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2009 PRESERVATION AWARDS Congratulations to the recipients of the Conservancy’s 28th Annual Preservation Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation. 2009 PRESIDENT’S AWARD 2009 PROJECT AWARDS MORE INFORMATION |
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President’s Award: Robert W. Winter, Ph.D.
This renowned architectural historian, author, and educator has spent decades promoting awareness and appreciation of Los Angeles’ built environment. Widely celebrated for his work on the Arts and Crafts Movement in California (which earned him the moniker “Bungalow Bob”), Dr. Winter taught at both UCLA and Occidental College, served on several preservation commissions, and has long been active in local historical societies and preservation organizations. Perhaps his greatest single contribution to the field of preservation lies in one book. Among many other works on California architecture, Dr. Winter co-wrote the groundbreaking Los Angeles: An Architectural Guide with the late David Gebhard. This definitive guide helped change the public’s perception of Los Angeles from an endless landscape of sprawl to a trove of unique architectural treasures. Fifteen years after publication, the guide remains a vital resource and a key factor in fostering a culture of preservation in Los Angeles. |
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In 1925, the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) built its West Coast headquarters at the corner of Mateo and Industrial Streets just east of downtown Los Angeles. Prominent Midwestern architect E. J. Eckel designed the seven-story “skyscraper” of brick, steel, and concrete, which was built at a then-astronomical cost of $2 million. After serving decades later as a clothing manufacturing facility, the building languished until 2006, when it was adapted into 104 live/work lofts with ground-floor retail. The project brought new life to a historic industrial building, used the Mills Act Program to offer residents tax relief, and helped to create a vibrant new mini-community in the Arts District. Owner/Developer: Linear City & ColonyCapital |
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The oldest continuously operating public house in Los Angeles, Cole’s has been serving Angelenos since 1908. Harry Cole established the restaurant and saloon in the Pacific Electric building, in a former terminal for horse-drawn streetcars. Cole’s became a hangout for Red Car commuters, downtown workers, even prizefighters and gangsters. After nearly a century of ongoing use, Cole’s needed major upgrades and a good cleaning. In a project that could easily have been overdone as a caricature of an old-time eatery, this careful restoration used invaluable restraint, doing just enough to renew original features while keeping the authentic patina of a century-old landmark. Owners: Cedd Moses, Mark Verge, CJ Goodyear, Mike Goodyear |
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| Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group |
This Classical Revival church, built in 1910 for Pasadena’s burgeoning Christian Scientist congregation, was the largest building in the city at the time. It was designed to be completely fireproof and was topped by one of the earliest examples of a reinforced concrete dome. Nearly a century later, structural work revealed the need for a large-scale seismic upgrade. The project team analyzed the building’s condition, installed a major structural system that is virtually invisible, and restored historic finishes. And they did it all with a budget of only $3.5 million, and without disrupting a single church service in eighteen months.
Owner: First Church of Christ, Scientist Pasadena
Architect: Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Preservation Architect: Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Contractor: MTM Construction
Construction Manager: First Church of Christ, Scientist Pasadena
Architectural Conservator: Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Weidlinger Associates
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Advanced Engineering Systems
Consultant: Hart-Weidlinger
Griffith Park City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Application
Los Feliz
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| Photo by Daniel Paul, ICF Jones & Stokes |
At over 4,000 acres, Griffith Park is the largest interurban wilderness park in the United States. It is also widely considered the heart and soul of Los Angeles. To help protect the park from incompatible development and foster public involvement in future planning, members of the Griffith family nominated the park for designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The exhaustive 400-page nomination provides a model for addressing the complex issues involved in designating a large-scale cultural landscape. The project paid great tribute to the crown jewel of Los Angeles parks, as well as the value of public space in general.
Client: Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust ( Griffith Van Griffith, Clare Darden, and Dr. Mike Eberts)
Associate Author: Dr. Mike Eberts, Glendale Community College
Lead Author: Daniel Paul, ICF Jones & Stokes
Associate Author: Elizabeth Weaver, ICF Jones & Stokes
Associate Author: Meghan Potter, ICF Jones & Stokes Project Manager and Associate Author: Christopher J. Hetzel, ICF Jones & Stokes
Principal in Charge: Richard Starzak, ICF Jones & Stokes
Attorney: Jan Chatten-Brown, Esq., Chatten-Brown & Carstens
Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood
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| Photo by Jim Simmons, courtesy COE Architecture International |
Noted architect Gordon Kaufmann designed the Hollywood Palladium on a site once occupied by one of the precursors to Paramount Studios. The Streamline Moderne nightclub opened in 1940 and has been an entertainment icon ever since. Yet for decades, it was vulnerable to demolition due to deferred maintenance, management troubles, and even Hollywood’s own renaissance. A new owner chose to revitalize the Palladium as the centerpiece of new development. The project team renovated the building for modern use while returning it to its original appearance. The result is a revitalized entertainment icon in a legendary entertainment district, and a model for other large-scale development in Hollywood.
Owner/Developer: NCA Green (with assistance from Hollywood Eclipse, LLC)
Design Architect: COE Architecture International
Architect & Preservation Architect (Executive): Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Lighting Designer: COE Architecture International
Landscape Architect: Ah′bé Landscape Architects
Contractor: Morley Builders
Construction Manager: NCA Green
Interior Renovation Architect: KKE Architects, Inc.
Interior Renovation Contractor: PCL Construction Services, Inc.
Tenant’s In-House Architect: Live Nation
Historic Preservation Consultant: Historic Resources Group, LLC
Architectural Conservator: Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Nabih Youssef Associates
Mechanical Engineer: Vision Mechanical Services
Electrical Engineer: Chenco Engineering, Inc.
Waterproofing: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
Project Funding: Community Redevelopment Agency, Los Angeles
Consulting Architect: E. Jon Frishman
Mural Artist: Sussman / Prejza & Company, Inc.
La Laguna de San Gabriel
Historic Structures Report and Preservation Plan
San Gabriel
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| Photo courtesy Michael Possert, Jr. |
In the corner of Vincent Lugo Park sits La Laguna, a playground handcrafted in the mid-1960s by master concrete artist Benjamin Dominguez. This beloved “lagoon” of whimsical sea creatures was threatened with demolition in 2006 as part of a park expansion plan. After successfully rallying to save the playground, a grassroots group commissioned a groundbreaking study and preservation plan for this unique architectural treasure.
Preservation professionals applied standard methodologies to an unconventional resource: the postwar playground. In addition to laying the essential groundwork for preserving La Laguna, the project created a framework for historic playgrounds everywhere, already serving as a model around the state and the nation.
Project Lead: Friends of La Laguna
Preservation Architect: Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. Consulting Arborist: Cy Carlberg, Registered Consulting Arborist
Historic Preservation Consultant: The Arroyo Guild Preservation Contractor/Estimating Services: California Restoration & Waterproofing
Structural Engineer: Melvyn Green & Associates, Inc. Architectural Historian: ICF Jones & Stokes
Preservation Planning: Frank Parrello
Owner: City of San Gabriel
Funder: Metabolic Studio/Annenberg Foundation, under direction of Lauren Bon
Malibu Pier
Malibu
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| Photo courtesy California State Parks |
This iconic sports fishing pier has been a public recreational destination for over seventy-five years. Particularly vulnerable to the elements, the wooden pier had suffered heavily from daily exposure to wind and water, recurring storm damage, and years of deferred maintenance. Over a decade of phased planning and implementation, the project team repaired and restored deteriorated portions of the pier’s superstructure, restored and rehabilitated four buildings from 1945, restored nearby structures designed by Stiles Clements for the adjacent Adamson House, improved access and utilities, and planned historically inspired concessions. With this project, the California State Parks Department showed strong stewardship of this beloved historic resource and public amenity.
Owner: California State Parks Department
State Historian/Preservation Specialist: California State Parks, Southern Service Center
State Parks Architect (Building Restoration): California State Parks, Southern Service Center
State Parks Architect (Tenant Improvements): California State Parks, Northern Service Center
State Parks Engineer (Building Restoration): California State Parks, Southern Service Center
State Parks Engineer (Pier Stabilization): California State Parks, Northern Service Center
Structural Engineer:
Cole Yee Schubert & Associates
Contractor (Building Restoration): Dennis J. Amoroso Construction
Contractor (Pier Stabilization): Meek Construction Company Concessionaire: Malibu Pier Partners
Architect (Concessionaire Tenant Improvements): Architecture & Light
Historic Preservation Consultant (Concessionaire Tenant Improvements): Historic Resources Group
Mark Taper Forum
Downtown Los Angeles
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| Photo by Tom Bonner |
Designed by Welton Becket and Associates, the Mark Taper Forum opened in 1967 as part of the Music Center of Los Angeles County. By 2007, the Taper was bursting at the seams, needed major upgrades, and had endured decades of piecemeal alterations. Rather than expand the building upward or outward—and ruining the historic integrity of both the Taper and the Music Center—the project team excavated underneath the building, preserving its signature circular shape and context within the complex. The project restored original features, carefully blended old with new, and recognized the value of historic resources from the 1960s, now coming of age.
Owner: The Music Center of Los Angeles County
Design Architect: Rios Clementi Hale Studios
Executive Architect: Harley Ellis Devereaux
Preservation Architect: Rios Clementi Hale Studios
Contractor: Taisei Construction
Construction Manager: TRIP, Inc.
Structural Engineer: KPFF
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Harley Ellis Devereaux Plumbing Engineer: Murray Company
Theater Design: Sachs Morgan Studio
Lighting Design: Jaffe Holden
Fire/Life Safety, Accessibility Compliance: Schirmer Engineering Corporation
Pisgah Village
Highland Park
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| Photo courtesy Ena Dubnoff Architects |
In 1895, Dr. Finis E. Yoakum founded a non-denominational Christian movement to serve the poor in Los Angeles. His Pisgah Home Movement headquarters was a Highland Park compound that grew to encompass eleven structures in various styles. The site served as a mission through the early 1990s, although by 2002 the buildings had fallen into serious disrepair and were vulnerable to demolition. By rehabilitating the historic buildings and adding five new ones, the project revitalized a full city block as a cohesive village with forty-seven units of low-income senior housing. A preservation trifecta, Pisgah Village improves lives, preserves history, and enhances the community.
Architect: Ena Dubnoff Architects
Owner: Pisgah Village, LP
Project Developer: W.O.R.K.S.
Special Limited Partner: Pisgah Village CDC
Historic Preservation Consultant: Frank F. Parrello
Historic Preservation Consultant: Historic Resources Group, LLC
Structural Engineer: Brian L. Cochran Associates
Civil Engineer for Grading: John B. Abell, Inc.
Civil Engineer for Site Utilities: VCA Engineers
Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical Engineer: Building Solutions
Landscape Architect: Rodriguez and Satterthwaite
Contractor: Nikou Construction
2009 AWARDS JURY
Jessica Wethington McLean (Chair) ; Executive Director, Bringing Back Broadway, Office of Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar
Kenneth A. Breisch, Ph.D.; Director of Graduate Programs in Historic Preservation, University of Southern California School of Architecture
Marie Campbell; President, Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
John D. Lesak, AIA, LEED AP; Principal, Page & Turnbull
Will Wright; Director of Government and Public Affairs, AIA/Los Angeles
Back to Preservation Awards Overview
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Palace Theatre Built in 1911 as the third home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in Los Angeles, this theatre at Sixth St. and Broadway, a work of architect G. Albert Lansburgh, is now the oldest remaining original Orpheum theatre in the country. Loosely styled after a Florentine Renaissance palazzo, the facade of this brick and concrete structure features terra cotta flowers, fairies, and theatrical masks illustrating the spirit of entertainment. Photo courtesy of Tom Zimmerman |
