John Lautner was one of the most important American architects of the twentieth century, and perhaps one of the most misunderstood...

The decade of the 1950s established Southern California’s reputation for creativity in architecture. The city’s residential architecture gained international fame, largely due to the Case Study program sponsored by Arts+Architecture magazine. Through Sunset magazine, however, California design spread even more widely and popularly. The region’s growth was also gaining attention nationally; its burgeoning population led […]

Architect and historian Alan Hess has written nineteen books on Modern architecture and urbanism in the mid-twentieth century. They include The Architecture of John Lautner, Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture, Julius Shulman: Palm Springs, Viva Las Vegas, The Ranch House, and Oscar Niemeyer: Houses. Hess has been active in the preservation of post-World War II […]

Carson does not currently have a historic preservation ordinance. Despite lacking any historic preservation policies, Carson has demonstrated a willingness to recognize architecturally significant structures and ensure that they continue to reflect the community’s character.  The City provided Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to aid in the façade and signage repainting of the privately […]

Like the Conservancy itself, the Modern Committee began as a small group of passionate and concerned citizens and, over time, grew into a powerful voice for preservation in Los Angeles. The Modern Committee started life as the Fifties Task Force, a volunteer subcommittee of the Conservancy formed in 1984 in response to the rapid destruction […]

Helen Fong was a true pioneer. Very few women, let alone Chinese-American women, were practicing architects in postwar America...

One of Los Angeles' defining historic sites, the Ambassador fueled development of Wilshire Boulevard and housed the world-famous Cocoanut Grove.