Some weeks ago B, G, E and I (as in me) went on the self-guided tour of the Bullocks Wilshire Building. Several months ago G mentioned that once a year, the Southwestern Law School opened its doors to the public. So I was looking forward to a look inside this Los Angeles icon.
The text in italics is from the tour literature and copyright 2014 Southwestern Law School.
Designed in 1929 by renowned Los Angeles architects John and Donald Parkinson, the Bullocks Wilshire Building operated as a luxury department store for more than 60 years.
Ceiling of the cactus lounge.
In 1994, Southwestern purchased the landmark [building] and set out to convert it into a dynamic academic venue, while retaining its historic character.
A decade and $29 million later, the gleaming property features cutting edge scholastic, professional and social resources that represent the heart of the Southwestern community.
I remember enjoying an afternoon in the tea room with my mother in the 1960s when we first arrived in Los Angeles. I don’t believe the tea room has changed very much since that time.
Replica of one of the gorgeous art deco serving stations.
Exterior building detail seen from the window of the tea room.
I love light fixtures and these art deco beauties really caught my eye.
Apparently the light fixtures, serving centers, tables and chairs are exact replicas of the originals.
This original mosaic tile floor was in a passageway off the tea room.
John Bullock’s Suite, his private office and apartment.
The office leads out on to a rooftop garden.
This wonderful tile drinking fountain was discovered behind a plaster wall. Note the child’s step which was replaced during the restoration.
I am a big fan of art deco design so I was in heaven on this tour.
Now, where patrons once shopped for women’s sportswear, students study in the school’s beautiful and expansive Leigh H. Taylor Law Library, which occupies about one-third of the building.
In what was once the first floor shoe salon and accessories department, the Julian C. Dixon Courtroom and Advocacy Center provides the most technologically advanced facility of its kind.
Southwestern has received numerous honors from preservation groups for its sensitive restoration of the structure. Blending elegant architecture with state-of-the-art educational resources, the Bullocks Wilshire Building epitomizes Southwestern’s commitment to excellence.
I am grateful that Southwestern is willing to allow public tours of the campus. The Bullocks Wilshire Building is a Los Angeles jewel and a fabulous example of art deco design so popular in our city in the 1920s. And most important, the building is an outstanding model of successful reuse.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
As long as I have lived in Los Angeles (all my adult life) I am still learning about and discovering new places. This is one such place.
Lawns are no longer bright green in LA due to the severe drought.
It was a hot day so I decided against taking the bus and struggling up the hill behind Sunset Boulevard… and Cinnamon Girl needed an outing. So I drove my car with the lovely air conditioning.
Pool house is undergoing renovation and pool is drained.
Built in 1911, the Robinson mansion was one of the first homes in Beverly Hills. Known for hosting the areas most legendary parties—it was not uncommon to catch famed individuals entering and leaving the estate.
Today, the garden is recognized as not only a historical landmark, but also as an exotic paradise that all sightseers are invited to enjoy.
When Virginia Robinson died in 1977 just before her 100th birthday, she was arguably one of the last grand dames of the Hollywood era. Nevertheless, she left her legendary home and gardens in serious disrepair. A leaky roof and a dangerous electrical system threatened the very survival of this cultural landmark.
“The Friends of Robinson Gardens” was founded in 1982 with a Board of Directors and a general membership of over 75 committed women.
A great deal was accomplished in a short period of time. The Friends of Robinson Gardens raised enough money to begin crucial repairs, establish docent programs, and begin educational seminars. Coincidentally, Robinsons Department Store, originally known as the Boston Dry Goods Store in downtown Los Angeles and owned by Harry Robinson’s family, was celebrating its 100th anniversary.
A letter from President Reagan that year called the Friends of Robinson Gardens “a fine example of what can be accomplished through cooperation between the private and public sector,” and congratulated the group on its significant accomplishments. Since its inception in 1982, the Friends have restored all of the historic buildings on the property according to the strict standards set by the Department of Interior and the Friends are contributing one quarter of the Gardens annual operating budget.
Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open by appointment to the public. Located behind the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, the beautiful six-acre property contains a breathtaking display garden, mansion and pool pavilion.
The Robinson Gardens was once the site of lavish Hollywood parties. Mrs. Robinson was known as the first lady of Beverly Hills and her triumphs as a hostess are legendary: her diverse guests included royalty such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to Hollywood stars like Marlene Dietrich and Fred Astaire; her neighbors were Glenn Ford, Lillian Disney and Elvis Presley. She sipped champagne cocktails with Sophia Loren and challenged Charlie Chaplin to a spirited game of tennis – all with her signature elegance and class.
She was equally renowned for her philanthropy. Among the many benefits she hosted, the Hollywood Bowl Patronesses Benefit was a favorite. Each year, after the opening of the Hollywood Bowl season, the orchestra would repeat their performance on the estate’s Great Lawn, to the delight of her guests.
Shortly before her death in 1977, Mrs. Robinson bequeathed her estate to Los Angeles County. The County, along with the not-for-profit organization Friends of Robinson Gardens, preserves the estate for future generations to enjoy.
As the first luxury estate built in the world’s most famous residential neighborhood [Beverly Hills], the multi-faceted historic property provides an opportunity to experience the world of privilege in early Los Angeles.
This cat was not at all disturbed by the visitors intruding on his shady nap. I believe his name is Henry or Harry, just can’t remember which!
A couple of very fancy bird houses… well, they are Beverly Hills birds!
The potting shed
It’s Southern California so you gotta have a palm tree forest in your garden!
The perfect location for a mid afternoon cup of tea!
And of course, a pink tennis court. Why not?
We were able to tour the interior of the house but not allowed to take photos.
Traffic was pretty bad driving through Beverly Hills back to Culver City on a Saturday afternoon but my chauffeur had the day off, so what could I do?
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
Looks like the original ticketing area is being renovated. In the station’s previous hey day each of those window openings would have lines of people purchasing tickets. Now tickets are purchased in a less glamorous location… or mostly online!!!
It’s good to have the computer up and running again. Still haven’t re-installed all my programs or properly recalibrated my monitor but I’m slowly working on it… and I have my fingers crossed!
On Saturday my friend B and I visited Union Station… my favorite building in all of Los Angeles. B and I met a couple of decades ago when we were neighbors. She stayed put. I moved. But only about 1.5 miles away, so we are still almost neighbors!
Looking through the waiting area to the trains at the end.
Her birthday is in June, mine in May. For several years we have been talking about taking the Expo and Red Lines to Union Station and eating at Traxx Restaurant to celebrate our mutual birthdays. Although we meet for dinner at least once a month, we never seemed to be able to make it to Traxx.
To make a longer story short, we couldn’t get a reservation at Traxx Restaurant for the day we wanted. So we decided to take the train to Union Station anyway and improvise. Turned out to be a better situation than getting a reservation. The bar opened at 11:30 (ish) and we were the first customers!
B suggested a Bloody Mary which sounded good to me! Tasted delicious so we ordered a second round. Well, we were celebrating our birthdays! To balance out the alcohol we shared shrimp tacos and chicken quesadilla. Perfect.
We sat there for a couple of hours people watching and gazing at the beautiful architecture. This is just how I had imagined it.
In the waiting room there is a piano that anybody is invited to play. This guy was obviously a professional as (fortunately) his playing was definitely melodious. I imagined he was a studio musician having his moment in the spotlight!
Just looking around at the walls and ceiling from where we were sitting.
It was hard to leave Union Station. Really I could have sat there all afternoon. But we needed to move on. We walked across the street to the Plaza area where people were dancing to a Latin beat.
Then we watched as a group performed traditional Indian dances.
I’ve never been able to see inside the Plaza Methodist Church before. This was built in the 1920s. I learned that the Methodist church was the founding agent in Southern California for Goodwill Industries (where most of my unwanted “stuff” ends up).
We ambled through Olvera Street looking at the stalls and the stores. I’m always fascinated and intrigued by the Mexican goods available on this tourist street. No need to drive all the way to Tijuana!
We stepped across the street to Nuestra Senora Reina de Los Angeles (Our Lady Queen of the Angels), the oldest existing church in LA, founded in 1781. The first Europeans, the Spanish, arrived in 1769. Everything changed!
We couldn’t get into the main church. The door with the sign “Always Open” was locked. But I think the little chapel is much more interesting anyway.
View of Union Station from La Plaza across the street
The new Wilshire Grand which was “topped out” in March. It will replace the US Bank Building (Library Tower) as the tallest building West of Chicago. I’m sad about that but it had to happen one day.
I always appreciate the opportunity to show friends living in Los Angeles or visitors from faraway lands everything there is to see in this city. I have to say, it always amazes me how people who have lived here for decades, or were even born here, know so little about Los Angeles. But then it makes it so much more fun for me!
I’ve never trekked through the Amazon jungles or ridden a camel across the Saharan Desert, but I still consider myself to be an explorer. An urban explorer to be sure. But I certainly enjoy excavating every nook and cranny of my adopted city.
For those of you who know downtown, this is the newly re-opened The Bloc on 7th Street, across from the 7th Metro train hub, formerly the bricked-in enclave known as Macy’s Plaza
One interesting phenomena around Los Angeles these days is the redevelopment of the major shopping centers. At locations all over the city they are being transformed from closed-in fortresses to airy complexes open to the sky. What day did somebody wake up and say, hey, we have sunshine in LA, maybe customers could enjoy it while they are shopping!
Always worth peaking into Bottega Louie to salivate over the macaroons and other delightful pastries. No tasting now, just looking!
Our final destination in downtown this lovely afternoon was Clifton’s. As many times as I have been there since it’s re-opening, there is always one more soul who hasn’t visited yet. So I have to drag myself in there again.
We sat in the bar sipping an expensive glass of really bad Merlot. You don’t go there for the wine, evidently. But the ambience is definitely worth it as far as I am concerned. Another place I enjoy just sitting and people watching.
At this point B had a craving for apple pie à la mode. While I didn’t share that particular craving, we took the Expo Line back to Culver City and B drove her car over to the Marie Callender’s in West LA. As soon as I opened the menu my eyes were drawn to the tuna melt. The previous week with my other friend B (from England) I had a very disappointing tuna melt at what used to be my favorite restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier. I can no longer recommend it. But this tuna melt more than made up for it.
It was a happy ending to a beautiful day with a very good friend. What more can you ask for in life than that?
(Photos brought to you by my faithful point & shoot Canon G16 camera).
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
My friend B was here from London for a few days. I met him in the mid 1980s when he was based in Los Angeles. Since then he’s visited many times so he knows the city pretty well. That was my challenge, to find something new and different to show him.
Tiles on the underside of the shuttle
The space shuttle Endeavour turned out to be the perfect answer. Better yet, we took the Expo Line train which he had never ridden on. And the cherry on top was that just a couple of weeks ago, the shuttle fuel tank arrived at the California Science Center. (See my blog post here).
Final… and 25th… flight of the Endeavour.
I’ve seen the Endeavour a million times but I never fail to be excited that first second I walk into the hangar. It’s impossible to comprehend this beat up old vehicle chased around the planet at over 3,000 miles an hour!
I’m really terrible at taking photos of people and I forgot to take a photo of my friend on this visit. I know I have better photos but I can’t find them right now. This was taken in Spain 2001. I look a lot older now, but he never ages. All I remember about this was that I had a ghastly hangover and B insisted if I drank beer I would feel much better. I did not…
Getting back to the present, after the Endeavour, we jumped back on the Expo Line and then the Purple Line to MacArthur Park to have lunch at Langer’s. Another first for B… whoopee! I have mentioned this restaurant several times in my blog, and if you’ve been following along, you know I love the kippers and scrambled eggs. You can see my photo of said dish on this post.
Clifton’s bar area
Line outside Clifton’s the first month it re-opened
Back to downtown on the Red Line and we headed to Clifton’s Cafeteria. Clifton’s was closed for many years while the new owner renovated it. I’ll have to write a post about Clifton’s one of these days as it is an icon in Los Angeles. We had a beer at the bar.
1930s Central Library with 1990s Library Tower behind
Really great rendering of the Central Library showing 1980s extension at right
At center is the newest and tallest (73 floors) building in downtown LA nearing completion.
We were experiencing a heat wave with record temperatures. So we just walked a few blocks and headed back to the train station.
We were meeting a mutual friend for dinner in Culver City. The next day we were riding to Santa Monica on the new extension of the Expo Line.
I felt really good that I was able to show B so many venues in downtown that he had not seen before!
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
Hauser Wirth & Schimmel is a new art gallery that recently opened in the Arts District in downtown Los Angeles, close to Little Tokyo. Two friends and I rode the Expo Line from Culver City to the Red Line, then walked a mile from the Grand Park/Civic Center station. We met up with another friend who drove.
The building was a former flour mill. The architects left some of the old building showing off its industrial roots. I am always excited to see an older building repurposed rather than torn down.
The current exhibit is Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947 – 2016.
We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the galleries. This is always disappointing to me. But if you click on this link you will see some of the artwork in the main gallery.
The pieces on the right hand wall (if you clicked on the aforementioned link) are by Lee Bontecou, an artist I very much admire. In 2003 I visited her exhibit at the Hammer Museum in Westwood with my friend TL. Neither of us had heard of her before but we were both in awe of the work we saw. I bought the catalog of the exhibit and still look at it from time to time.
When I saw Bontecou’s artwork at this gallery it brought back poignant memories. My friend TL passed away last year. I felt her presence very strongly walking with me through the exhibit. I wanted to turn to her and ask her for her perspective on this display. We always enjoyed going to art shows together. She had very definite opinions which I appreciated!
The photo above is the freight elevator and the previous photo is of a stairway.
The exhibit itself, in several galleries throughout the complex, was very enjoyable. Darn it, I wish I could have taken photos… very annoying!
But the building is an artwork in itself. Just love this sliding door… well, I imagine it was a sliding door. Look at all the textures and patterns.
And who knows what was going on here…
This is the courtyard. There are tables on both sides with succulents in planters.
In the summer a restaurant is supposed to be opening.
In another area next to the courtyard are some murals. The first one incorporates the iconic rose. You will find roses depicted throughout Los Angeles in hispanic art. I’ve never been able to discover a definitive meaning but I believe it symbolizes or has something to do with the Virgin Mary (Queen of the Angels, or la Reina de Los Angeles). Somebody enlighten me if I am wrong!
Frontage of the building, a nice drought tolerant cactus garden.
It was way past lunch time and on the walk in we had passed a newish shopping center in Little Tokyo so we went to investigate.
We walked past most of the Japanese shops but I will have to go back on my own to investigate.
The well-stocked Japanese supermarket.
Got rice???????
We decided to eat lunch at The Pho Shop, a Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered the shrimp salad with sliced and grated vegetables and rice noodles. The jug at the top held a rice vinegar dressing. I ate every scrap on the plate. I want to go back and order this same lunch again.
On the way back to the train station we decided to walk through Grand Park. They were setting up for a concert or festival that night. Downtown LA is a happening place!
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
My friend KL lives in Northridge in the San Fernando Valley. Better known as “The Valley,” it is part of the vast city of LA. The City of Angels is cut in two by the Santa Monica Mountains… the Los Angeles Basin to the south, the Valley to the north. Glad we have that out of the way.
Generally speaking, most of our adventures together take place in the basin part of the city. KL either drives to Culver City via the 405 (San Diego Freeway) or she takes the Orange Line to the Red Line, I take the Expo Line to the Red Line and we meet downtown. I have been promising to come out to her house for quite a while, so Saturday was the day.
I had recently taken Cinnamon Girl in to be serviced, and she was raring to go. I was surprised that the 23-mile trip via the 405 took only a little over 30 minutes on a Saturday morning. Just for the heck of it I checked the time it would take right now at 6:30pm on a Wednesday night and according to Google it would take 2 1/2 hours…. yikes!!!
We changed cars and armed with my point & shoot camera, off we went on our Valley Adventure. First stop was the Valley Relics Museum. What a kick, is the best way to describe it. From their website: The collection includes rare documents, photographs, vintage neon signs, post cards, year books, negatives, clothing, books, art, automobiles and bicycles from the valleys past.
I have a past with the Valley which I won’t go into here (maybe another blog post). Nudie Cohn was a fixture in the Valley until his death in 1984. I saw him driving down the street in his Cadillac. Yes, those are horns (steer, I think) and a pistol on the hood of the car. He designed flamboyant cowboy outfits for the stars.
My partner at the time was into cowboy hats and boots which he wore with his business suits, and we shopped at Nudie’s. Until recently I still had a couple of “cowgirl” shirts and belts. I loved shopping there.
The Palomino in North Hollywood was the best known country music club in LA for decades. We went there to see the best country singers of the time. Gosh, this museum brought back all kinds of memories from another era of my life… one of the benefits of being old is that there are eras!!!
Back in the car we drove through the Santa Susana Pass towards Simi Valley. At this point we were heading out of Los Angeles and into Ventura County.
KL had a vague recollection of a park somewhere in this area and wondered if it was still there. As you can see from this photo it was a beautiful, clear February day, although the temperature was getting up there. We have been experiencing temps in the high 80s F (about 31° C) the past few days in the city… and in the valleys the temps are always higher.
Amazingly, we rounded a corner and there was the directional sign for Corriganville, thataway. This park played many roles in the days of Hollywood western movies. Such as Dodge City, Tombstone and the Lone Ranger’s ranch.
Nowadays it’s a place for hiking or strolling. Most of the buildings used in the movie sets burned to the ground in the 1970s.
As nice as this place was, we had to hit the road again back to the San Fernando Valley.
We were getting hungry so KL asked me if I would eat soul food. Love it!
She introduced me to Les Sisters Southern Kitchen & BBQ in Chatsworth. They bill themselves as New Orleans and Southern Style cooking. As you can see, the decor was charming.
We ordered from the lunch menu and both decided on the catfish with hush puppies and coleslaw. When catfish is on the menu, as far as I am concerned, there is no other choice.
We wondered if the lunch portions would be enough food as we were both starving. Oh my goodness! This catfish filet was enough for two people and I cannot imagine how much food the dinner portion must contain.
I was first introduced to catfish when I was working in Arkansas in the 1980s. Ever since then I have compared all other catfish to the delectable dish I ate there. I have to say, I have finally found catfish equal to my memory of the catfish I first ate in Arkansas. This was cooked so perfectly with succulent, juicy fish on the inside and light, crisp batter on the outside. I may have to order it and have somebody drive it over to the Westside for me, it is that good!
Our bellies well and truly taken care of, we made a pit stop back at KL’s house. My hat had gone missing but I was happy to find it in the gutter next to my car, protected from the strong winds by the wheel. I must have dropped it on the way out.
There was an obligatory few minutes of playing fetch with Cindy. I’m not a dog person but Cindy is very sweet, more like a cat. When I sat down she jumped in my lap and licked my face.
As we were in the neighborhood, we visited a couple of open houses. In my own neighborhood I always enjoy being a lookie loo. You can buy a lot more real estate for your dollar in this neck of the woods but prices are catching up everywhere.
Our final leg of the adventure included a stop at the Museum of the San Fernando Valley. This museum was interesting in a totally different way from the first one we visited. The Relics museum was all about pop culture. This is attempting to be a little more cultural with exhibits on art, architecture, design and history.
We were greeted at the door by a very affable and knowledgeable gentleman. Some of the artifacts displayed in the museum were from his own home. He pretty much ended up giving us a private tour of the museum.
This model of the 1960 Stahl House, located in the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip, intrigued me. Our guide informed us that there are public tours of the house which aside from its architectural significance affords spectacular views over the city. I am signing up.
I learned a lot on this tour of the Valley thanks to my friend KL. And I’m sure Cinnamon Girl enjoyed getting out of the garage.
The trip home back over the hill took one hour and ten minutes with Saturday evening traffic and an accident by the Getty Center. But CG and I made it back to Culver City in one piece, which is always the goal.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
Last summer I posted about walking around the Venice Canals on a grey, dismal day. That same day I took a few shots of Venice Beach too. The canals are a couple of blocks inland from the beach.
Abbot Kinney founded Venice of America in 1905. He visualized recreating Venice, Italy on the shores of Los Angeles. To make a much longer story short, he won a coin toss and chose the swamp lands south of Santa Monica. Like all such visionaries, people thought he was crazy.
The mural is by Rip Cronk who painted many murals around Venice in the late 70s. However, this one was created in 2004.
There is nothing worse than being at Venice Beach, or any beach for that matter, when the sun refuses to come out. But June Gloom is the worst. It is dark and hazy and bleahhhhhhh. Don’t come to LA in June, is all I have to say! In recent years June Gloom has expanded to Grey (or Gray, depending on your inclination) May. So don’t come in May either…
I wonder what Abbot Kinney would think of today’s Venice Beach. It’s a great tourist trap. And on a clear, sunny day the wide beach is spectacular.
I lived right on Ocean Front Walk a few decades ago when it was fun for me. Now in my older age, it is not one of my favorite places. I prefer the Santa Monica Pier for my beach-going.
After visiting the canals earlier in the day I was wandering around looking for things to photograph. This is the most amazing fire hydrant I have ever seen. True grunge art.
A person hole (formerly known as a manhole) cover.
I’m always attracted to anything purple. I took several photos of these flowers and when I looked at them in Lightroom I was surprised to see all the light shining through the centers.
Painted on the side of a food truck parked in the street.
Self portrait. I’m standing in front of the palm tree. This globe is over the doorway of an apartment house.
A colorful mural on Pacific Avenue.
An unintentional abstract art painting. If I could have cut this off the building I’m sure I could have sold it for $10,000. Although I could also see it hanging in my living room.
I have thousands of other photos of Venice. I’m sure you can’t wait to see them! No worries…
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
In December I made several trips to the Venice Canals and Venice Beach for a walking tour I was working on.
I was happy to see some people had their Christmas decorations up.
And unlike my visit in June when it was dark and dismal and the canal was in the process of being dredged (see post here), the sun was out and everything was looking cheery.
This ladybug was having a good day too!
Even Yoda and Darth Veda were in the holiday spirit!
But I wasn’t too sure about these two snowy egrets!
However, this fella seemed to be enjoying the sunshine.
One of the things I appreciate about the canals as a photographer is all the reflections… and the juxtaposition of the boats.
And the variety of architecture is always fun to photograph.
Giant candy canes growing right out of the bushes.
Too bad we can’t have holiday decorations all year round.
But we do have snowy egrets posing for the camera in every season.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the poinsettias.
Don’t mess with the ducks… the residents of the canals are especially protective of them.
This palm tree could use a trim. They need to be manicured on a regular basis or the fronds will drop in the wind.
I wrote the names of my cats on a scrap of paper and left it on this pet tree.
I’ll be posting more random photos from my December visit from time to time.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
Several years ago the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) showed a comprehensive exhibit of Frank Gehry’s work which I attended. If I remember rightly, this was just before his Walt Disney Concert Hall (across the street, as it happens) was completed.
So the exhibit currently displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) was a little bit of déjà vu for me… updated. Over a decade since its opening, the Disney has proved successful both as a concert venue and an architectural marvel on every tourist’s list.
As 2015 closes, the supposed centerpiece of the Grand Avenue Project in downtown, designed by Gehry, is still sputtering around, delayed for years. And now Gehry is involved in the revitalization of the storied Los Angeles River.
In the meantime, the man and his crew have been busy. Above is a photo of his office with current projects.
The first time I heard of Frank Gehry was before I even knew his name. Some avant garde architect bought an ordinary house in an ordinary Santa Monica neighborhood and turned it into an example of deconstructive architecture with chain link fences and corrugated aluminum siding. The neighbors were not happy.
The next time his name came up was in 1991 when he expanded the house and once again the neighbors protested. By then, as I had an interest in architecture, his name was on my radar and I made the effort to walk by the house to take a look. I’m not sure I would be that ecstatic about having him for a neighbor either!
But the rest, as they say, is history. The man is a genius, there is no doubt about that. And I appreciate the fact that he has turned architecture on its head. I’m personally just not crazy about all his designs.
One I do like, and pass by quite often, is the Binoculars Building (originally the Chiat/Day Building) in Santa Monica. The Binoculars were designed by Claes Oldenburg.
I enjoyed looking at the models and drawings. We stopped to watch the 2006 documentary, Sketches of Frank Gehry directed by Sydney Pollock. I originally saw it on PBS some years ago but it’s worth a second look.
Click on one of the images below to start the slideshow for some more photos from the exhibit:
Normally I would take the bus to LACMA but my friend decided it was too cold as the forecast was for the low 60s F (15.5 C), so she drove and we had to pay $12 to park the car. I admittedly have a thing about paying to park a car.
My friend is originally from Chicago but this is what years of living in Southern California does to you! (Of course, she might say, this is why I live in Southern California, and not in Chicago…)
However, as it turns out, her instincts were right. As we were coming back to the museum from the restaurant where we ate a late lunch, it started to rain. Oh my goodness, if we had to wait in the rain for the Metro bus, then again to transfer to the Culver City Bus, then walk home, not only would we both be wet and miserable, but I would have felt responsible.
I wish I could say this was the beginning of El Niño which the weather forecasters have been threatening us with for so long. But it looks like this is it until Christmas morning when we may have another few drops. Then the sun comes out again until January 5 when there is the possibility of a light shower. So disappointing.
All photos and content copyright roslyn m wilkins unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage without express permission. Please feel free to pass along this post via email or social media, but if you wish to use some of our images or text outside of the context of this blog, either give full credit to myself and link to One Good Life in Los Angeles, or contact us for proper usage. Thanks!
Last weekend I visited the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles for an exhibit. I was early so as I waiting for the other ladies in our group I wandered around with my camera.
FIDM is located in the south part of downtown now known as South Park. As you probably know, the city of LA is a sprawling mass and our downtown is appropriately spread out. I had never spent much time in this section of downtown. In recent years it has gained popularity as a residential area after being mostly occupied for decades by industrial buildings and residential hotels.
FIDM is adjacent to Grand Hope Park which I believe was created in the mid 90s. The park makes a nice campus area for the institute and includes a clock tower, kids’ playground area and a fountain. A small corner of green to relax in.
You can see the buildings of downtown in the background behind the bougainvillea.
One of the older 1920s office buildings amidst newer residential apartment buildings.
Nice to see water running in the fountain area. In the drought some places seem to be trying to make a politically correct statement by keeping the fountains dry, but it doesn’t make sense for various reasons. Anyway, this makes a very attractive area to sit and contemplate the world.
Grand Hope is such a lovely name for a park, not to be confused with Grand Park which is much larger and further north in downtown. This park is bounded on the west by Hope Street and on the east by Grand Avenue.
With the conversion of so many 1920s office buildings to residential lofts, which in turn spurred the development of new apartments and condos, thousands of people now call downtown home. This necessitated facilities for families such as this jungle gym play area.
The women I was waiting for showed up and it was time to venture into the Fashion Institute Gallery to see the exhibit.
But first a couple of shots of this angel sculpture on the Grand Avenue side:
We see a lot of different kinds of angels around our “City of Angels,” but I’ve never seen one with a cat mask before… especially one with Donald Trump hair. If I had an angel outside my house it would have to be a cat!
The first exhibit we saw was Fleurs: Botanicals in Dress. From the Gallery website, Roses…Tulips…Orchids…Lilacs…Botanicals have grown around the human body for centuries through trompe l’oeil woven petals, shade-embroidered leaves, and dimensional silk bouquet applications. Fleursexamines these sartorial techniques that allow springtime to be eternal and the flowers to never fade.
I could certainly see myself walking into a room wearing this coat of chrysanthemums… hmm, maybe not. In 1967 this dress cost $3,000, a small fortune at the time.
I’m really not a dress or dress-up kind of gal but some of these are quite striking.
This straw hat I was sure was from the 1960s so I was shocked to see it was actually from the 1820s.
If I had to wear a dress I could enjoy wearing this black number
And I’m sure if my beau showed up at my house wearing this jerkin I would swoon. But only if I was living in the 1600s!
This piece is from the student gallery. Quite clever in its own way… the shirt folds up flat to fit in your suitcase!
This wedding gown is from 1978 although some of us thought it looked more like a nightie… perhaps she was anticipating the next event. The groom’s suit behind was very natty… I liked the bell bottom pants.
We also saw the Donald and Joan Damask Design Collection, including art books, high fashion photography and a section devoted to Cecil Beaton, who among other things, was an Academy Award–winning stage and costume designer for the movie industry.
I am not generally that interested in fashion but I never turn down an opportunity to look at anything related to art and design. There is always something new to learn.
And now I think my camera and I will have to come back to this part of town and wander around some more.
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