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Home > Archives for ModCom Tour

2009

by

Chairperson

Alan Lieb, 2008-2009

Regina O’Brien, 2009-2015

Milestones in the Community

  • Modern Masters Awards are established

Meeting Locations

Events

City of Seekers L.A. Unique Spiritual Legacy

Tour of buildings of the 20th century that have ties to unusual spiritual movements.

It’s a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod City

Tour was part of a year-long program called “The Sixties Turn 50” to highlight the fact than many of our mid-20th century buildings are now eligible for historic landmark status.
http://ellenbloom.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-mod-mod-mod-mod-city.html

Advocacy

Johnnies Broiler

Downey which was determined eligible for the California Register in 2002 is unceremoniously AND illegally demolished in 2007. Jim Louder agrees to rebuild the Broiler as a new Bob’s Big Boy restaurant along with assistance from the City of Downey Redevelopment Agency.

CBS Columbia Square

Saved March 2009

Columbia Savings

1965 bank building on Miracle Mile demolished in 2010.
https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/columbia-savings

Annual Holiday Party:

Los Angeles City Hall

Modern Master Awards

  • Jack Laxar
  • Leland Lee
  • Julius Shulman
  • Marvin Rand

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Tangents

MAC Architecture Tour

Annual tour focus Silverlake and Los Feliz on October 4, 200 including seven residences dating from 1926 through 1964, by seminal architects R.M. Schindler, Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano, Harwell Harris and Craig Ellwood.

Palm Springs Holiday: A Vintage Tour from Palm Springs to the Saltan Sea

by Peter Moruzzi – September 1, 2009
https://www.amazon.com/Palm-Springs-Holiday-Vintage-Saltan/dp/1423604768/ref=llvn-20

Autumn’s Come Undone

A radical departure in SHAG’s style away from satirical pop Modern look – to a dark and foreboding feeling. New book by Shag– October 15, 2009
https://www.amazon.com/Autumns-Come-Undone-Shag/dp/0979330734/ref=llvn-20

“William Krisel, Architect”

Film is produced by Design on Screen
http://www.designonscreen.org/dvds/william-krisel-architect/

Case Study Houses June 2009

by Elizabeth Smith (Author), Peter Gossel (Editor), Julius Shulman (Photographer)
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Study-Houses-Elizabeth-Smith/dp/3836510219/ref=llvn-20

Southern California Eats

A fresh look at Southern California’s roadside eateries. Embark on a road trip to out-of-the-way Route 66 landmarks, futuristic Googie coffee shops, and exotic Polynesian paradises. Part-homage and part-guidebook, this photo essay captures the flavor and character of Southern California’s most unique eating establishments. By John Eng and Adriene Biondo.
https://www.amazon.com/Southern-California-Eats-John-Eng/dp/0764333321/ref=llvn-20

2004

by

Chairperson

Alan Lieb, 2001-2004

Milestones in the Community

  • ModCom is Twenty Years Old!
  • Atomic Ranch: Midcentury Marvels – A new magazine devoted entirely to ranch houses. Jim Brown, the publisher, and Michelle Gringeri-Brown, the editor
  • Panorama on Hollywood Blvd closes and is torn down.

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Meeting Locations

Event

20-20-20: 20 years – 20 sites – 20 Bucks”

Tout that celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Modern Committee that included 20 sites for attendees to choose from over a weekend. vernacular buildings, formal residential architecture, industrial buildings, innovative commercial design, recreational architecture. Attendees also could purchase a limited edition of 200 prints – 13 color serigraph by SHAG called “L.A. Modern” with all proceeds benefitting ModCom.

Sites included:

  • Eames House – Mary-Margaret Stratton, Tour Captain
  • Casa de Cadillac –Jeff Stork, Tour Captain
  • Downey McDonalds – Tour Captain
  • First Modern Historic District – Tour Captain
  • Cinerama Dome – Tour Captain
  • Crestwood Hills development in Brentwood – Tour Captain
  • VDL Research House – Tour Captain
  • Mar Vista Tract Homes – Tour Captain
  • Pann’s Coffee Shop – Tour Captain
  • Raphel Soriano – Shulman House – Tour Captain

nathan - marymargaret- jack laxar - charlene - daniel debbie-mike-mm-eames-matt-adam-cindy DSC00416

Hobo Party

In Glendale

Holiday Party

Beverly Blvd.

Advocacy

Case Study House

Efforts to landmark begin. Peter Moruzzi begins to prepare a National Register multiple property nomination for the entire Case Study House Program. Eleven original dwellings remained in Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura counties. Work by Charles Eames, Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koeing, Eero Saarinen, and Rodney Walker. Ten of them ended up being successfully nominated by 2013. The eleventh was owner opposed.

Friend Paper Company

Portions of the fabulous Modern commercial structure designed in 1964 by Smith & Williams and located on West Green Street, were saved from demolition due to Pasadena Heritage’s advocacy along with ModCom support

Tangents

Mondo Lounge Event “Where Cocktail Cultures Collide.”

A full day event on October 16, 2004 produced by Mary-Margaret Stratton included a vintage car rally and a conference and entertainment event that included many members of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee. Presentations by Charles Phoenix, Nathan Marsac, Eric Lynxwiler, Tony Merchell and Michael Palumbo.
www.mondolounge.com

10/16/04- Los Feliz-Shot at the first Mondo Lounge DAVID SPRAGUE-fezmen phoenix2

Googie Redux: Ultramodern Roadside

Book released October 7, 2004 by Alan Hess is a significantly expanded follow-up to the seminal book, Googie.
https://www.amazon.com/Googie-Redux-Ultramodern-Roadside-Architecture/dp/081184272X/ref=llvn-20

Getty Talks

Eric Lynxwiler and Charles Pheonix give talks at the Getty Museum

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1998

by

Chairperson

Chris Nichols, 1998-1999

Milestones in the Community

  • Modern Committee Website is launched initiated by Mary-Margaret Stratton
    320_983699530
  • Charles Phoenix First “Americana” Slide Show first showed his slides to ModCom members. His first public event, entitled “God Bless Americana: The Retro Vacation Slide Show of the USA”, was held at the California Map and Travel Store in Los Angeles in 1998. What begins as a friendly get-together mushrooms into a phenomenon. His outreach ends up bring Modern kitsch images to the masses
    http://www.charlesphoenix.com/
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Meeting Locations

Events

A Place in the Sun: Architecture of Wayne McAllister 1928-1961

Exhibit honors the influential work of Wayne McAllister showcasing his career from 1930s drive-in restaurants to Las Vegas hotels in the 1950s

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Terminal Island Long Beach Tour

 

Ad hoc self-driving caravan tour produced by Daniel Paul

1998 terminal island tour

Advocacy

Albert Frey Gas Station in Palm Springs – check this date

Modcom travels to speak on behalf of the Tramway Gas Station at the PS City Council

Cinerama Done

Pacific Theaters, proposed a project that would have destroyed the theater’s existing plaza, box offices, and marquee. Modcom contributed to the efforts of Doug Haines to save the iconic theater in Hollywood (along with Hollywood Heritage and Friends of Cinerama) which was made an HCM on December 18, 1998.
https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/cinerama-dome

Tangents

MAK Center Schindler Tour

Tour on November 6 – 7, 1998 presented: Sachs Apartments (1926-1928, 1934-1940), Grokowsky House (1928), Elliot House (1930), Yates Studio (1938, remodeled 1998), Falk Apartments (1939-1940), Roth House (1945), and Laurelwood Apartments (1946-1949).

May I Take Your Order: American Menu Design 1920-1960

A book which sheds light on many obscure Los Angeles eateries by Jim Heimann  June 1, 1998
https://www.amazon.com/May-Take-Your-Order-1920-1960/dp/0811817830/ref=llvn-20

1993

by

Chairperson

Peter Moruzzi, 1992-1997

Milestones in the Community

  • Bob’s Big Boy Preservation Win
  • Nickodell – Famous Paramount Pictures adjacent eaterie on Melrose is closed

Meeting Locations

Events

Postwar Commercial Architecture in Los Angeles

Lecture and Exhibition focusing on Armet and Davis, the firm responsible for bringing the Googie Coffee Shop style to a broader American audience.

Advocacy:

Bob’s Big Boy

Designated a California State Historical Point of Interest. Designed by Wayne McAllister in 1949 in Toluca Lake. The process is difficult due to owner opposition. After designation it becomes the top grossing Bob’s Big Boy in the country.

Tangents

House Industries

A new company in Delaware begins that will influence the graphic world in the coming years. This type Foundry and font catalog allows people across the world to utilize fonts initiated by Southern California architects and artists since 1993.

Eichler Network

The Eichler Network begins to support the lifestyle of the thousands of homeowners in Northern and Southern California who own an ‘Eichler’ home. mid-century homeowners in Sacramento and southern California who live in Streng Bros., Palmer & Krisel, Cliff May, and other Eichler-like mid-century modern classics. CA-Modern, a quarterly full-color hard-copy magazine which contains a mix of features on California’s rich legacy of mid-century modern homes and the people that live in them, home maintenance solutions, and other features that focus on the modern home and its lifestyle. CA-Modern Magazine since 2006

Viva Las Vegas: After-Hours Architecture

An influential book on Las Vegas architecture arrives by Alan Hess with a forward by Robert Venturi in July 1, 1993
https://www.amazon.com/Viva-Las-Vegas-After-Hours-Architecture/dp/081180111X/ref=llvn-20

1990

by

Chairperson

Mike Ulander, 1990

Milestones in the Community

Meeting Locations

Events

Yesterday, today and Tomorrow. Case Study Houses Tours

Tour coincided with the MOCA exhibit, Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses held between October 17, 1989 and February 18, 1990

Advocacy

1988

by

Chairperson

Kathleen Leonard, Co-Chairperson 1987-1988

Gene Polk, Co-Chairperson 1987 – 1990

Milestones in the Community

  • First formal ModCom Tour – John Lautner
  • Docomomo International (non-profit organization) is initiated in 1988 byHubert-Jan Henket, architect and professor, and Wessel de Jonge, architect and research fellow, at the School of Architecture at the Technical University in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Docomomo is short for the Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement.
    http://www.docomomo.com

Meeting Locations

Events

John Lautner: Real Architecture

Tour and Lecture

Before I started architecture school in 1988 I had a background in photography and filmmaking. I was a film editor on commercials, documentaries and feature films but I became more and more interested in architecture. I was telling a friend what I was really interested in architecture. He had asked me if I had seen the work of John Lautner? I started to research Lautner’s work and I stumbled on the Garcia House (The Rainbow House). The owner invited me in and said there was going to be a Los Angeles Conservancy Tour on Lautner and he asked if I would like to be his guest. I went inside the Carling House for the first time, the living room was on a hinge and the pool was inside and outside the living room. I saw the Silvertop House, Lautner’s own house and a few other houses, which were on the tour. The owner of the Garcia House said to me, “… you seem so interested in Lautner’s work you should go to Lautner’s office; it’s right on Hollywood Boulevard”. Bette Cohen, Producer of the documentary, “The Spirit of Architecture: John Lautner”
http://www.johnlautner.org/wp/?cat=11

Advocacy

Eames House

Early ModCom members worked with Ray Eames to ensure the Case Study House #8 (Eames House, Studio and Grounds) was nominated as HCM #381 on July 15, 1988

Tangents

Westwood

A series of Historic Cultural Monuments (HCM) in Westwood were accepted in June and July of 1988 – including several Mid Century Modern Richard Neutra designed homes.

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