 99, Curlett & Beelman, Architects 1923-24Detailed View of the Sculptures Adorning the Exterior. -
El Miradero- Nathaniel Dryden, Architect 1902-04Patterned after the East Indian Pavilion at the Columbian World Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, Glendale Industrialist Leslie E. Brand (who brought the Pacific Electric to Glendale in 1904) built his 'castle' in the Seracenic Style, combining Spanish, Moorish and Indian elements. A Victorian decor embellishes the interior.
Mr. Brand died at the castle in 1925. He bequethed the property to the city on the condition that it be used exclusively for a public park and library. Today the Brand Castle and Library houses facilities for art exhibits, concerts and lectures and arts and crafts studios.
El Miradero is located at 1601 West Mountain Street in Glendale, California.
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El Mio, 5905 El Mio Drive, Highland ParkPerched high above the street where Avenue 59 meets El Mio Drive, this imposing edifice was built for Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David P. Hatch in 1890. Declared a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department in 1975 (No. 142). -
El Bethel- Architect Unknown 1927Glendale's Rossmoyne neighborhood boasts many architecturally-significant residences, particularly in the foothills above Mountain Street. This 1927 Spanish Revival jewel was purchased in 2005 and has undergone an extensive renovation, restoring its original character and beauty.
'El Bethel' is located at 1023 E. Mountain Street in Glendale. It is currently listed for sale for $1,589,000 (May 2007). -
El Alisol- Charles Fletcher Lummis House (1898-1910) Sumner P. Hunt, ArchitectCharles Fletcher Lummis was one of the most important and colorful figures in Los Angeles during the turn of the twentieth century. In 1885 he left his home in Ohio and walked to Los Angeles, developing a life-long appreciation for the native cultures he encountered along the way, and for the striking beauty of the land. His reminiscences were carefully recorded, and sent to his friend General Harrison Gray Otis, which were published in his four-page newspaper, The Los Angeles Times. Later, Lummis became the first City Editor of the paper.
The great stone house was built from boulders hauled up to the site from the nearby Arroyo Seco, mostly with Lummis' own hands and took twelve years to complete.
Charles F. Lummis was also an author (His best known book was 'A Tramp Across the Continent'), historian, archeologist and Founder of the Southwest Museum.
The Lummis Home is located at 200 East Avenue 43 in historic Highland Park. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1970. (No. 68). -
Echo Park LakeThe historic heart of Echo Park, the man-made Echo Park Lake served as a reservoir in the 1870s before it was converted into a public park in 1893. The picturesque park is surrounded by tall palm trees and features one of the largest lotus beds found anywhere in the world. The city's annual Pan-Asian Lotus Festival is held at the park every summer. The lake was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2006. (No. 836). -
Earle C. Anthony House, Bernard Maybeck, Architect 1927The singular authenticated architectural project completed by the architect in Los Angeles, Maybeck is considered to be one of the great originals of American architecture. His father, an immigrant woodcarver, sent him to Paris to study furniture design, but he soon enrolled in the city's famed Ecole des Beaux-Arts to study architecture. By the time Maybeck enrolled in the school, the philosophy of the institution had been modified from pure classicism to a more rational approach, the goal of meeting contemporary living needs.
Migrating to California in 1890, Maybeck flourished in the San Francisco bay area in the early part of the twentieth century. His public commissions brought him international fame. Among his most recognized works are the Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition in San Francisco, the Phoebe Hearst Memorial at UC Berkeley and the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley, California, considered by many to be his greatest achievement.
The Anthony House, built for Earle C. Anthony in 1927 combines both Medieval, Gothic, Spanish and Tudor elements. The interior of the Nordic entrance tower was furnished as a replica of the prayer room of the Holy Father at the Vatican in Rome.
Anthony was a prominent businessman, founder and owner of KFI-AM Radio and KECA-AM (Now KABC). He was active in many civic organizations, helping save the Hollywood Bowl as head of the 'Symphony Under the Stars' Foundation in the early '30's. The home was purchased in the early fifties by Sir Daniel Donohue and Countess Bernardine Murphy Donohue (Dan Murphy Foundation). Upon the death of the countess, the residence was bequethed to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The house offers an urban sanctuary in the heart of the city, and is available to individuals or groups for a few hours or a day for reflection and prayer. A chapel, dining room and conference rooms are available.
The Earle C. Anthony House is located at 3431-3441 Waverly Drive in Los Feliz. -
Earle C. Anthony House, Bernard Maybeck, Architect 1927Donohue Manor, an integral part of the Gothic residence. -
Eagle Rock Recreation Center, Richard & Dion Neutra, Architects 1953The Eagle Rock Recreation Center ranks as one of the Neutra firm's most innovative designs. Essentially a pavilion opening on three sides, the structure features 'roll-up' walls that provide great flexibility in space utilization. Much like double-hung windows, the walls rise up with about 8 feet of clearance providing a multitude of optional uses for the center.
The Eagle Rock Recreation Center is located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, 1100 Eagle Vista Drive. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991.Website:www.Neutra.org -
E.D. Goode House, Henry C. Banker, Builder c. 1892Recently 'discovering' this perfect little gem on a quiet street in Glendale gave me a real thrill; how could I have missed it? I must have driven by it a hundred times but somehow it never caught my attention until now. One of Glendale's few remaining examples of the Queen Anne/Eastlake architectural style, the house derives its name from an illustrious owner, Edgar D. Goode who was Road Commissioner for Los Angeles County. Goode occupied the home from 1897 until 1917, during which time he was involved in civic improvement projects that were instrumental in the early development of Glendale.
The house was extensively renovated in 1995 and now serves as a privately-owned adult recreation center. In 1997 the house was registered in the Glendale Register of Historic Places (No. 8).
The E.D. Goode House is located at 119 N. Cedar Street in Glendale, CA. -
Duncan-Irwin House, Charles & Henry Greene Architects 1900 & 1906
Originally a one-story cottage, the Irwins extended the house in 1906 into the grand Craftsman visible today. Situated on a corner of Arroyo Terrace and North Grand Avenue, the house is one of the most imposing in the Greene vocabulary. -
Don LaFontaine House, Fremer/Savel Architects 1994
The LaFontaine House, viewed from Farmouth Drive. -
Don LaFontaine House, Fremer/Savel Architects 1994Voiceover Artist Don LaFontaine (1940-2008) gained fame as 'Thunder Throat' and 'The Voice of God' in more than 5,000 film trailers and thousands of television commercials in a career spanning over 40 years. LaFontaine selected the Santa Monica-based firm Fremer/Savel Architects for the design of his home in Los Feliz (the round tower is reminiscent of the Valley Plaza Branch Library in North Hollywood, also designed by the firm).
The LaFontaine House is located at 3800 Amesbury Road.
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Doheny Memorial Library, USC, Cram & Ferguson Architects, 1932A gift of oil baron Edward L. Doheny, Jr., the library contains the largest collection of books on the main campus of the University of Southern California. Dedicated on September 12, 1932, the building was designed to compliment the Romanesque buildings recently completed on the campus. The architect, Ralph Adams Cram, worked extensively from designs that he and Bertram Goodhue used successfully on buildings constructed at Rice University in 1910.
The Doheny Library has the most lavishly decorated interiors of any building at the university. Especially noteworthy is the Entrance Hall with elegant stained glass windows. -
Doheny Mansion, Theodore Augustus Elsen & Sumner P. Hunt, Architects, 1898The home of oil baron Edward L. and Carrie Estelle Doheny for almost sixty years, the Doheny Mansion is built in the Gothic Renaissance Victorian Style, and is easily one of the grandest and best preserved in the city. Located on the grounds of Mt. St. Mary's College in the West Adams District, the home boasts a marble-pillared Great Hall, the Pompeian Room with an iridescent Tiffany glass dome, imported Siena marble columns and a bronzed gold-leaf frieze. Declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1965 (No. 30). -
Doctors' House- c. 1887-1895Named for three prominent physicians and a chemist who made their home here, the 'Doctors' House' is one of the few remaining homes in Glendale from the Victorian era. Originally located at the northwest corner of Wilson and Belmont, the house was slated for demolition in 1979, when a successful rescue effort was initiated by Glendale City Councilmember John F. Day and the Glendale Historical Society. In 1980, the house was moved to its present location in Brand Park where it has undergone extensive restoration.
Designed in the Queen Anne and Eastlake Victorian Style, the house was listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places in 1977 (No. 6). -
Derby House, Lloyd Wright, Architect, 1926Although his father, Frank Lloyd Wright, Sr. is more famous for the use of concrete 'textile' blocks in his residential construction projects (see Ennis House, in Los Feliz, Storer & Freeman Houses in Hollywood) it was Lloyd Wright who maintained throughout his career that they were actually his invention. Other examples of Lloyd Wright houses that employ textile block construction include the Farrell House at 3209 Lowry Road and the Sowden House at 5121 Franklin Avenue, both in Los Feliz.
The Derby House is located 2535 Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale. -
Crossroads of the World, Robert V. Derrah, Architect 1936Resembling an ocean liner docked in a narrow harbor, Crossroads of the World is regarded as one of the west's earliest shopping malls. The central 'ship' is surrounded by small shops resembling a European village. It has been used as a location in many films, including L.A. Confidential and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. Derragh also contributed the Coca Cola Bottlng Company, another 'marooned ship' located south of downtown Los Angeles.
Crossroads of the World is located at 6671 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Declard a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1974. (No. 134). -
Cosby House, Merithew & Ferris, Architects, 1893The City of Pasadena has some of the very best architecture to be found anywhere in the world. From elegant old Victorians to the most avante garde post-modern designs, Pasadena has it all!
This elegant Queen Anne Victorian was built in 1893. It was originally located near the campus of the University of Southern California in West Adams at 626 W. 30th Street. It was moved to this leafy neighborhood in the beautiful Arroyo Seco section of Pasadena at 510 Lockhaven Street. The La Strada Inn originally stood at this site. -
Corona di Collini, W.C. Tanner, Architect, 1926The Corona di Collini Estate of child actress Jane Withers. Withers purchased the home in 1969, a year after the death of her husband, singer Ken Errair (Four Freshmen). The home was built for Josiah Lee Dabbs, a prominent member of the Democratic Party in 1926 by distinguished architect W.C. Tanner. In 1992, the home was purchased by actress Geena Davis.
Situated on a hillside lot of over 19,000 sq. feet, the villa contains 13,000 sq. feet of living space with four master suites and 7.5 baths. The Spanish Churrigueresque style entrance is noteworthy. It is currently (February 2006) the highest listed price house that has ever come on the market in Los Feliz at $8,950,000. -
Collins Residence, 890-892 West Kensington RoadMichael Collins was credited with bringing the Santa Fe Railroad to the City of Los Angeles. He is the first owner of record of this magnificent Eastlake Victorian built in circa 1888. The building originally stood on Whittier Boulevard, but was moved to its present location in 1987. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1983 (No. 266). -
Cockins House, Bradbeer & Ferris, Architects, 1894
The Historic West Adams District has some of the best preserved Victorian residences remaining in Los Angeles. During the late 19th and early 20th century, the area was one of the most prestigious in the city. The Cockins House, located at 2653 South Hoover Street is a fine example of the Queen Anne Style.
Declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1991 (No. 519), the residence is occupied by the University of Southern California Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. -
Coca-Cola Building, Robert V. Derrah, Architect 1939Important example of the Streamline Moderne Style designed in 1939 by Robert V. Derrah. Resembling in style a huge ocean liner, the building is replete with portholes, cargo doors, catwalk and topped with a bridge.
The Coca-Cola Building is located at 1334 South Central Avenue. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1975 (No.138). -
Cloud House, James R. Meyer (LEAN ARCH), ArchitectsThe AIA/Los Feliz Home Tour of 2008 provided the opportunity to visit this recent addition to the architectural heritage of Los Feliz. Architectural Photographer Martin Schall (you-are-here.com) accompanied me on the tour. The new residence is entered through a bridge to the main entrance and cantilivered living room. Telescoping steel decks extend beyond the building face, providing additional vantage points from which to enjoy the panoramic view below. The machine-like steel structure is clad with anodized aluminum and stucco panels. Walls of glass on the north and south elevations visually connect the interior with the surrounding natural landscape, highlighting the 'Hollywood' sign situated across the canyon. A deep blue pool and cantilivered pool house dramatically complete the picture.
The CLOUD HOUSE is located at 2511 Wild Oak Drive in the prestigious Los Feliz Oaks community.Website:www.LeanArch.com -
Cloud House, James R. Meyer (LEAN ARCH) Architects 2004The pool house, delicately suspended in space, brings to mind the iconic image by Photographer Julius Shulman of Pierre Koenig's dreamy 'Case Study House No. 22'.Website:www.LeanArch.com -
Church of the Recessional, Forest Lawn (Glendale), Paul O. Davis, Architect, 1941The largest of the three English village churches located at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The Church of the Recessional is a reproduction of the Parish Church of St. Margaret, Village of Rottingdean in Sussex, England. The original church was erected c. 940 A.D. -
Church of the Precious Blood, Henry Carlton Newton & Dennis Murray, Architects 1926
The architectural firm Truesdell and Murray were originally selected to design the Italian Romanesque style church in 1924; however architects Henry Carlton Newton and Robert Dennis Murray took over the project which was completed in 1926. The church is constructed in reinforced concrete and cast stone. The imposing entrance portal is the work of Salvatore Cartiano Scarpitta, best known for his work on Los Angeles’ City Hall.
The Church of the Precious Blood is located at 435 S. Occidental Blvd. in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Church of the Flowers, Forest Lawn (Glendale)One of three reproductions of English village churches located at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, The Church of the Flowers is a reproduction by A. Patterson Ross of a church found in Stoke Poges. -
Church of the Angels, 1100 Avenue 64The Church of the Angels in Pasadena is one of the most historic and beautiful churches in the western United States. The Anglican church was built by Mrs. Alexander Robert Campbell-Johnston as a memorial to her husband and as a place of worship for the people of the village of Garvanza.
Built in 1889, it served the Bishop of Los Angeles as his pro-cathedral until St. Paul's Church was constituted; it was then designated the Bishop's Chapel. Since then, the Bishop has served as rector with his chaplain appointed vicar in charge of all services.
The church is patterned after Holmbury St. Mary's Church, near Droking, Surrey, England, although it is not an exact copy. It is set in a garden of three acres and is faced with sandstone that was hauled from quarries in the San Fernando Valley. The San Rafael Ranch, of which Garvanza was a part, supplied the red stone which has been incorporated into the structure. The stone tower (once 44 foot) is characteristic of the eleventh century and houses an eight- day Seth Thomas clock (which denoted the hours by striking a bell suspended in the belfry). The bellfry was damaged during the 1973 earthquake and during repairs the steeple had to be lowered a few feet.
The interior walls of the church are of red pressed brick, and the ceiling is of redwood, both of which have mellowed through the years giving a soft warm feeling. Near the main entrance the baptistry is located, in which stands a font of Mexican alabaster with a figure, carved from Italian marble, of a child angel. The font was a gift from the workmen engaged in the building of the church.
The magnificent memorial window was designed and executed in London and has been said to be one of the finest examples of stained glass in America.
The altar and chancel furniture are veneered with olive wood donated by the Franciscan Fathers from the grounds of the Mission San Gabriel. The Lectern, exquisitely carved in the form of St. Michael, was designed by the eminent English sculptor W. R. Ingraham and executed in a carving school in Belgium. The body is made of one solid piece carved from a 400 year-old oak tree. The pulpit has been carved from English oak with a white Portland stone base. It was erected at the 40th anniversary of the opening of the church.
The pipe organ, housed in the north transcept, was built and installed in 1889. -
Christuskirche, Fields Devereaux Architects 1998The oldest German speaking congregation in the southwestern United States beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, the First German United Methodist Church 'Christuskirche' had this new award-winning campus designed by the firm Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers (now Harley Ellis Devereaux) in 1998. The unique design features a series of obliquely truncated cylindrical masses enclosed in a complementary enclosed, circular courtyard. The design was the recipient of the California Council, Society of American Registered Architects 'Design Excellence Award' in 2000. In 1998, it was honored with the City of Glendale 'Glendale Beautiful Award'.
The Christuskirche is located at 556 W. Glenoaks Blvd. in Glendale, CA.Website:www.christuskirche.usEmail:mjlocke@pacbell.net -
Chiat-Day-Mojo Advertising Agency, Gehry & Associates; Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen 1985-91It would be difficult for even the most casual observer to miss Fank O. Gehry's Chiat-Day-Mojo Building on a stroll down Venice's Main Street. The facade is revealed in three distinct elements: on the left, an International Style 'ocean liner' (not pictured), in the middle, a pair of giant binoculars (designed with assistance from Claes Oldenburg and Coosjie van Bruggen) and to the far right, a massive, rusting 'temple' that defies description!
Authors David Gebhard and Robert Winter (in their influential work, 'An Architectural Guide to Los Angeles') describe the assemblage as 'the greatest monument of the Postmodern in Los Angeles.' Like the Watts Towers, it is simply not to be missed. Located at the corner of Brooks and Main Street. -
Chapman Park Studio Building, Morgan, Walls & Clements Architects 1928-1929A fine example of Spanish Revival Architecture, the Chapman Building is situated on the northwest corner of West 6th Street and Alexandria Avenue west of MacArthur Park. It is adjacent to the Chapman Park Market, an early attempt at incorporating the convenience of a shopping mall with an auto park. The buildings underwent an extensive restoration in 1991 by Brenda Levin & Associates, a firm that also restored the nearby Wiltern Theater in 1985. The building is in the style of the Mediterranean Revival with Churrigueresque details. It is constructed of brick and steel with a facing of plaster, cast stone and wrought iron.
The Chapman Studio Building is located at 3501-3519 West 6th Street. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1984 (No. 280).
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Cedars Estate, Xorin Balbes, Sue Wong & Zoltan Papp, Restoration 2003-2004Originally built in 1926, The 'Cedars' is one of the most storied old Hollywood glamour estates, originally built for film director Marcel Tourneur, and reputed to be the home of silent screen star Norma Talmadge, although never proven. In an interview published in 'Antiques & Fine Art' by Lynn Morgan, Sue Wong, an avid student of history and art claims ' Errol Flynn practiced his 'wicked, wicked ways here; Marilyn Monroe was a frequent guest. Howard Hughes played the grand piano in the solarium, and Johnny Depp lived here to do research for his role in Ed Wood because Bela Lugosi had lived here. The wrap party for Easy Rider was held here; Dennis Hopper shot some scenes for the movie here. It was also a big rock 'n' roll party pad. Arthur Lee of the band 'Love' lived here for a while.'
It is said that the home is a replica of a 17th Century Florentine villa owned by the Duke of Alba. It was last sold in August 2004, setting a record price of $5.3M for the Los Feliz area.
'The Cedars' is located at 4320 Cedarhurst Circle in Los Feliz. -
Cathedral of the Disciples, Robert H. Orr, Architect 1922-23The west front of the church. -
Cathedral of the Disciples, Robert H. Orr, Architect 1922-23This magnificent Rose Window of French design adorns the west nave above the balcony. The window was designed by Judson Studios and is a copy of the one in Rheims Cathedral. -
Cathedral of the Disciples Wilshire Christian Church Robert H. Orr, Architect 1922-23Built in the Northern Italian Romanesque Style and designed by Robert H. Orr, one of the most influential ecclesiastical architects of the early twentieth century. The property was given to the church by the Chapman Brothers who owned the nearby Chapman Market and a hotel in the area. The structure of the building is of reinforced concrete; the overhead roof beams, which appear to be made of wood are in reality structural steel which has been covered in plaster and painted to look like wood. A hammered copper cross over the pulpit was crafted by one of the church's members.
The church is located along the Wilshire Corridor at 634 S. Normandie Avenue (at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard) an area rich in architectural diversity. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1979 (No. 209). -
Cathedral of St. Sophia, Gus Kalionzes, Architect 1948Inspired by the design of the Hagia Sophia, the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom of God, built by the Emperor Justinian in Constantinople between 543 and 537 A.D., the new Greek orthodox cathedral was financed entirely by a gift from Charles P.Skouras, who along with his brothers Spyros and George, were among the most influential figures in the Hollywood film community. (Spyros was a President of Twentieth Century Fox; George, President and Chairman of the Board of United Artists Theaters on the East Coast; and Charles was President of National Theaters and Fox West Coast Theaters). Charles, who had a particular interest in the design of theater buildings oversaw the design and construction of the new cathedral. Completion of the new cathedral took four years, in part because of the disruptive effects of World War II.
Given Charles Skouras interest in theater design, he had at his disposal a cadre of artisans, painters and guilders involved in decorating his many theaters across the country. He selected a fellow Greek, William Chavalas to serve as his Master Artist. The richly gilded sanctuary has a unique blend of Italian Renaissance and Byzantine elements, highlighted by massive chandeliers of Czechoslovakian crystal and lovely mosaics.
The Cathedral of St. Sophia is located at 1324 South Normandie Avenue. It was designated an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1973 (No. 120).Website:www.stsophia.org -
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Rafael Moneo, Architect 2002Pritzker Prize-winning Spanish architect was selected to design a new cathedral for Los Angeles, replacing St. Vibiana Cathedral, which had been badly damaged in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The cathedral is spiritual home to Los Angeles' four million Catholics, the largest diocese in the United States and seat of its archbishop.
The post-modern design has no right angles; the 12-story high edifice can accomodate 3,000 worshippers. Tapestries by John Nava decorate the warm-toned alabaster walls of the sanctuary, creating a soft illumination.
The Cathedral is located at 555 Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles. -
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Rafael Moneo, Architect 2002A handsome 2.5 acre plaza separates the cathedral proper from the Cathedral Center, which houses the parish offices, a restaurant, conference center, and gift shop. The plaza offers outdoor seating, water features and several gardens. -
Cathedral of Our Lady of Los Angeles, Rafael Moneo, Architect 2002Interior view. The honey-colored alabaster walls and tapestries by John Neva define the sanctuary. -
Castle Ivar, 2061 Ivar Avenue, HollywoodA real Hollywood fantasy of sorts, the Castle Ivar, I am told, was built on a love promise that reads something like, 'If you build me a castle, I'll marry you'. Taking the vow to heart, our hero built this castle for his beloved as late as 2002 demolishing a small indistinguished house and replacing it with this medieval beauty. Unfortunately, as seems to be the case in Hollywood these days, the couple broke up after only two years. -
Castle Green, Frederick Roehrig, Architect 1898In creating the Castle Green Hotel, Architect Frederick Roehrig blended Spanish, Moorish & Victorian elements to bring us one of Pasadena's most beautiful and enduring monuments. Using structural steel with brick walls and concrete floors, the building was Pasadena's first fireproof building. During its heyday, the Hotel was the center of Pasadena society as home of the Tournament of Roses and the Valley Hunt Club.
Though major portions of the complex have disappeared through time, the Castle Green continues as individually owned condominiums. The public rooms, including the Grand Lobby with its mosaic tile floor and marble stairway and the Palm Terrace Ballroom have been restored to their original beauty.
The Castle Green is located at 99 S. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the State of California Historic Register, and the Pasadena List of Historic Places. -
Castle Green, Frederick Roehrig, Architect 1898Exterior View. -
Castle Green Hotel, Frederick Roehrig Architect, 1898Lavish interiors mark the public rooms of the hotel. -
Castillo del Lago, John Delario, Architect, 1926The legendary Castillo del Lago sits perched atop a hill overlooking Griffith Park and Lake Hollywood. It was Bugsy Siegel's hideway in the 1930's (there are rumored to be bullet holes in the woodwork) until police conducted a raid entering from a neighbor's house.
The actress/singer Madonna purchased the home in the 90's renovating it in a bold color scheme of deep reds and yellows under direction of her brother, Decorator Christopher Ciccone. The house has 32 rooms in 7,783 sq. ft., 9 bedrooms and 6 baths.
The home is located at 5342 Mulholland Highway. It can best be seen from the hiking trail which runs along its side. -
Case Study House No. 8, The Eames House, Charles & Ray Eames, Architects 1949The Eames House demonstrates the power of 'machine' architecture in both design and setting: situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the two metal-framed boxes that comprise the Eames home and studio are set against a meadow surrounded by a grove of ancient Eucalyptus. Primary-colored panels, reminiscent of a Da Stijl painting, give the impression of a free-standing art exhibit, seductively drawing us in.
The architect/owners sought to design a home that would serve as a background for their work, or as Charles liked to say, 'life in work, with nature as a shock-absorber.'
On September 20, 2006, the Eames House was designated a National Historic Monument. The Eames House is located at 203 Chautauqua Blvd. in the Pacific Palisades. Today, the house is administered by the Eames Foundation. Exterior self-guided tours of the house are available Monday through Saturday for individuals and groups by reservation only. Visit the Eames Foundation website for more information.Website:www.eamesfoundation.org -
Case Study House No. 8, Eames House, Charles & Ray Eames, Architects 1949The 1000-square foot studio adjacent to the main house, with a 'Mondrian-style' panel. The detached studio is separated from the house by a courtyard equivalent to four interior bays.Website:www.eamesfoundation.org -
Case Study House No. 22 (Stahl House) Pierre Koenig, Architect 1960At the end of World War II, there was a great demand for low cost housing in Southern California with literally thousands of veterans returning home. As editor of 'Arts & Architecture' magazine, John Entenza assumed a leadership position, and deserves special recognition for envisioning the Case Study Program. In 1945, the magazine commissioned the design of eight homes, and promoted the program until 1966, with the completion of 24 houses and 1 apartment complex in the process. The original idea was to provide a model for low cost housing with good architectural design that could be replicated. Many of the homes that were eventually built in the program could hardly be described as 'affordable' however.
The Stahl House has received the most recognition of all the Case Study Houses, primarily due to an iconic photograph taken by Julius Shulman shortly after the home was completed in 1960. In the photograph, two women are engaged in conversation, seated together in a glass house that appears suspended over the spectacular evening view of the city of Los Angeles below. It is perhaps the most reproduced image of a house in the history of photography. I had the pleasure of attending a party at the house in August 2008 as a guest of Designer Ron Fields. Ron invited Donna and me in a group of friends that included Julius Shulman for an unforgettable evening that I will always remember.
The Stahl House is located at 1635 Woods Drive in West Hollywood. Unfortunately, you won't be able to appreciate the house from the street. -
Carr House, Lloyd Wright, Architect 1925Architect Lloyd Wright had a great influence on the architecture of Los Angeles during the mid-twenties, expressing the Spanish Colonial Revival style in increasingly abstract forms. The design of Los Angeles Times Editor Harry Carr and his wife Alice's home in Los Feliz is a notable example.
Built on a triangular lot across the street from his Farrell House (designed a year earlier), the Carr House is a unique architectural expression with a central courtyard and grillwork typical of the revival style.
The Carr House is located at 3202 Lowry Road in Los Feliz. -
Camino Nuevo High School, Daly Genik, Architects 2006
The school is situated on little more than a traffic island in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Los Angeles near Macarthur Park (Historic Filipinotown). The architect’s challenge was to “to find recoverable pieces of urban space” without isolating the school from the neighborhood, according to Kevin Daly, AIA, partner of Santa Monica-based Daly Genik Architects.
For the high school, the architect was required to fit a 30,000-square-foot building onto just over an acre of land. The architect answered the challenge by providing two separate structures, a snake-like long building along the south side housing classrooms; on the north side, a smaller building housing the school’s administrative functions.
A façade of curving, yellow-and-grey corrugated metal panels clad the buildings’ facade, mimicking the movement of automobiles that are in a constant state of motion around the school. The school is located at 3500 West Temple Street.
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Camino Nuevo High School, Daly Genik, Architects 2006Pictured is the curving facade of yellow-and-grey corrugated metal panels mimicking the movement of automobiles, a constant movement around the school. -
California Science Center, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, 1998Formerly the California Museum of Science & Industry, the California Science Center has reinvented itself from a science museum to a science education center, offering beautiful architecture and engaging exhibits that bring new life to Exposition Park.
Thoughtfully designed by the partnership of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca in collaboration with Esherick, Homsey, Dodge & Davis, the new building has been seamlessly joined to the old Exposition Building, offering over 100 hands-on exhibits. The focal point of the new center is the three-story open-air rotunda, connecting the center to the 7-story IMAX theater. The entrance pavilion features a five story sculpture by artist Larry Kirkland.
The California Science Center is located in Exposition Park, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90037.Email:mjlocke@pacbell.net -
California Club, Robert D. Farquhar, Architect 1929-30The architect chose a simplified classical design as 'befitting the proper atmosphere of American club life' for the California Club. The edifice is clad with Roman bricks and travertine trim elements. Other noteworthy designs by Farquhar include the Canfield-Moreno Estate in Silver Lake for actor Antoniio Moreno and heiress Daisy Canfield -
Cal Tech Winnett Student Center, A.D. Martin Partners, Architect 1998The architect must have had the undergraduate dormitories (designed by Gordon B. Kaufmann in 1931)across the commons in mind in selecting the design for the student center. Both have classical Italian Mediterranean Revival style lines; the colonnades on each structure are perfectly matched.
The California Institute of Technology is located on California Boulevard in Pasadena, between Hill Avenue and California Boulevard. -
Cahill Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics, Thom Mayne, Architect 2009The overall architectural scheme at Cal Tech has never made much of an impresson on me; many of the early Italian-Mediterranean style structures have a bleakness about them; as if constrained by a tight budget. To make matters worse, much of the post WWII modernist buildings have done little to compliment the old.
Reading (Los Angeles Times architecture critic) Christopher Hawthorne's review (dated February 16, 2009) of Architect Thom Mayne's new Cahill Center, I confess, gave me a thrill. Mayne's boldly 'fractured mass' -
C.E. Kustor Residence, John Parkinson & Paul Martin, Architects 1901Referred to as the 'architect who built Los Angeles'* John Parkinson along with his son, Donald Parkinson designed many of the most famous buildings in the city today. Over sixty are mentioned in Martin Schall's website 'www.you-are-here.com', the definitive online directory of Los Angeles Architecture. His best-known achievements include several of the Northern Italian Renaissance buildings on the campus of the University of Southern California (Science Hall, Bovard Auditorium, Student Union), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles City Hall, Bullock's Wilshire and Union Station.
Parkinson partnered with architect Paul Martin in the eclectic design for the C.E. Kustor Residence, combining Victorian, Mission and Craftsman details.
Located in the Adams-Normandie HPOZ District at 1630 West 24th Street.Website:www.you-are-here.com -
Burkhalter Residence, 2309-2311 Scarff StreetQueen Anne Style house built in 1895 as the residence for Dennis Burkhalter, the District Superintendent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It has an almost identical twin in the property next door at 2305 Scarff Street. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989 (No. 409). The home was destroyed by fire in 2006; the home was restored to its original appearance in 2009. -
Bullock's Wilshire- John & Donald Parkinson, Architects 1928One of the most recognizable symbols of Los Angeles art deco architecture (along with the Wiltern Theater built a few years earlier and less than a mile to the east), the Bullock's Wilshire Department Store represents a cathedral of commerce with its elegant tower and walls encased in a beige-colour terra cotta with green copper moderne embellishments.
Designed by John and Donald Parkinson, the principal architects of the early classical architecture at the University of Southern California, the interior is principally the work of John Peters and retains most of its original art deco design elements.
The Bullocks Wilshire Department Store is located at 3050 Wilshire Blvd. In 1968, it was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles (No. 56). Currently the structure houses the Southwestern University Law Library.Website:www.parkinsonarchitecture.com -
Britt Mansion & Gardens- A.F. Rosenheim, Architect 1910Designed for attorney Eugene W. Britt by architect A.F. Rosenheim in 1910, this elegant Classical Revival home is headquarters for the LA '84 Foundation, appropriating surplus funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics for youth sports programs.
The Britt Mansion and Formal Gardens is located at 2141 West Adams Boulevard. In 1978, it was recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 197). -
Breed Street Shul, Edelman & Barnett, Architects c.1920The last surviving synagogue from the early 20th century in Boyle Heights, Breed Street Shul (Congregation Talmud Torah) is reminiiscent of B'nai Jeshurun Synagogue in New York City, designed by W.S. Schneider and H.B. Hertz in 1918.
The synagogue built of brick, was severly damaged during the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake. It was closed permanently in the mid '90s, and has since suffered extensive deterioration. The J. Paul Getty Trust is leading an effort to preserve the property and adapt for re-use as a community center.
The Breed Street Shul is located at 247 N. Breed Street in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. -
Brauch House, Egasse & Brauch, Architects 1923
A remarkable 'Storybook' Style residence along Eagle Rock's fashionable Hill Drive, the Brauch House exudes a special charm; one might expect Hansel & Gretel to emerge from behind a stone archway at any moment! J.L.Brauch, in designing the home as his personal residence, followed Norman lines, 'such as were left by the Vikings', as his inspiration.
The Brauch House is located at 2327 Hill Drive in Eagle Rock. As recently as two years ago, the house was listed for sale for over a million dollars; in the Los Angeles Times Real Estate section today (Mother's Day, 2010) I noted that the house is currently listed for sale for a paltry $799K; no doubt a sign of the economic times. -
Bovard Administration Building, USC, John & Donald Parkinson, Architects 1920-21The first Master Plan for the campus of the University of Southern California proposed in 1919 by Architect John Parkinson included a series of Italian Renaissance style buildings connected by a series of Romanesque style bridges that were to be built over the streets. Although the bridges were never realized, the Parkinsons completed a half dozen of these handsome edifices that defined the early architecture of the university.
The first of Parkinson's buildings to be completed was the George Finley Bovard Administration Building, in 1921. Described as 'northern Italian Romanesque style', the building's dominating feature is a square bell tower with eight heroic sculptures by John Caspar Lachne representing the 'Progress of Civilization'. The eight figures are of American Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, Roman orator and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero and Greek philosopher Plato, John Wesley, Founder of Methodism, and three leading Methodist clergymen: Bishop Matthew Simpson, Preacher and College President; Phillips Brooks, the Fifth Bishop of Massachusetts and 158th in succession in the American episcopate, andWebsite:www.parkinsonarchitecture.com -
Bolton Hall, George Harris, Builder 1913Designed and built by rock mason and stone sculptor George Harris as a community center for the Utopian community of Los Terrenitos (Spanish for “Little Landers”). Between 1920 and 1925, the building served as an American Legion hall. In 1925, Tujunga incorporated as a city, and Bolton Hall became Tujunga City Hall. In 1932, Tujunga was annexed into the City of Los Angeles, and Bolton Hall was used for the next 25 years for a variety of municipal services, including the San Fernando Valley's second public library and a jail. However, it remained known as Tujunga City Hall until its closure in 1957.
In 1957, the building was closed. For more than 20 years, Bolton Hall remained vacant and was the subject of debates over demolition and restoration. Since 1980, the building has been operated by the Little Landers Historical Society as a local history museum.
Located at 10116 Commerce Avenue in Tujunga. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1962 (no. 2)
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Bob's Big Boy Restaurant, Wayne McAllister, Architect 1949
Architect Wayne McAllister (1907-2000) was a principal champion of the Googie style of architecture, elevating the drive-in coffee shop and Las Vegas casino to a high level of art. The Burbank restaurant he designed for Bob Wian, founder of the Bob's Big Boy chain, was the first in a group of xix in the Los Angeles area and the only one still in existence.
The thirty-five foot tall neon sign is the restaurants most striking and conspicuous feature, however the 'real action' was in the back, according to author Chris Nichols, who wrote the book, 'The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister'.(Gibbs Smith, Publisher 2007), 'You couldn't get into the place on Friday nights. It seemed like everybody in town stopped at Bob's that night. They were attracted by the good food, gorgeous waitresses and the action.'
At the peak of its popularity, the chain could claim 750 restaurants in 1958. In 1967 the chain was sold to the Marriott Corporation, which decimated the brand by regionalizing its name. By 1988, Marriott sold off the restaurants one at a time.
Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is located at 4211 Riverside Drive. The restaurant was designated a California Point of Historical Interest in 1993. For more information on 'Googie' architecture, the book 'Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture' by author Alan Hess is a must. -
Blessed Sacrament School, Thomas Franklin Power, Architect 1923Power completed the parochial school in 1923, before beginning work on the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church next door. The facade is a celebration of the baroque Italian Renaissance style. -
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Thomas Franklin Power, Architect 1928-1954Founded in 1904, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church has served as the home parish for many of Hollywood's elite including Ann Blyth, Bing Crosby, Irene Dunne, John Ford, Ricardo Monalban and Loretta Young. The church was dedicated in June 1928, however the interior design (under the direction of architect J. Earl Trudeau) was not completed until 1954.
The church and adjoining school were designed in the Italian Renaissance style by Architect Thomas Franklin Power. Movie-goers might remember the church in a scene in the movie 'LA Confidential' and in the television series 'ER'.
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is located at 6657 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. -
Blackburn Residence, Paul R. Williams, Architect 1927Designed by Paul R. Williams, the 'Architect of the Stars' for Bruce and Lula Blackburn. (Mr. Blackburn's claim to fame is the invention of the rollup window screen). Williams designed the home in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and set it in a lush tropical landsape in the hills of Los Feliz. Its most prominent feature is a two-story turreted tower. One of three residences located in Los Feliz that was honored with 'historical monument' status by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 2008, (the others are the Victor Rosetti Residence, also designed by Williams, and the Edward Petitfils Residence, also known as 'Los Pavoreales' designed by Wallace Neff in 1927).
The Blackburn Residence is located at 4791 Cromwell Avenue. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2008 (No,. 913) -
Biltmore Hotel, Schultze & Weaver, Architects 1922-23The idea of a grand hotel in downtown Los Angeles originated with Joseph Sartori, a prominent banker, who wanted to show the world that Los Angeles had 'arrived'. Sartori called together 40 prominent business leaders to explore the idea. The group selected the New York architectural firm Shultze & Weaver, by now famous for the design of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, to come up with a suitable design. A gala week-long opening in 1923 boasted Hollywood's elite, including Mary Pickford, Cecille B. deMille, and Jack Warner in attendance.
The hotel has maintained a stellar reputation over the years. The idea for an 'Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' was hatched in the Crystal Ballroom in May 1927. In 1977, Bob Hope hosted a banquet in the same room, celebrating the Academy's 50th Anniversary. The hotel and adjacent Biltmore Theater (now the Biltmore Tower), hosted the Academy Awards ceremony in the years 1931, 1935-39 and 1941-42. In 1960, when the Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, Sen. John F. Kennedy set up his campaign headquarters at the hotel's Music Room; his running mate Lyndon Johnson was across the hall in the Emerald Room. In 1964, the Beatles visited the Presidential Suite during their first U.S. tour.
The Biltmore Hotel is located at 506 S. Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. In 1969, it was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 60) -
Beverly Hills 76 Station- Gin Wong, Pereira Associates, Architect 1965According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, Beverly Hills only gas station was originally intended to be used as a symbol for the entry to Los Angeles International Airport, as counterpoint to the Theme Building. The futuristic, sweeping canopy reflects the optimism of the era and remains an outstanding tribute to the influence of the automobile on the Southern California lifestyle.
The Beverly Hills 76 Station is located on the corner of Little Santa Monica Blvd. and Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills. -
Bel-Air Divertimento Fountain, Luis Barragan & Raul Ferrera, Architects 1996I had the pleasure of visiting this amazing and beautiful fountain originally designed for the private home of Dr. Douglas Campbell by famed Mexican architects Luis Barragan and Raul Ferrera in 1996. Silver Lake-based Architect Tim Campbell has the commission to restore and re-imagine the home, and was kind enough to invite me along for a tour in May 2008.
The Bel-Air Divertimento Fountain is located within a private residence in the Holmby Hills, 1150 Brooklawn Drive. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1997. (No. 637) -
Beard House, Richard Neutra, Architect 1934-35For William and Melba Beard, an all-steel house was the ideal material for a home in the foothills of Altadena, a hillside community in the San Gabriel valley, an area succeptible to wind and fire. Steel also provided the advantage of being naturally termite resistant. In the house, Neutra introduced (perhaps for the first domestic application) commercial ball-bearing steel and glass doors; other innovations included special glass to reduce heat and glare and radiantly heated floors.
Early photographs (by Julius Shulman) show a slightly different facade. The garage door, seen on the right, was originally recessed, providing a more appealing facade. Subsequent owners, apparently for practical purposes, must have moved the garage door outwards to provide more space. (Neutra was a great artist, but not always a practical one).
The Beard House is located in Altadena, at 1981 Meadowbrook Road. Special thanks to Neutra Scholar Barbara Lamprecht, a personal friend and author 'Richard Neutra: Complete Works'. Her knowledge and enthusiasm are an inspiration! -
Bates House, 1415 Carroll AvenueDesignated an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1988 (No. 399), the Bates House was originally located at 1425 West Pico Blvd. It was relocated to 725 S. Bernal Avenue in 1921 and moved to its present location in 1988. The home is noted for the unique sunburst design of its gables (and also in the doors to the crawl spaces). -
Barbara Bestor House, Barbara Bestor, Architect 2007Architect Barbara Bestor has been making a splash in recent years in the architecture and design communities in and around Los Angeles: The multi-tasking mother of two is on a fast track, leaving her mark on seemingly everything she undertakes. Her work might be referred to as 'chic Bohemian', infusing practicality with high design.
Her recent book, 'BOHEMIAN MODERN: Living in Silver Lake' (Regan Books, 2006) reveals a great deal about her style: a trip down memory lane with a collection of stories about her local work and the friends she has met along the way.
Following in the footsteps of the great Modernist masters, Bestor selected a site directly across the street from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House and two doors down the street from the Richard Neutra-designed Wirin House to build a new residence for herself and her two daughters. German Photographer Martin Schall (you-are-here.com) and I paid a visit in October 2008. The house is open and spacious on three levels, infused with bright colors and bathed in light. A private pool in the front courtyard is screened off from the massive wall of the Ennis House across the street.
The Barbara Bestor Residence is located at 2612 Glendower Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. -
Bank Building, 5620 Hollywood Blvd., John & Donald Parkinson, Architects 1931Looking very much like a scale model of the Empire State Building, the former bank building near the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Gramercy Place was used as a movie theater in the film 'L.A. Confidential'. It currently houses the offices of a film production company. -
Audrey Irmas House, Timothy Morgan Steele, Architect 1994In 1994 Audrey Irmas chose Santa Barbara-based architect Timothy Morgan Steele to design a gallery-as-home for her collection of contemporary art. Irmas is a lifetime trustee of Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); besides her work on behalf of the museum, her philanthropic work extends to many Jewish causes.
The 11,000 sq. ft. home is located at 595 Mapleton Drive, in the exclusive Holmby Hills enclave. It is currently listed for sale at a cool $16.9M (the price was dropped from $25M in January 2009; as of May 2009, there were six homes listed for sale on Mapleton, ranging in price from $16.9M to $25M, reflecting current market conditions)
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Apartment Building, 4230 Franklin Avenue, J. Knover, Architect 1939The thirties marked the high-water mark of the Streamline Moderne movement; this handsome apartment building in Los Feliz incorporates the signature elements of the style, including porthole windows, curving rooflines wth matching ship style railings, and horizontal bands of windows.
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Angelus Temple- A.F. Leicht, Architect 1923The mother church of the International Church ot the Foursquare Gospel, founded by Aimee Semple McPherson. Originally, the church had a 5,300 seating capacity, well-suited for the huge crowds that the pentacostal evangelist atttracted during the denomination's early years. The concrete temple is designed in a classical style; Roman arch windows interspersed between Doric columns and a shallow dome are its most prominent features.
The church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992; it is located at 1100 Glendale Blvd. in Echo Park, across the street from Echo Park Lake. -
American Storage Company Tower, Arthur E. Harvey, Architect 1928-1929This early 'skyscraper' from the late twenties is only fourteen stories, but seems higher due to the thinness of the tower's columns. The tower is art deco in design; however the horizontal base and the capitals of the tower's vertical elements have a rich Spanish ornamentation.
Chris Nichols, Associate Editor of 'Los Angeles Magazine' reports in the February 2009 edition that the building was proclaimed 'the most beautiful storage building in the world' when it opened in 1928....a celestial-themed speakeasy--where waiters sporting make-believe wings served booze--commanded the top floor until the end of Prohibition.'
The American Storage Company Tower is located at 3636 N. Virgil Avenue north of MacArthur Park and south of Silver Lake. -
Alex Theater, Arthur G. Lindley & Charles R. Selkirk, Architects 1940Originally opened in 1925 as the Alexander Theater, the name was shortened during a 1940 redesign to fit larger letters on a new marquee. The theater was named after Alexander Langley, whose father, C.L. Langley owned a chain of theaters on the west coast. The enclosed courtyard was modeled after Sid Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Classical Greek and Egyptian elements highlighted by massive Doric columns and a frieze of Ptolemaic Egyptian dancers and musicians above the architrave dominate. Some memorable movies held their premieres at the Alex. In 1944, both National Velvet and Going My Way opened here. Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Elizabeth Taylor and Bing Crosby were among the invited celebrities.
The Alex Theater is located at 216 N. Brand Boulevard in Glendale, CA. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. -
Alex Theater Marquee & Tower, S. Charles Lee, Architect 1940In 1940, noted theater architect S. Charles Lee was commissioned to revamp the exterior of the Alexander Theater , installing a 100' tall neon tower topped with a starburst sphere and new marquee. The name of the theater was shortened to the 'Alex' to accommodate the larger letters. The art-deco tower and marquee represent the most significant 'postcard symbols' of Glendale and have been enshrined in the National Register of Historic Places .
The Alex Theater is located at 216 North Glendale Blvd. in Glendale, California. -
Alan Ladd Estate- Marshall P. Wilkinson, Architect 1928Georgian style residence designed by Marshall P. Wilkinson in 1928. The style flourished in northern New England during the 1700s. Sue Carol, a Hollywood actress-turned agent purchased this home with her husband Nick Stuart in 1930. In true Hollywood fashion, the agent met a rising young star, Alan Ladd, and agreed to become his agent. Ladd's career sky-rocketed in 1942; his breakthrough role came as a dispassionate killer in 'This Gun For Hire'. As Carol focused her attention on Ladd's career, the two became romantically involved, leaving their respective spouses and marrying in 1942.
An English-style pub house 'The Silent Woman'
located at the back of the property served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, and had a reputation for fantastic parties up until the 1950s. Many famous guests have carved their names into the pub's bar.
The Alan Ladd Estate is located at 4961 Cromwell Avenue in the Los Feliz District of Los Angeles. It is currently listed for sale for $3,495,000.Website:www.4961Cromwell.com -
Alan Ladd Estate- Marshall P. Wilkinson, Architect 1928From the rear, showing the steeply-pitched gambrel roof, indicative of the Georgian and Colonial Revival architectural styles that dominated architecture during most of the 18th century.Website:www.4961Cromwell.com -
Alan Ladd Estate- Marshall P. Wilkinson, Architect 1928'The Silent Woman', an English pub behind the Alan Ladd Estate in Los Feliz. Many famous guests have carved their names into the pub's bar, including Louis Armstrong, Bette Davis, the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame, Dixie and Bing Crosby and Ginger Rogers.Website:www.4961Cromwell.com -
Ahmanson Center for Biological Research (USC), William L Pereira & Associates, Architects 1964One of the more unusual buildings at the main campus of the University of Southern California, the Ahmanson Center for Biological Research was completed in 1964 during the time when Dr. Norman Topping was President of the University. The hooded windows of cast concrete are the signature design element of this edifice. -
Aeroscopic Environmental, Inc., c.1935Detail of the extravagant Streamline Moderne entryway. -
Aeroscopic Environmental, Inc. c. 1935I probably would have missed this fascinating building altogether if it not been for the resourceful book, 'An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles' by David Gebhard & Robert Winter. An elegant example of the Streamline Moderne in an otherwise bleak industrial zone west of San Fernando Road.
Located at 5245 San Fernando Road West in Glendale, CA -
Adlai E. Stevenson BirthplaceAdlai Ewing Stevenson II was born in this late Queen Anne style home on February 5, 1900. He would later become a popular Illinois Governor and was twice (in 1952 and 1956) the Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency. During the Kennedy presidency, Stevenson served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a position he held at the time of his death in 1965.
The Adlai Stevenson Birthplace is located at 2639 Monmouth Avenue in the West Adams district of Los Angeles. In 1965, the home was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles (No. 35) -
Adamson House, Stiles O. Clements, Architect 1930Adamson House, designed by Stiles O. Clements of the architectural firm of Morgan, Walls & Clements, completed in 1930. The ten-room house is noted for its extensive use of decorative ceramic tiles (from the nearby Malibu Potteries). Sometimes referred to as “Vaquero Hill” and the “Taj Mahal of Tile”, the house was built for Rhoda Rindge Adamson and Merritt Huntley Adamson. Adamson (1888–1949) was Captain of the 1912 USC football team, the first to be called the Trojans. He met Rhoda Rindge while employed as a foreman on the Rindge Ranch. The couple married in 1915; the following year, Adamson started Adohr Farms, a dairy business in the San Fernando Valley, which became one of the country's largest dairies. (the name 'Adohr' came from spelling his wife's name backwards).
The property was purchased by the State of California in 1968. The Malibu Lagoon Interpretive Association was formed in 1981, re-opening the home as a museum in 1983. The house is built of steel-reinforced concrete, in the Mediterranean style, featuring hand-painted ceilings, teakwood, and extensive wrought iron. Located at 23200 W. Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
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902 West Kensington RoadOne of the many grand homes in the Angelino Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone that is not on the register of Historic-Cultural Monuments in Los Angeles. Built in 1909, this magnificent Queen Anne Mansion boasts 8 bedrooms and six baths in 7648 sq. feet of living space. It has had some of the best Christmas decorations on the eastside in recent years. -
854 West Adams BoulevardIt is always a cause for joy to see one of these grand old homes rescued and renovated to its original condition. This stately Victorian era home is undergoing extensive renovation (2005). Built in 1898, the home is grand with 8 bedrooms and 6 baths in 9098 sq. feet of living space. It was purchased in 2004 at a cost of $1.3 million dollars and is an excellent candidate for monument status. -
824 East Kensington RoadThis eye-catching gingerbread beauty was built in 1894 for contractor Z.H. Weller. It originally stood at Boyston and Angelina Streets, an area where oil was discovered in the early 20th Century. With the proliferation of oil wells, the house was moved to its location in the Angelino Heights in 1909.
This Queen Anne Classic also has Eastlake and Moorish influences. It was established as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1979 (No. 223). -
700 Palms Residence, Steven Ehrlich, Architect 2003Ehrlich Architects is one of the hottest young firms on the architectural scene in Southern California. Founded in 1979, the firm has received eight National AIA awards and the 'Firm of the Year' Award in 2003 from the AIA California Council.
The 700 Palms Residence is a showcase of Ehrlich design. The wood-and-steel frame structure is designed for flexible use; a roll-down 'scrim' maximizes both light and privacy and maximizes the indoor/outdoor lifestyle most suitable to the balmy climate.Website:www.s-ehrlich.com -
3607 Shannon Road, Los Feliz, 1934I have walked by this house a thousand times admiring its very special curb appeal on my way to the hiking trails of Griffith Park. Built in 1934, it is an outstanding example of the English Tudor cottages that were most popular during the 1920s and 30s. -
2703 S. Hoover Street, Bradbeer & Ferris, Architects, 1891Elegant Queen Anne Victorian located in the Historic West Adams District. Noted for its grand size and handsome verandas, the house has been recognized as an important civic treasure. It was declared an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1981 (No. 240). -
2403 Hill Drive, Eagle Rock c. 1925Hill Drive has a deserved reputation as being one of the best Streets in Eagle Rock. The Spanish Revival style house at 2403 Hill Drive is one of the most beautiful. -
2218 South Harvard BoulevardDeclared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1973 (No. 117), this handsome American Colonial residence originally built in 1910 is located in Sugar Hill, an affluent African-American neighborhood in the West Adams district. As of September 2007, the 1/2 acre property is surrounded by a chain link fence and appears to be vacant. A curious trio of Roman soldiers/statesmen statues stand in a forlorn corner of a barren, grass-less lawn, creating a melancholy composition. It is hoped that this beautiful mansion will one day be rescued from its current state. -
206 N. Grand Avenue, Pasadena c.1887Originally situated across the street at 235 N. Grand Avenue, the site of the James A. Culbertson House. Designed in the Queen Anne Style with an original carriage house in the rear. -
1441-1443 1/2 Carroll AvenueDeclared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978 (No. 191), this stately Queen Anne Victorian has a storied past. Built as a residence for James S. Luckenbach in 1887, it was sold to Kaspare Cohn, the founder of Union Bank in 1902, who established the property as Kapare Cohn Hospital the forerunner of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital (now Cedars-Sinai). -
1411 N. Central Avenue- Architect UnknownA handsome Mediterranean 'castle' located on the southwest corner of Spencer Street and Central Avenue in Glendale, CA. A band of Spanish tile frames the entryway and wraps around the tower. -
1411 Carroll Avenue, Residence and Carriage HouseBuilt in 1885 with both Queen Anne and Eastlake influences, this magnificent home was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978 (No. 190). It is noted for its beautiful interior plaster and woodwork. -
1407 Carroll Avenue, Joseph Cather Newsom, ArchitectDeclared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1978 (No. 189). Constructed in 1885 in the 'El Capitan' design by Architect Joseph Cather Newsom. -
1401 Carroll AvenueBuilt in 1912 in the Swiss Craftsman Style, this magnificent property is located on the northwest corner of Carroll Avenue and Douglas Street and beautifully compliments the other 'painted ladies' in the area. -
1355 Carroll AvenueThe Angelino Heights section of Echo Park contains some of the best preserved Victorian era homes in Los Angeles. Built in 1887 for capitalist Henry L. Pinney, this house which stands on the northeast corner of Carroll
Avenue and Douglas, is a fine example of the Eastlake style. In 1971, it was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 75) in the City of Los Angeles. -
1354 Carroll AvenueBuilt in the Craftsman/Bungalow Style that emerged between 1900 and 1920, this fourplex built in 1912 on the southeast corner of Carroll Avenue and Douglas Street is well-preserved and beautifully maintained. -
1347 Kellam AvenueElegant Queen Anne Victorian built in about 1887 and situated at the southeast corner of Douglas and Kellam Avenue. The home has a 'twin' next door at 1343 Kellam Avenue. The home was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1979 (no. 221). -
1345 Carroll AvenueBuilt in 1887 for Michael Sanders who operated a storage warehouse. The red brick foundaton is often seen in Queen Anne Style houses of the era. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (No. 74). Thankfully, it appears to be undergoing extensive renovation (2005). -
1344 Carroll AvenueDescribed as a 'Gay Nineties' house, this fanciful work of Victorian art with its spindle-and-scroll ornamentation typifies the best of the era. Buit in about 1895 and declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1971 (No. 79) -
1343 Kellam AvenueBuilt in about 1887, this fine old Queen Anne is nearly identical to its next door neighbor at 1347 Kellam. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1979 (No. 220), it is our hope that it will one day be restored. -
1330 Carroll Avenue, Joseph Cather Newsom, ArchitectBuilt circa 1880 for dairyman Charles Sessions, this twelve room Victorian mansion is noted for its fanciful facade and grand presence. It was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1967 (No. 52) -
1329 Carroll AvenueBuilt in 1887 for Daniel Innes, who represented the area on the Los Angeles City Council. The Innes family occupied this home until approximately 1917. Built in the Eastlake style, the home was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in the City of Los Angeles in 1971 (No. 73) -
1324 Carroll AvenueAn excellent example of the Queen Anne style cottage, typical of the 'plan book' houses. Built in 1880 and declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (No. 78) -
1321 Carroll AvenueBuilt circa 1880, this residence originally was located at 1145 Court Street. It is noted for the unusual isometric arrangement of the windows and roofline. Victoriana sources claim the style is almost 'purely Eastlake, although it shows signs of Stick style.' Declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1977 (No. 176). -
1320 Carroll AvenueBuilt in 1888, this Queen Anne has all the trademark flourishes of the grand houses of the era. Established as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1971 (No. 77). -
1316 Carroll AvenueNoted for the brackets and shell motif below the windows and over the porch steps, this Eastlake Victorian was built in 1880. Declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1971 (No. 76). -
1300 Carroll AvenueBuilt by Aaron P. Phillips in about 1880, 1300 Carroll Avenue combines both Queen Anne and Eastlake Victorian styles. The property has been beautifully restored and maintained, and is one of the finest 'painted ladies' to be found in Los Angeles. The home was declared a Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles in 1967 (Number 51). -
1157 West 55th Street, Fred E. Edmison, Architect, 1913A fine example of the Craftsman Style, with Oriental influences. Declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1991 (No. 510). -
1114 Rossmoyne Avenue Architect Unknown 1923In a neighborhood of beautiful homes, this English Tudor Revival home built in 1923 with its sprawling front lawn and rose garden really stands out. The home was listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Places in 2005 (No. 53). -
1110 East Mountain Street, Glendale 1927When my family moved to Glendale from Portland, Oregon in 1957, my dad purchased a modest English Revival home on Everett Street in the prestigous Rossmoyne neigborhood. In my youth, I used to marvel at the big homes on Mountain Street and Rossmoyne Avenue just a few blocks away. This grand Mediterranean estate built in 1927 has always been one of my favorites. -
1101 Douglas StreetDeclared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 1979 (No. 217). This remarkable Queen Anne residence with Colonial Revival touches was built for Moses Langley Wicks, an insurance man from Missouri.
