Saturday, February 26, 2011

Pershing Square- Ricardo Legorreta, Architect & Laurie Olin Landscape Architect (Renovation 1992)

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.

Friday, February 25, 2011

William Wrigley Mansion 'Tournament House' G. Lawrence Stimson, Architect 1906-1914

The formal dining room is the only room in the house that is furnished with pieces from the Wrigley era. The walls are lined with figured crotch mahogany, imported from the Phillipines (the wood is now extinct.) The painting on the right is a 1899 portrait of the 1907 Rose Queen, Joan Hadenfeldt Woodbury. The ornate plastered ceiling is known as a "Stimson" ceiling, a design detail the architect would later become famous for.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

W. A. McHenry House, C.W. Buchanan, Architect 1903

This 1903 Craftsman style residence was the first house built on Ford Place. The house was originally constructed as a winter home for land speculator, rancher, and banker W.A. McHenry. It was designed by architect C.W. Buchanan and constructed by builders Crowell & Seward. Of wood frame construction, the house is sheathed in clapboard on the first two stories, with half-timbering and plaster on the third. The foundation, chimney, porch piers and porch walls are of brick, the last capped with cast stone.

Warren & Belle Dunn Mansion, C.W Buchanan, Architect 1904

The historic home of Warren K. and Belle R. Dunn, designed by Architect C.W. Buchanan in 1904. The building is currently named for Herbert J. Taylor, a close friend and counselor of Charles Fuller, the Founder of Fuller Seminary and a member f the seminary's founding Board of Trustees. Taylor was President of Club Aluminum Company, a devoted Christian, he established the Christian Workers Foundation and was a charter member of the National Association of Evangelicals. He served Fuller Seminary with his leadership and love for 31 years.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Edmund Blinn House, George Washington Maher, Architect 1905-06

Designed by Chicago-based architect George W. Maher, one of the very few he designed in the west (the other is a combined public library and water tower in Fresno). The house is designed in the Prairie School style. The house is now home of the Women's City Club of Pasadena and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Located at 160 N. Oakland Avenue in Pasadena, California.

David Allan Hubbard Library Expansion & Renovation, House & Robertson Architects, William McDonough + Partners 2009

This project includes a new 48,250-sq.-ft. addition to the existing 34,705-sq.-ft. McAlister Library, with two stories below grade and three above. The project was one of the first to be permitted by the City of Pasadena under their green building municipal code requirements.
This new library is dedicated in honor of David Allan Hubbard, past president of Fuller Theological Seminay from 1963-1993. The library is located on the campus of Fuller Seminary, 135 N. Oakland Avenue.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Kett House- A. Quincy Jones & Frederick E. Emmons, Architects 1950

During 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.

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Sowden House, Lloyd Wright, Architect 1926-27

Visiting 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.

Designed 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-

St Cecilia's Roman Catholic Church, Ross Montgomery, Architect 1927

A 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.

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Hall House, Mark Hall Architect 1981

Designed by the architect for his family, the exterior walls are formed from 'energy-efficient corrugated concrete asbestos', probably in retrospect not the ideal material. Architect Mark Hall served as president of the Los Angeles chapter, American Institute of Architects in 1985, and is also Past President of the Los Angeles Conservancy..

Hall is co-founder and principal of Archiplan, a Los Angeles-based planning and architectural firm.

The Mark Hall House is located at 3711 Prestwick Drive in Los Feliz

Mark Hall House, Mark Hall Architect 1981

Designed by the architect for his family, the exterior walls are formed from 'energy-efficient corrugated concrete asbestos', probably in retrospect not the ideal material. Architect Mark Hall served as president of the Los Angeles chapter, American Institute of Architects in 1985, and is also Past President of the Los Angeles Conservancy.. Hall is co-founder and principal of Archiplan, a Los Angeles-based planning and architectural firm.

Monday, February 07, 2011

Swan House, Lee + Mundwiler Architects 2009

Designed by award-winning architects Lee + Mundwiler, this house features an open floor plan, natural wood floors, imported stone, polished concrete floors and walls, and finishes of the highest quality. The Santa Monica-based architectural firm with principal architects, Stephen Mundwiler and Cara Lee have won many awards, including an AIA National Honor Award and AIA California Merit Award for the design of the Central Park of the New Radiant City in Shenzan, China; an AIA National Housing Award for the design of the “Coconut House” in Los Angeles; and an AIA National Honor Award and AIA California Merit Award for the design of the Bundesplatz-Swiss Government Plaza in Bern Switzerland. The house was most recently listed for sale for $1,195,000. Located at 2955 Swan Place in Silver Lake.

Chiat-Day-Mojo Advertising Agency, Frank O. Gehry & Assoicates 1985-91

It 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!

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Chris Nichols, Allen Anderson, Tracy Stone, Julius Shulman, Karen Vidal, Edie Shapiro, Charlene Nichols

Friends gathered on the night of October 29, 2007 to honor German Photographer/World Traveler MARTIN SCHALL on his annual visit to Los Angeles. Guy and Karen Vidal were kind enough to co-host a reception for Martin. Here's a photo of some of the revelers: (L-R) LA Magazine City Editor Chris Nichols, Julius Shulman, Allen Anderson, Tracy Stone AIA, Karen Vidal (DesignVidal), Edie Shapiro and Charlene Nichols. It was my honor to be Martin's host during his visit.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Johnstone House, William Kesling, Designer 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.

Villa Palombo-Togneri, Innocenti Palombo, Designer 1927

A Beaux-Arts Masterpiece c. 1927. Popularized by the great classical architects of the time (like Paul Williams and Irving Gill), Mediterranean and Spanish style mansions were all the rage of the rich and famous of the period. Not much is known about the builder, however, it is said, that he hoped that in building this fine mansion others would follow suit. It must have been a little more than disappointing to realize the result. The house, located on Mayberry Street, is set in a neighborhood characterized by modest California bungalows, and yet it makes a statement. It is considered the 'Crown Jewel' of Mayberry Heights.