I've been seeing more great architecture of Los Angeles recently.
June 3 I went to Lummis Home El Alisal (The Sycamores) in Highland Park right off the Pasadena Freeway (110). Charles Lummis, Los Angeles's first intellectual who also led the first English-language literary salon ast his home El Alisal, built the stone house with tower himself betweem 1898 and 1910 to last a thousand years. Lummis walked from Ohio to Los Angeles in 1894, righting newspaper columns along the way. On his walk he fell in love with Native American cultures and Hispanic architecture; in L.A. he became City Editor of the Los Angeles Times, had a stroke, and then went to live on the Zuni pueblo in New Mexico with the Zunis to recuperate. There he began his career as a Native American activist. He also organized a group that led to the saving and eventual restoration of the missions.
Lummis built his house on the west bank of Arroyo Seco, the usually dry creek, and he took the stones from his house from the creek. When the creek flows, it carries stones and boulders out of the San Gabriel mountains, depositing them from the mountains dwon to the sea. Lummis and his Indian helpers built this stone house main house with its tall stone tower and the guest house behind
In the main room Lummis created a gallery to show his many Native American art objects--baskets, pots--which he later donated to the Southwest Musuem a few blocks away. He founded the Southwest Musuem, Los Angeles's first musuem which holds one of the great collections of Native American art. He furnished the house with wooden crafted furniture, railorad poles supporting the beams ceiling, and his photos of Indians embedded in the glass windows. The home represented one of the great examples of Arts & Crafts style in Los Angeles. Arts & Crafts, started by William Morris and others in England, to retain the great crafts then being lost in England, was adapted to Los Angeles, but Lummis's genius is to adapt this English architecture/decoration style of elegant carved wood houses/furniture to include the great arts of Latinos and Native Americans in the Southwest.
The house has sycamores in front as well as is surrounded by native plants including a cactus garden. Lummis had regular literary parties at his house, the last in 1928 when he died. Since then there was one literary event in 1990 and then June 3, 2006. We sat in folding chairs underneath the sycamores in front of the main door of the house listening to a poetry reading organized by Charles Lummis's granddaughter Suzanne Lummis. The poetry was fine. Even though the day was hot, we were well-shaded by the sycamores. I felt honored to attend the first literary event at El Alisal in 16 years, and hope there are many more.
B
Friday, June 16, 2006
Great Architecture of Los Angeles
I've been seeing more great architecture of Los Angeles recently.
June 3 I went to Lummis Home El Alisal (The Sycamores) in Highland Park right off the Pasadena Freeway (110). Charles Lummis, Los Angeles's first intellectual who also led the first English-language literary salon ast his home El Alisal, built the stone house with tower himself betweem 1898 and 1910 to last a thousand years. Lummis walked from Ohio to Los Angeles in 1894, writing newspaper columns along the way. On his walk he fell in love with Native American cultures and Hispanic architecture; in L.A. he became City Editor of the Los Angeles Times, had a stroke, and then went to live on the Zuni pueblo in New Mexico with the Zunis to recuperate. There he began his career as a Native American activist. He also organized a group that led to the saving and eventual restoration of the missions.
Lummis built his house on the west bank of Arroyo Seco, the usually dry creek, and he took the stones from his house from the creek. When the creek flows, it carries stones and boulders out of the San Gabriel mountains, depositing them from the mountains dwon to the sea. Lummis and his Indian helpers built this stone house main house with its tall stone tower and the guest house behind
In the main room Lummis created a gallery to show his many Native American art objects--baskets, pots--which he later donated to the Southwest Musuem a few blocks away. He founded the Southwest Musuem, Los Angeles's first musuem which holds one of the great collections of Native American art. He furnished the house with wooden crafted furniture, railorad poles supporting the beams ceiling, and his photos of Indians embedded in the glass windows. The home represented one of the great examples of Arts & Crafts style in Los Angeles. Arts & Crafts, started by William Morris and others in England to retain the great crafts such as woodworking then being lost in England, was taken to Los Angeles, but Lummis's genius is to adapt this English architecture/decoration style of elegant carved wood houses/furniture to include the great arts of Latinos and Native Americans in the Southwest.
The house has sycamores in front as well as is surrounded by native plants including a cactus garden. Lummis had regular literary parties at his house, the last in 1928 when he died. Since then there was one literary event in 1990 and then June 3, 2006. We sat in folding chairs underneath the sycamores in front of the main door of the house listening to a poetry reading organized by Charles Lummis's granddaughter Suzanne Lummis. The poetry was fine. Even though the day was hot, we were well-shaded by the sycamores. I felt honored to attend the first literary event at El Alisal in 16 years, and hope there are many more.
June 3 I went to Lummis Home El Alisal (The Sycamores) in Highland Park right off the Pasadena Freeway (110). Charles Lummis, Los Angeles's first intellectual who also led the first English-language literary salon ast his home El Alisal, built the stone house with tower himself betweem 1898 and 1910 to last a thousand years. Lummis walked from Ohio to Los Angeles in 1894, writing newspaper columns along the way. On his walk he fell in love with Native American cultures and Hispanic architecture; in L.A. he became City Editor of the Los Angeles Times, had a stroke, and then went to live on the Zuni pueblo in New Mexico with the Zunis to recuperate. There he began his career as a Native American activist. He also organized a group that led to the saving and eventual restoration of the missions.
Lummis built his house on the west bank of Arroyo Seco, the usually dry creek, and he took the stones from his house from the creek. When the creek flows, it carries stones and boulders out of the San Gabriel mountains, depositing them from the mountains dwon to the sea. Lummis and his Indian helpers built this stone house main house with its tall stone tower and the guest house behind
In the main room Lummis created a gallery to show his many Native American art objects--baskets, pots--which he later donated to the Southwest Musuem a few blocks away. He founded the Southwest Musuem, Los Angeles's first musuem which holds one of the great collections of Native American art. He furnished the house with wooden crafted furniture, railorad poles supporting the beams ceiling, and his photos of Indians embedded in the glass windows. The home represented one of the great examples of Arts & Crafts style in Los Angeles. Arts & Crafts, started by William Morris and others in England to retain the great crafts such as woodworking then being lost in England, was taken to Los Angeles, but Lummis's genius is to adapt this English architecture/decoration style of elegant carved wood houses/furniture to include the great arts of Latinos and Native Americans in the Southwest.
The house has sycamores in front as well as is surrounded by native plants including a cactus garden. Lummis had regular literary parties at his house, the last in 1928 when he died. Since then there was one literary event in 1990 and then June 3, 2006. We sat in folding chairs underneath the sycamores in front of the main door of the house listening to a poetry reading organized by Charles Lummis's granddaughter Suzanne Lummis. The poetry was fine. Even though the day was hot, we were well-shaded by the sycamores. I felt honored to attend the first literary event at El Alisal in 16 years, and hope there are many more.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Los Angeles Theater: Downtown Movie Palace
Wednesday, May 31 I went to see the film Mark of Zorro at the Los Angeles Theater downtown on Broadway sponsored by the Los Angeles Conservancy. The Los Angeles Conservancy in its attempt to preserve and revitalize the historic architecture of Los Angeles has for twenty years had the annual film series "Last Remaining Seats" in the great movie palaces on Broadway in downtown. These movie theaters held Hollywood's first premieres in the 1920s and 1930s--both stars and public flocked to them to see opening nights as Broadway was the theater district--a theater district to rival New York's with live stage plays, vaudville houses, and movie theaters.
In fact, the Los Angeles Theater, 615 S. Broadway, opened in 1931 to premiere Charlie Chaplin's City Lights. As I walked up on May 31, 2006, a long line was again waiting to get in the door just like that 1931 premiere. The exterior--three huge columns on each side surrounded a tall, thin central sign saying "Los Angeles" above the ornately carved marque--was impressive. Yet the inside was more amazing and recalled the French palace of Versailles. The lobby had huge sparkling chandaliers; tall, fluted columns; a sunburst theme reminiscent of Louix XIV, the sun king; and a central staircase leading up to a crystal fountain on the 2nd floor.
The auditorium reminded me of the great opera houses of Europe with a painted curtain on the stage; two balconies which extended into elegantly carved boxes on each side of the auditorium; and ornate carvings all over the ceiling in the style of the French baroque. If one returned to the lobby and descended down the spiral staircase two floors, one got to an elegant central ballroom and on the left, the ladies room. The ladies room lobby was circular with mirrors alternating full-size mirrors and half-size mirrors as well as a child's playroom decorated with circus figures to the side. And all the toilet stalls were marble! This movie theater is really a palace all right!
This year's Last Remaining Seats is called "Lights, Camera, Los Angeles!" as it focuses on films that have Los Angeles as subject or site starting with Mark of Zorro. I have never before seen any of the Zorro films (there have been many) about the fictional Robin Hood/bandit of 1820s Los Angeles, but before the feature film there was a 1931 documentary made by 20th Century Fox movie studios about itself which was quite fascinating.
In the 1940 Zorro film I enjoyed the receation of early L.A. as a sleepy Mexican village. Tyrone Powell played a dashing Zorro who was both son of the former mayor and daring masked bandit who aimed at overthrowing the present tyrant mayor. Basil Rathbone played Captain Esteban Pasquale, the villain enforcer for the evil mayor. The sword fights between Powell and Rathbone were terrific as both men could really fence! The character actors were terrific, particular Eugene Palette as the fat, revolutionary Father Felipe who rails against the evil mayor. In the last scene Zorro leads a revolution of peons and caballeros overthrowing the mayor. All in all a good film.
Next week I'm going to see 1954 A Star is Born with Judy Garland at the Orpheum, another terrific movie palace. Here's the schedule for Last Remaining Seats:
June 7- A Star is Born- Orpheum
June 14- Harold Loyd comedies - Palace sold out
June 21 Chinatown - Orpheum soldout
June 28 Dos Tips de Ciudad - Los Angeles
July 5 Rebel Without a Cause - Los Angeles
The LA Conservancy also does terrific tours--both self-guided tours with map they provide and group tours--showcasing architecture highlights of downtown. I took their tour of Spring Street, the old Wall Street of the West where from 1920-1950 the leading banks and stock exhcange used to be but now many of these fine buildings are being converted into apartments, lofts, nightclubs, etc. For more information about The Last Remaining Seats or the tours check out
http://www.laconservancy.org
In fact, the Los Angeles Theater, 615 S. Broadway, opened in 1931 to premiere Charlie Chaplin's City Lights. As I walked up on May 31, 2006, a long line was again waiting to get in the door just like that 1931 premiere. The exterior--three huge columns on each side surrounded a tall, thin central sign saying "Los Angeles" above the ornately carved marque--was impressive. Yet the inside was more amazing and recalled the French palace of Versailles. The lobby had huge sparkling chandaliers; tall, fluted columns; a sunburst theme reminiscent of Louix XIV, the sun king; and a central staircase leading up to a crystal fountain on the 2nd floor.
The auditorium reminded me of the great opera houses of Europe with a painted curtain on the stage; two balconies which extended into elegantly carved boxes on each side of the auditorium; and ornate carvings all over the ceiling in the style of the French baroque. If one returned to the lobby and descended down the spiral staircase two floors, one got to an elegant central ballroom and on the left, the ladies room. The ladies room lobby was circular with mirrors alternating full-size mirrors and half-size mirrors as well as a child's playroom decorated with circus figures to the side. And all the toilet stalls were marble! This movie theater is really a palace all right!
This year's Last Remaining Seats is called "Lights, Camera, Los Angeles!" as it focuses on films that have Los Angeles as subject or site starting with Mark of Zorro. I have never before seen any of the Zorro films (there have been many) about the fictional Robin Hood/bandit of 1820s Los Angeles, but before the feature film there was a 1931 documentary made by 20th Century Fox movie studios about itself which was quite fascinating.
In the 1940 Zorro film I enjoyed the receation of early L.A. as a sleepy Mexican village. Tyrone Powell played a dashing Zorro who was both son of the former mayor and daring masked bandit who aimed at overthrowing the present tyrant mayor. Basil Rathbone played Captain Esteban Pasquale, the villain enforcer for the evil mayor. The sword fights between Powell and Rathbone were terrific as both men could really fence! The character actors were terrific, particular Eugene Palette as the fat, revolutionary Father Felipe who rails against the evil mayor. In the last scene Zorro leads a revolution of peons and caballeros overthrowing the mayor. All in all a good film.
Next week I'm going to see 1954 A Star is Born with Judy Garland at the Orpheum, another terrific movie palace. Here's the schedule for Last Remaining Seats:
June 7- A Star is Born- Orpheum
June 14- Harold Loyd comedies - Palace sold out
June 21 Chinatown - Orpheum soldout
June 28 Dos Tips de Ciudad - Los Angeles
July 5 Rebel Without a Cause - Los Angeles
The LA Conservancy also does terrific tours--both self-guided tours with map they provide and group tours--showcasing architecture highlights of downtown. I took their tour of Spring Street, the old Wall Street of the West where from 1920-1950 the leading banks and stock exhcange used to be but now many of these fine buildings are being converted into apartments, lofts, nightclubs, etc. For more information about The Last Remaining Seats or the tours check out
http://www.laconservancy.org
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