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The Conservancy is thrilled to participate in Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. by reprising our Curating the City program with a focus on Greater L.A.'s amazing legacy of modern architecture. Treating the built environment as a living museum, the Conservancy is curating fifty years of modern architecture through tours, panel discussions, an innovative new website, and more. From the transformation of downtown’s Bunker Hill to 1970s and ’80s gems in Venice, Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A. highlights our unparalleled modern legacy and the need to preserve it for future generations. SCHEDULE (all programs subject to change) Don't miss out on related news and updates! Join the Conservancy's Events e-mail list by checking the "Events" box on our e-mail sign-up page.
Mini Modern Lunchtime Tours What, the skyscrapers of Bunker Hill are historic? Although not yet fifty years old (the common threshold for ‘historic,’), downtown’s skyscrapers have come to define the modern-day Los Angeles skyline. Throughout May, the Conservancy will offer free lunchtime walking tours to share the surprising stories and unique history of some of these iconic buildings. These brief tours are designed specifically for the people who work in and around these modern gems. Modern Skyline Walking Tours One of the Conservancy’s signature series of year-round walking tours, Modern Skyline highlights the skyscrapers, plazas, and public art that define downtown’s Bunker Hill. Skilled volunteer docents share fascinating stories of the area’s transformation and show how the city center mixes the new with the old as it changes over time.
Modern by Moonlight Walking Tours A nighttime twist on the Modern Skyline walking tour, Modern by Moonlight will show the skyscrapers and plazas of Bunker Hill under the light of a full moon. The tour will end at the Bona Vista Lounge at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel for a cocktail and spectacular nighttime view. Guests will enjoy discounts on select cocktails. Website – Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A. The Conservancy’s new website will launch with a dedicated section for Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A. From famous icons to hidden gems, the microsite will include a map of 300 modern buildings for visitors to explore firsthand or online, sharing their own stories along the way. The microsite will also include preservation success stories and challenges, an essay by renowned author Alan Hess on modernism in Greater L.A., information about upcoming events, and more. Designed as a permanent resource, the microsite will continue to expand after the Getty initiative ends.
Last Remaining Seats Screening at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The ever-popular Last Remaining Seats series of classic films in historic theatres will visit The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (1964) for the first time, screening the classic musical, My Fair Lady. The film opened the same year as this elegant venue, designed by Welton Becket and Associates for The Music Center of Los Angeles County. Panel Discussion - Preserving Sprawl: The Suburbs Become Historic and “Landmark This!” Workshop This panel discussion will re-examine suburbanization and sprawl as a key chapter in the story of post-World War II Los Angeles. Looking at two centers of suburbanization, the San Fernando Valley and Lakewood, will offer insight into the history of their development and what they mean to the people who live there. Today, many of the neighborhoods and communities that once defined the new growth of L.A. are threatened with redevelopment, renovation, and sometimes complete demolition. Panelists include Robert Bruegmann, Professor Emeritus of Art History, Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Sprawl: A Compact History; Kevin Roderick, author of The San Fernando Valley: America’s Suburb; and D. J. Waldie, author of Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir about the development of Lakewood. The panel will be moderated by author and architecture critic, Alan Hess. Immediately following the panel and in partnership with the Office of Historic Resources, we will offer a workshop called Landmark This! on how to help protect modern and culturally significant resources through landmark designation.
Are you on Instagram? If so, you can use it to help us celebrate fifty years of modern architecture with Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A.
PAST EVENTS Tour – Venice Eclectic: Modern Architecture from the 1970s and ’80s More than 500 people came out for our tour of exceptional sites in Venice from the 1970s and '80s. Rare access inside unique spaces, a great mix of art and architecture, a terrific panel discussion with architects Steven Ehrlich, Brian Murphy, and Frederick Fisher, and an Instagram contest made it a great day.
L.A. Conservancy Annual Meeting & Panel Discussion - Modern Renewal: Legacy of Lost and Found on Bunker Hill The Conservancy’s annual meeting featured a panel of experts discussing the evolution of downtown’s Bunker Hill from an upscale residential district at the turn of the twentieth century into the world-class commercial and cultural hub it is today. Held at the striking Bonaventure Hotel (John Portman & Associates, 1974-78), this free event included a breakfast reception and optional tours of the hotel and surrounding area. ABOUT CURATING THE CITY Launched originally in 2005 as Curating the City: Wilshire Boulevard, the Conservancy's Curating the City program is broad-based approach that encourages the ongoing exploration and appreciation of L.A.’s unique built environment. It treats the city itself (or rather, the county) as a living museum, interpreting various aspects of our cultural heritage in different ways. The subject of each Curating the City project is a particular architectural or historical theme within the built environment of Los Angeles County. Specific components include architectural tours, publications, online resources, panel discussions, youth activities, and even film screenings, photography exhibits, and fashion shows.
Funded by a grant from the Getty Foundation, Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A. is part of the Getty's new initiative, Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. Pacific Standard Time Presents celebrates the city’s modern architectural heritage through thematic exhibitions at nine venues in and around the city. Supported by grants from the Getty Foundation, Modern Architecture in L.A. provides a wide-ranging look at the region’s postwar built environment and the contributions of Los Angeles architects to the field. By examining a range of building types, from iconic modernist homes to the vast freeway network that has shaped this unique megalopolis, the exhibitions promise new insight into the city’s planning, development and global impact. The initiative includes a diverse group of practitioners, from internationally known figures such as Richard Neutra and Frank Gehry, to others who have been critical to shaping Southern California’s distinctive profile, such as A. Quincy Jones and Eric Owen Moss. Related lectures, films, tours and discussions organized by the exhibition venues and other participating organizations from April–July 2013 will explore the history of L.A.’s development as well as its future. Designed to continue the momentum and collaborative spirit of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980, Modern Architecture in L.A. is the first of the smaller-scale Pacific Standard Time Presents offerings. For more information, visit pacificstandardtimepresents.org.
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| Bullocks Wilshire/Southwestern Law School 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Wilshire Center Inspired by new design ideas at the Paris Exposition, John Bullock and partner P.G. Winnett created the magnificent Art Deco Bullocks Wilshire building in 1929 as a "cathedral of commerce." Its soaring tower served as a beacon, and its large glass windows appealed to motorists passing by. The main entrance to the building is situated in the back, something completely unique at the time, to cater to the automobile. After the store closed in 1993, the building's fate hung in the balance until neighboring Southwestern University School of Law purchased it for its campus expansion. Southwestern spent ten years and $29 million to restore the building's historic elements while adapting it for state-of-the-art academic use. This world-renowned landmark enjoys new life as an inspirational learning environment and a prime example of adaptive reuse. Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #56, Listed in the National Register of Historic Places Photo courtesy of Frank Cooper |