“Little Boxes” and Big Ideas
One night about five years ago, I was out in Westwood, California, home to UCLA and its Armand Hammer museum, among other things. We were at a sanitized burger joint, one of those establishments that makes me start humming “Little Boxes” as soon as I step in. A girl I didn’t know well, not from L.A. but attending UCLA, told me she was disappointed with the city, my hometown, of which I’m admittedly protective.
“There’s no architecture here,” she said simply. “No architecture!” I sputtered. “No architecture!” I screeched, flouncing around in the garishly colored booth we were sitting in.
She’d hit a nerve.
The L.A. I knew and the L.A. she knew were clearly two different places. And though L.A. can be derided for many things, its architectural history is not one of them. Love them or hate them, the Taj Mahoney (Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral), the J. Paul Getty Museum and Frank Gehry’s Disney Hall are just the latest examples of what the city is willing to try, and L.A.’s architectural legacy is not linked to public buildings alone. Ironically, “Little Boxes” describes plenty of L.A. area neighborhoods perfectly, but there are some great residences in L.A. on the architectural and design forefronts.
As the Los Angeles Times reports, Sam Watters, at least, agrees with me. Though, according to the article, L.A. can be derided for the obliviousness it displays toward its architectural history. “ ‘That’s the thing about L.A., compared to the East Coast: We don’t just tear down our treasures. We toss out all written records about them as well,’ he says. ‘In the East, they kept bills for every seed, awning or doorknob ever purchased.’ ”
L.A. originals have been gutted or torn down for years, and Watters has attempted to stanch the bleeding by publishing the two-volume history, Houses of Los Angeles.
The Times describes Watters as chafing at the notion that “everything was just a copy of what had been built before somewhere else. ‘Untrue,’ says Watters.” I heard in his tone the echo of my indignant foot stamping from five years ago, and thanks to him, now I have the books to back it up.
I’m so glad that Angelenos are starting to stand up for our city.
“No architecture”?? HA! These people need to visit east of La Cienega every once in a while! Angelino Heights, Boyle Heights, Downtown, Garvanza/Highland Park, West Adams, and Wilshire have some of the most amazing architecture in the world.
It’s quite sad that many native Angelenos don’t even know our architectural heritage.
Comment by Rico A — October 11, 2007 @ 1:21 am
Hey Maggie, you are one of the few and enlightened, and that separates you from the pack of Angelenos who feel it’s cool to be blase about the city’s history. There are few cities that can match up to the collection of residential masterpieces we have here. The Case Study Series did took place in Los Angeles after all.
Comment by sav — October 13, 2007 @ 3:57 am