Spotlight on the San Fernando Valley
The Valley rocks! Author Kevin Roderick calls it “America’s Suburb.” And it is full of excellent examples of Modern architecture, from the corporate and commercial gems along Ventura Boulevard, to the Ranch homes in Northridge, and everything in between.
The architecture exemplifies the region's explosive growth in the second half of the twentieth century. The San Fernando Valley offered a uniquely Southern California lifestyle, with just a little more elbow room, a little more ease.
The Valley represented to many a further refinement of the time-honored American dream –- a home of one’s own, a sunny climate, affordable living, easy access to employment, quality schools, the promise of a better life.
These three virtual tours are a great way to get to know some of the architecture of the Valley.
Valley Ho!
The Valley was the perfect postwar canvas for entire neighborhoods of Ranch Houses, each with its distinct flavor but all evoking an image of rural living in the modern world.
Perched over the Valley are amazing feats of architecture and engineering designed by some of the biggest names in Modern architecture.
This 16-mile route is rich with twentieth-century San Fernando Valley lore and fascinating architecture to go along with it.
Curating the City: Modern Architecture in L.A. is part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. This collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together seventeen cultural institutions from April through July 2013 for a wide-ranging look at the postwar built environment of the city as a whole, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network, revealing the city’s development and ongoing impact in new ways. Major support for this project has been provided by the Getty Foundation. pacificstandardtimepresents.org.