The fires, in their destructive rage, have highlighted the spectacular architectural legacy of Los Angeles — one that is often taken for granted, or even ignored. They remind us that the city has long been one of the world’s great laboratories for residential architecture, and that its best buildings are vaunted pieces of art, and equally vulnerable to the ravages of nature. — The New York Times
Writing for The New York Times, architectural journalist Sam Lubell laments the many “architectural gems” already consumed by raging fires in Los Angeles. Among those destroyed are the Will Rogers House (1926), which a colleague of Lubell previously described as “magical.” The fires have also claimed Ray Kappe’s Keeler House (1991) which, for Lubell, “typified Kappe’s bravery and intuitive craft.”
Beyond the Palisades, Lubell also notes the destruction of the Mediterranean-style Zane Grey Estate (1907) and the Andrew McNally House (1887), both in Altadena. “Now comes the anxious waiting, to find out what else has fallen, and may still,” Lubell writes. “We refresh fire maps, whose red outlines inch ever closer to beloved landmarks. Some of the world’s great architecture sits helplessly on the edge.”
You can follow Archinect’s ongoing coverage of how the latest fires have impacted the architectural landscape of Los Angeles here.
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6 Comments
I wonder if any of these treasured landmarks will be rebuilt, and if so, will the cry of 'inauthenticity' be heard by those who think the past is irrevocably lost to the march of progress. Now is not the time to worry about this but I hope LA does all it can to sooth the pain its citizens are going through, both materially and psychologically. LA is a great American city!
The best we can hope for is for people to pay more attention to the remaining important architecture all over the city.
I respectfully disagree. Putting aside what is deemed 'important architecture', all though it might not be possible, the best we can hope for is reconstructing structures which have a place in the heart of Angelinos, regardless of style.
Like those images of people searching for a token of their past, family mementos can hold special memories of the stories that compose our identities. A city is no different as history shows.
Um, I think Orhan is speaking as a local...
How many?
All I'm saying is that hope should be allowed to bloom whatever form it finally takes. Anything to help the suffering.
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