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Events Calendar • Preservation Awards |
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PRESERVATION AWARDS The Los Angeles Conservancy will be presenting its 21st Annual Preservation Awards on Wednesday May 8th at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave. in downtown Los Angeles. The event will begin with an 11:30 a.m. reception in the Tiffany Room, followed by a noon luncheon in the Crystal Ballroom. For a second year, the luncheon will be sponsored by City National Bank. General tickets for this annual fundraising luncheon are $85, with tables of 10 at $850 (general seating), $1,250 (preferred seating, and $2,500 (premiere seating). To order tickets, please click here. We would like to thank the independent Awards Jury that selected this year's recipients: Robert Uyeda, FAIA, Jury Chair, of Tetra Design; Barbara Hoff Delvac, former Conservancy staff member who is now a preservation consultant and realtor; John Given, with the development firm CIM Group; Richard Mayer, of Troller Mayer Associates landscape architects; Margie Johnson Reese, General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department; and Christi Van Cleve of Roschen Van Cleve Architects. Award-Winning Projects
Arroyo Seco Parkway HAER Documentation Project, Arroyo Seco Parkway Corridor Landscape Framework Plan and "The Lure and Legacy of the Lower Arroyo Seco" Educational Video
Caltrans: Diane Kane, Ron Kosinski The legacy of the Arroyo Seco, perhaps one of Los Angeles' most underappreciated historic areas, has benefited tremendously from three independent but closely linked documentation, planning and educational projects. A Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation Project, undertaken by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), documents and interprets the history of the Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway), where Los Angeles' famed freeway system began. The project details a key moment in the history of Los Angeles' car culture and yields new insights into one of our important "cultural landscapes". The Landscape Framework Plan, another Caltrans project, provides a vision and blueprint for community action, using parkway rehabilitation as a catalyst for corridor improvements that strengthen the historic and cultural characteristics of the Arroyo Seco. The "Lure and Legacy of the Lower Arroyo Seco" video, created by volunteers from the effective neighborhood preservation organization Highland Park Heritage Trust, extends this work into community education, shining an important light on the history, architecture, and natural beauty of this remarkable corner of Los Angeles. The collective result is a rich tapestry of vivid historical documentation, impressive action in the present, and an inspiring orientation toward the future, all mixed with real community involvement, in a diverse historic community that is a true microcosm of Los Angeles.
Bullock's Westwood/10861 Building Owner: Madison Marquette Design Partner: Stephen H. Kanner, FAIA, Kanner Architects Project Architects: Mark Hembree and Damian LeMons, Kanner Architects Environmental Graphics and Signage: Sussman/Prejza & Co., Inc. Landscape Design: Pamela Burton Structural Engineer: Karagozian + Case Mechanical Engineer: TMAD EngineersThe 1950 Modern Bullock's Westwood department store, designed by Welton Becket, had laid vacant for several years, a symbol of an economically struggling Westwood Village. The building has now been sensitively transformed into a multi-tenant retail center, incorporating a long-desired supermarket for Westwood Village, as well as large chain electronics and home design stores. The building again serves as an anchor for Westwood Villlage, bridging and activating Westwood's retail district with UCLA to the north and the residential neighborhoods to the east. In the process, a department store that was originally meant to respond to Los Angeles' burgeoning automobile culture has become a 21st-century antidote to the "big box", incorporating the needs of corporate tenants in an authentic and historic Modernist setting.
George R. Kress House and Archive Rodney Kemerer and Lindsay Doran (owners) Dianne Kress Franklin (daughter of George R. Kress, posthumously) The George R. Kress House is a Tudor Revival house with Germanic and French influences located on the west slope of Benedict Canyon, Its owners, Rodney Kemerer and Lindsay Doran, have embarked on a ten-year quest to understand the mystery of the house's design and construction and to uncover the identity of the man who built it. Their inquiry led them to discover the builder - George R. Kress - a "house mover" who had relocated hundreds of Los Angeles buildings during the first half of the 20th century. In Kress' greatest feat, he helped the Commercial Exchange Building at Eighth and Olive in downtown Los Angeles avoid demolition due to a street widening by cutting a section out of the middle of the 13-story building, moving a portion of it away from the street, and then rejoining the two pieces. The detective work of Kemerer and Doran has resulted in the preservation of one significant historic home, but also so much more: it has served as an inspirational project to other residents of the area, and has created a oral history and archive that is an irreplaceable portrait of the city's architectural history from the early 20th century.
Los Angeles City Hall City of Los Angeles Project Managers: Bureau of Engineering, City of Los Angeles Project Restore Project Architect/Engineer: AC Martin Partners Historic Preservation Architect: Levin & Associates Contractor: Clark Construction Structural Consultant: Nabih Youssef and Associates The 28-story City Hall, the only building to break Los Angeles' historic 13-story height limit, has long been considered the built symbol of the City of Los Angeles itself. Despite its iconic status, the building was seriously deficient structurally and in modern life-safety code compliance, and by the early 1990s there was public discussion of replacing City Hall with a new building. A seismic rehabilitation project, spearheaded in part by the grandsons of one of the original architects, has made City Hall a functional and safe government center for the 21st century. In addition to the seismic work, the project included an exemplary restoration of City Hall's historic features, assisted by private funds raised by the organization Project Restore. The project also rediscovered City Hall's forgotten jewels: the Lindbergh Beacon, which had been removed during World War II, was renovated and reinstalled on the building's crown; and a beautiful, original 11-foot chandelier that once hung in the Rotunda was renovated and reinstalled. The finished result has restored the safety and beauty of one of Los Angeles' most notable landmarks, offering a noble testament to the democratic process.
Mutual Housing Association Homes (Crestwood Hills) - Restoration and Historic-Cultural Monument Designation Cory Buckner, AIA Just after World War II, the Mutual Housing Association (MHA), a group whose mission was to provide more affordable housing, purchased 800 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains, an area now known as Crestwood Hills. They built 150 new homes for middle-income families designed in an experimental Modern style by architects Whitney R. Smith and A. Quincy Jones. Only 31 of these pioneering homes remain intact today. Architect Cory Buckner has spearheaded an inspiring effort to restore and remodel seven of the original MHA homes, always in a restrained manner that has been faithful to the homes' original intent and historic details. But Buckner has gone well beyond restoration work, undertaking the actual preservation of the neighborhood by preparing successful City Historic-Cultural Monument nominations for ten of the homes. Her efforts have underscored the history of a unique Los Angeles neighborhood, preserved pioneering examples of Southern California Modernism, and enhanced the sense of community in Crestwood Hills.
Old Bank District - San Fernando/Hellman/Continental Buildings Gilmore Associates, Developer Killefer Flammang, Architects Nabih Youssef, Structural Engineer Patsaouras and Associates, MEP Engineer The development firm Gilmore Associates has transformed three vacant historic office buildings - the San Fernando, Hellman and Continental Buildings - into a successful and much-heralded model of new urban residential living. The Old Bank District project has created 240 loft-style apartments, creating a true sense of neighborhood in the Historic Downtown. Gilmore's team overcame significant challenges, such as lingering negative perceptions of downtown, complex financing demands, and the need to pioneer adaptive reuse building code solutions with city officials. The project has not only provided much-needed urban housing and raised the profile of historic rehabilitation as a vital part of real estate development, but it has even led to supportive State and City legislation to spur adaptive reuse projects and inspired many other private developers to invest in and rehabilitate downtown's historic treasures.
Orpheum Theatre Owner/Developer: Steve Needleman, CEO Anjac Fashion Buildings Project Manager: Ed Kelsey, Anjac Fashion Buildings Project Administrator: Mark Cohen Project Architect: Dean Lee, FSY Architects The ornate 1926 Orpheum Theatre, designed by architect G. Albert Lansburgh, is one of the most beautiful and significant historic theaters in Los Angeles, an anchor of the Broadway Historic Theater and Commercial District, which is the largest collection of historic movie palaces in the world. Steve Needleman, CEO of Anjac Fashion Buildings, the Orpheum's owner, stepped forward with his personal vision and financing to pursue a nearly $3 million renovation to bring the Orpheum back as a viable venue for live entertainment and filming. In addition to spectacular restoration work, the Orpheum now boasts long-needed amenities such as modern air conditioning, new seats, new plumbing, expanded restrooms, and a new electrical system and stage rigging. As the first major theater renovation to be completed on Broadway, the Orpheum project has set a high standard for future Broadway theater projects. The project represents a testament to one owner's leadership and commitment, and is a key piece of the puzzle in Broadway's revitalization.
Southwest Museum Community Services Center - Ziegler Estate Council District 1: Ed Reyes, Councilmember; Mike Hernandez, former Councilmember Los Angeles Community Development Department: Rodney Sakai, Shirley Williams Bureau of Engineering: Tony Lee, Greg Nuno, Gary Halajia Los Angeles Community Development Department: Vincent Jarak Preservation Consultants: Historic Resources Group, Martin Weil Consulting Engineer: Michael Krakower Contractor: Stenco Construction The Ziegler Estate, a 1904 transitional Victorian/Craftsman Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in the Highland Park neighborhood, was in very poor condition by the mid-1990s by the time a new Blue Line (now Gold Line) station was planned immediately adjacent. The City of Los Angeles, with the leadership of the First Council District and creative public sector architectural talent in the City's own Bureau of Engineering, has undertaken an outstanding adaptive reuse of the historic home as a child care center. The project successfully overcame numerous building code challenges, beautifully restored many deteriorated features, and made the building very functional for an exciting new use, creating a community amenity that will have tremendous public benefit to Northeast Los Angeles.
Special Awards
PRESIDENT'S AWARD: The President of the Conservancy's Board of Directors annually selects an award that showcases a special project or recognizes the outstanding efforts of an individual or an organization. This year's President's Award, selected by Conservancy President Christy McAvoy, recognizes the pivotal role of the visual image in making historic preservation possible. Julius Shulman, perhaps more than any single individual, has shaped our perceptions of the local built environment, through a remarkable 65-year career in architectural photography. His famous photos of the Case Study Houses, the works of Richard Neutra and Charles Eames, and the explosion of Southern California Modern architecture defined the Southern California lifestyle at mid-century and, in more recent years, have made a powerful case in themselves for the preservation and restoration of these long-underappreciated Modernist icons. The Los Angeles Public Library's Photography Collection and its support group Photo Friends, ably guided by Photo Curator Carolyn Cole, has assembled a truly impressive collection of photographs that detail the history and architecture of the Los Angeles area. Their special collection and documentation initiatives such as "Shades of L.A." and the "Neighborhood Project" have expanded and enhanced the Library's collection of materials that tell the story of the city's changing communities. And, over the last two years, the Photo Friends Architectural Committee has been working to identify buildings shown in the Library's photographs by architect, date, and location for the Library's website (www.lapl.org). This effort is creating an invaluable resource for future researchers into Los Angeles' built environment. |
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One Bunker Hill Also known as the Southern California Edison Company Building, this was one of the first all-electrically heated and cooled buildings built in the western United States. The fourteen-story steel frame building boasts the classic Art Deco style that is apparent throughout, with spandrels containing a cubic art deco pattern on the façade, and impressive murals in the lobby. Photo courtesy of Bruce Boehner. |
