On Thursday, a few of my colleagues from FIDM and myself went on an architectural tour of Los Angeles. It was awe-inspiring!The first building we visited was the new CalTrans building in downtown LA. I loved that the architect, Thom Mayne of Morphosis, chose to use mostly building materials that are associated with transportation infrastructure, and allowed these materials to become sculptural elements that are raised to the level of art... whereas these features are often simply functional and go unnoticed in their original environments on freeways and overpasses, etc. This building is located at the intersection of 100 Main Street and 100 First Street in downtown, so the huge (4-story) number really becomes a great landmark.
After the CalTrans building, we saw the 19th century Bradbury Building, also in downtown. The interior of the Bradbury building was like a very ornamental Escher drawing, with staircases floating through the interior. I also loved the elevator shafts that were out in the open, with amazing decorative iron work. My photos didn't really come out, because it was too dark in the space...
Later, we visited Richard Neutra’s home in Silverlake, which was in terrible disrepair. I was disappointed, actually... but then we were able to see Neutra’s masterpiece, the Lovell Health House (above), where the current owner/occupant showed us around. The funniest thing about it was when we walked in, many of us immediately recognized it as Pierce Pratchett’s house in the movie LA Confidential.
After lunch, we drove to Santa Monica, where we were able to snoop around the exterior of the house where Frank Gehry currently lives. Pictured is the area where the dining room is located. You could see the original Dutch Colonial home underneath all the geometric protrusions and additions that jut out from the original structure.
We also visited the Case Study House #8, the house built and lived-in by Charles and Ray Eames in Pacific Palisades. The house is left exactly as it was when Ray Eames passed away in the 1980s. They wouldn’t allow us to take photos of the interiors... but the contradiction of the interior space to the exterior is what I found most interesting. The boxy, clean modernist style of the construction was juxtaposed against a multitude of items and nic-nacks that cluttered the house.
