Articles from January 2011

Going, going, gone: another gem from LA’s commercial modern heyday: the Friars Club in Beverly Hills. LA Conservancy, which has lead the charge to preserve 1960s Modern architecture, sent the following release: 
Demolition is under way at the 1961 Friars Club building at 9900 Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, signifying the continued erosion of Greater L.A.’s legacy of 1960s architecture and underscoring the need for stronger local …

Of the many design awards programs out there, this has to be the most mouth-watering: the James Beard Award for Design and Architecture. LA graphic designer Noreen Morioka, of AdamsMorioka, is chair of the 2011 awards committee and is calling on designers of restaurant architecture and graphics to submit entries by the January 28 deadline, in readiness for jury selection on February 5th. The …

Call me a snob, but I like my leaders to be worldly. I like to know that they are interested in culture and the arts, beyond the narrow confines of policy-making. So when Michelle Obama dons an Alexander McQueen dress for last night’s State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao, to me that choice is more substantial than just style. It sends a message of sophistication, …

A couple weeks back, Eli Broad unveiled the design for his new contemporary art Museum, to be built on Grand Avenue opposite MoCA and next door to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It is designed by admired Manhattan architects Diller, Scofidio and Renfro, who brought us the fantastic High Line in New York and the overhaul of the Lincoln Center, among many other projects. …