Real Estate Architect | LA

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2008-12-27T10:16:00.002-08:00

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Hello?

2008-12-27T10:16:00.001-08:00

hello.

ARCHITECTS URGE REINTRODUCTION OF WHITE HOUSE AS RENEWABLE ENERGY EXAMPLE

2008-12-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

“…The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has offered to assist President-elect Barack Obama advance his goals of promoting green buildings and focusing on the needs of urban areas… ‘During the campaign, Barack Obama voiced plans to invest in infrastructure, advance energy efficiency and sustainable buildings… These are all longstanding AIA goals, and we look forward to working with the new

DESPITE MARKET GLOOM ROI CAN STILL MEAN RETURN ON (HOME) IMPROVEMENTS

2008-12-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

“… The weak economy and uncertainty in housing markets remain key hurdles for remodeling activity… [with] homeowner improvement spending declining at an annual rate of 12% by the second quarter of 2009," according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. A new report by Remodeling Magazine reports, however, that the value of improvements isn't dropping a the same rate. "…{T}he 2008–09 data

PROPOSED SOLAR PLAN INCLUDES ROOFTOP PANELS FOR LOW INCOME RESIDENTS

2008-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled an ambitious long-range plan Monday for securing enough solar power to meet one-tenth of the city's energy needs by 2020… The announcement Monday is the latest in a series of renewable energy initiatives touted by the mayor in recent weeks, including using redevelopment funds to lure "clean" technology companies and investing city pension dollars in

FUNKY MOOD = FUNKY SALES?

2008-11-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

“…It's easy to get depressed about selling your house these days, when bad news about the housing market crops up daily. It's especially discouraging when you've been keeping up your home, following professional advice about staging and are trying to be clear-sighted about your price… real estate agents, as well as sellers, can get into a blue funk these days about the real estate market… many

TUNNELS FOR SALE IN LONDON

2008-11-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

“…For sale: a vast tunnel complex in central London… The asking price is $7.4 million… one mile of underground corridors and adjacent rooms… The tunnels were built during World War II as bomb shelters for about 8,000 people and were designed to allow them to survive for five weeks shut off from the outside world… [the] tunnels… were never used by the public because the government needed them for

HOUSING INDICES AGREE IN CONCEPT, VARY IN SPECIFICS

2008-11-26T13:18:00.001-08:00

... and, importantly, when compared with those of 2002, today's numbers don't look quite so bad... Graphs were assembled in the following article: - Only One Person Knows a Home's Value: Its Buyer, by Carl Bialik, WSJ Online, November 21, 2008. More about the various indices on The Numbers Guy Blog.

OF FACTORY HOMES AND MORTGAGE LOANS

2008-11-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

"..manufactured housing [is] more in keeping with the spirit of the times than mutant McMansions… Warren Buffett has… acquired Clayton Homes for $1.7 billion in 2003. [Clayton is based in Maryville, Tenn. and currently accounts for about a third of the market.]… the Federal Housing Administration is increasing loan limits to $70,000 from $46,000 when only the manufactured home --and not the

HOUSES WITHOUT ARCHITECTURE: THE NUMBERS

2008-11-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

“…Architects are responsible for about 25 percent of new homes—or 5 percent, 10 percent, 15 percent, even 100 percent, depending on whom you ask and how you phrase the question… The most accurate number, if we’re talking about new single-family houses that have ‘significant architect involvement,’ is 28 percent, according to the 2001 AIA report [by Kermit Baker, chief economist of the American

HUBRIS AND POST MODERNISM IN FINANCE

2008-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

“…Artists, sportsmen, surgeons, plumbers, and the rest of us have secret voices of doubt, inner reservations about ourselves, but if you go to work with money, and make money, you can be proved right in the most inhumanly pure way. This is why people who have succeeded in the world of money tend to have such a high opinion of themselves. And this is why they seem to regard themselves as paragons

OPEN SOURCE GREEN HOMES

2008-11-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

"...Free Green [is] an open source design Web site that provides construction documents, specifications, and renderings for green homes — all available for free download.. Architects and designers submit their work for review and subsequent posting on the site… Beginning in January 2009, designers will be able to create a profile page similar to those in Facebook. Designers will be rated and

LA TIMES ON LONGSTANDING SOLAR ACCESS RULES

2008-11-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

"...California has embarked on an ambitious program to install photovoltaic panels on 1 million roofs in California by the end of 2017. So it was perhaps inevitable that property owners, who already fuss with one another about everything under the sun, would end up feuding about that as well. Complaints are arising from an obscure state law known as the Solar Shade Control Act. It protects

BLOOMBERG ON STEPPED UP FORECLOSURE EFFORTS AT FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC

2008-11-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

“…Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac… will target loans in which borrowers are at least 90 days delinquent and have high loan-to-income ratios… The companies may offer homeowners reduced interest rates and longer terms of as much as 40 years to trim monthly payments… The initiative expands efforts by the Hope Now Alliance, a group of investors, advocacy groups, and mortgage lenders and servicers such as

NY TIMES TIPS ON RENEGOTIATING MORTGAGE

2008-11-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

“…You don’t need to be behind on your mortgage payments to ask for a better deal from your bank… JPMorgan Chase, HSBC and Bank of America, which took over Countrywide and its soured mortgage portfolio, have modified terms… The home in question must be your primary residence. And the banks generally need to have your mortgage on their books and not have sold it off to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or

EASTER SUNDAY LA TIMES SACRIFICES OWN MASTHEAD TO PANIC-MONGER ADVERTISER

2008-03-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Times sold the 6 square inches or so usually occupied by the "Los" in "Los Angeles Times" for a stick-on advertisement pimping a foreclosure listings website USHomeAuction.com operated by something called the Real Estate Disposition Corporation, a property auction house. As newspapers around town were being unwrapped, NBC's Maria Bartiromo was saying to Tim Russert on Meet the Press: "We

ANIMATION SUMS UP MORTGAGE DEBACLE

2008-03-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

From the Wall Street Journal's Development blog (found on appraiser Jonathan Miller's Matrix): "... Written by a former home appraiser, Dave Girtsman of Ventura, Calif., and animated by Amy Baniecki, the video depicts the increasing woes of a homeowner as he takes out a mortgage at a teaser rate – and then another... Mr. Girtsman was employed as a home appraiser from 2002 - 2004 in California.

URBAN LAND INSTITUTE SPOTLIGHTS SUSTAINABILITY AS PROFIT CENTER

2008-03-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Urban Land Institute's LA Chapter hosted an event entitled Sustainable Development in the Urban Marketplace: How Green $$$ is Green? on Wednesday at the LA Convention Center. Participants included developers and architects, among others. The opening panel was moderated by LA council president Eric Garcetti, who displayed his familiarity with the subject at hand, and seems to have good deal of

NY TIMES ANTICIPATES HOUSING DROP DESPITE (OR BECAUSE OF?) FED INTERVENTION

2008-03-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

In today's New York Times article about the Fed's 0.75% interest rate cut (to 2.25 percent), tbe buried lead for students and followers of real estate is far down on the page: "...Fed officials had been startled and frustrated that their previous rate reductions were doing nothing to lower the long-term interest rates that are most relevant for expanding a business or buying homes or cars. Most

NEW AGAIN ON THE ARCHITECTURE MARKET

2008-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Actually not exactly "new" having been listed originally at the same price in November 2007, off and on the market since. Still, we like the house, "amazing deal" or not.

FOLLOWING THE ARCHITECTURE MARKET PART 2

2008-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

A few developments since our previous FOLLOWING THE ARCHITECTURE MARKET post just last week: The MLS lists the Carman Crest property as "sold" for $4,475,000 as of March 13th. That's 10 days on the market, $25,000 (5%) off the $5,000,000 list price. The Rising Glen house is off the market after just 36 days. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the authentic Spanish house we like can now be had for a song

HOOKERS AND HOUSES: DOES BAD BEHAVIOR DRIVE MARKETS?

2008-03-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

He wasn't talking about real estate when he was quoted in the New York Times (March 16th Sunday Styles). But we couldn't help reflecting on inflated home prices when we read businessman Bob Beleson's comments about Governor Eliot Spitzer's recent indiscretions, complaining not about the behavior, but about its economic repercussions : "These guys that pay $4,300 for a hooker are the same guys

VISIONARY ARCHITECT AND TEACHER KHALILI DIES

2008-03-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

We sadly note the passing of Nader Khalili, pictured here in an image found on his website. In the 1970’s, unsatisfied with a successful architectural practice of concrete and steel high rises and parking structure he embarked on a sort of quest by motorcycle in his native Iran. The resulting book Racing Alone describes his personal journey toward the founding of his California Institute of

FOLLOWING THE ARCHITECTURE MARKET

2008-03-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Multiple Listings show the self proclaied "Eco-Hip" "Project 7TEN" in Venice as having been listed since January 25th, but it was posted for auction back on December 15th, when we first mentioned it. It is, at any rate, still available for $2,850,000. Another sustainability-oriented property we mentioned back in November (when they were selling $35 tickets just to see it) is also still

NO AUCTION BIDS FOR VENICE ECO HOUSE

2008-02-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

No bids prior to the January 14th closing date on aforementioned project7ten. Actively listed at the formerly "starting bid' price of $2,850,000 since January 25th with Deasy Penner & Partners.

NOT ALL FLASH FOR $10M ABOVE THE STRIP

2008-02-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

The curiously ambiguous photograph and the record price tag drew us up above the Strip to Rising Glen for a visit to this Brokers' Open House. The impression of exclusivity was enhanced by a bouncer-type taking names on a clipboard by the front gate. Packs of bootie-clad visitors padded over the dark wood floors of the recently completed property, which Janna Levenstien's (Kyle Bradshaw

SOMEONE SHOULD BUY THIS AND PRESERVE IT

2008-02-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

Still on the market in 'prime' Westwood after two months. It's too good. Read more.

SUNDAY BEST

2008-02-11T08:08:00.001-08:00

We liked Sotheby's (Robert Grandinetti) new listing at 2415 Carman Crest, on a bluff facing Runyon Canyon Park and overlooking a good deal of the LA Basin to the south and southeast. The house lacks some of the obsessiveness which characterizes outstanding architecture: careful attention to the massing of exterior volumes and the arrangement of solids and voids in elevation, or the integration

GEHRY: MOST CLIENTS MISS OUT ON THE VALUE OF AN ARCHITECT

2008-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Frank Gehry's comments about his work provide clues to the feelings of many architects about theirs, Gehry's particular blend of ego and neurosis aside. The context is a 2002 conversation with TED (Technology Entertainment Design) founder Richard Saul Wurman in a 2002 video recently posted on TED's website. Gehry confesses "I apporach each project with a new insecurity..." and laments most

PEE BACK TIME

2008-01-02T10:35:00.001-08:00

Orange county has begun recycling sewage for use as drinking water. It's not like it goes from the toilet through some filter and then directly back to your tap. It's an elaborate process of multiple filtration over time (like nature, only faster), explained pretty clearly in today's LA Times article "Sewage in O.C. goes full circle." Los Angeles is recycling water too, but according to the

NO EXCUSES FOR CONFUSION AT THE BORDER...

2007-12-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

..of West Hollwood and Santa Monica on Sierra Alta Drive. Maybe this should be done everywhere. Robertson would be a mess of dotted lines...

LA TIMES MISSES LEAD IN FRAUD STORY

2007-12-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

The LA Times ends 2007 with a front page real estate story: How A Bank Fell Victim to Loan Fraud. "...The Beverly Hills based ring followed a simple plan: Buy inexpensive [?] houses in exclusive areas at market value, fabricate paperwork showing them to be worth two or three times as much, and then secure loans [for fictitious, "straw" buyers] based on the inflated numbers..." What the story

FAVORITE SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE

2007-12-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Not for sissies: Despite an era in which gross remodels have ravaged their way through the first generation of Westside LA homes, this property seems to have survived with much of its original spirit and body intact. It was open yesterday, listed for $2,275,000 by Patricia Hodson of Sotheby's. It includes some original bathrooms, and the gracefully proportioned beamed living room we would expect

WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE HIKE

2007-12-16T13:09:00.002-08:00

It's a pleasant hour's walk on a country lane from the Tree People parking lot at the intersection of Coldwater and Mulholland down what's now a fire road to Fryman near Laurel Canyon Boulevard, where there's a parking lot for the Betty B. Dearing Cross Mountain Trail. Once you leave the informative Tree People exhibits behind, there are moments in between glimpses of canyon cabins, hillside

"REAL ESTATE COLLIDES WITH FIRE ECOLOGY"

2007-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

The colorfully descriptive, apocalypse-tinged insights of disappointed idealist Mike Davis engage and illuminate. Davis wrote the influential Los Angeles expose, City of Quartz. His recent post in the London Review of Books about LA wildfires was picked up by Los Angeles edition of The Architects Newspaper. Davis says, in part: "Southern California is a land of risk and natural drama…

EARTHWORKS IN THE HILLS

2007-12-15T08:50:00.001-08:00

Strange earthworks rise on trails branching off the fire roads behind Kenter and Mandeville Canyons where hikers and dogwalkers exercise amidst panoramic views. The presence of old-fashioned, manual equipment – shovels and wheelbarrows – suggests ongoing construction. Research on dirtworld.com and socalmtb.com reveals these forms to be the work, and the route, of mountain bikers, called “Kenter

SO ECO HIP IN VENICE

2007-12-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

"Project7ten is so eco-hip that celebs like Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan, John Cusack, David Duchovny, Tobey McGuire, Laird Hamilton, Gabrielle Reece, Kevin Connolly, Esai Morales, Laura Dern, and Josie Maran and Ed Begley Jr. have all checked it out, with many of these celebrities attending the private house opening party." - From the press release on PRweb.com... What more can be said? Maybe

LAUREL CANYON OPEN SPACE

2007-12-05T23:25:00.001-08:00

We stumbled upon the Briar Summit Open Space Preserve in the quadrant to the south east of the intersection of Laurel Canyon and Mulholland. According to a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy press release, it's a 52 acre nature preserve set aside for mule deer, bobcats, grey fox, coyote and their prey. There's supposed to be an old Nike Missile System observation platform up there too.

AIA TOP GREEN PROJECTS CALL FOR ENTRIES

2007-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

The American Institute of Architects is looking for sustainable houses to honor. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2008.

BEHIND THE CHARMING EXTERIOR

2007-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

This photo shows some of what it takes for a new structure to look old. The metal column-like devices (The ones shown are HardyFrames. There are others, e.g. by Simpson) on either side of the future front door will ultimately disappear behind a few coats of exterior stucco. They are anchored to the foundation and are intended to resist the lateral force of an earthquake. In the first half of

TUESDAY TOUR

2007-12-04T22:36:00.002-08:00

An internet search for the name of architect Richard Dorman doesn't yield a lot of results. He wasn't the showman John Lautner was, nor was he an evangelist of modernist ideology like, for example Richard Neutra (see his Survival Through Design). In the 1970's Dorman departed from Los Angeles frustrated, we heard back then, with the increasingly cumbersome building approval process of a

WIRED INTERVIEWS ZILLOW FOUNDER

2007-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

"...Whether or not a home is for sale is not binary. It has been forced to be binary by the structure of the marketplace, but everything is for sale to a certain degree. And many homes have uncollected and unsystematized interest from potential buyers...." See Q&A: Zillow's Rich Barton on Real Estate, AI and Basement Floods

FORBES MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES TOP TEN

2007-11-30T09:46:00.002-08:00

Forbes' just published its Ten Priciest U.S. Home Sales Of 2007 -"...New York City dominated the list with whales of Wall Street and the mayor himself signing eight-figure purchase contracts. The first non-Gotham property to make the list was hedge fund manager Bruce Kovner's $35 million Mediterranean-style villa, overlooking the ocean from Carpinteria, Calif... [The pictured 1980 Segal House by

KEEPING YOUR HOUSE FROM BURNING

2007-11-30T09:08:00.001-08:00

"A 2004 study by the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies concluded that local and state governments actually are encouraging the construction of homes in fire-prone areas by tapping taxpayers to pay for brush suppression and firefighting," says an article in the San Diego Union Tribune. In a National Public Radio story today concerning fires in Wildland Urban Interface Areas, Roger

ROCK CELEBRITIES ABANDON GOTH INTERIORS

2007-11-30T08:10:00.001-08:00

In it's relentless pursuit of domestic trivialities, Thursday's Los Angeles Times Home Section reported the belated discovery by Sharon and Ozzy Osborne of the philosophy of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mrs. Osborne is quoted as saying: "Now, Ozzy and I have gone more contemporary, more streamlined, stark modern and light. No more black furniture. We're moving into simplicity, and I am

NO CLEAR MARKET SIGNALS

2007-11-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

In a Forbes article entitled "Home Prices Get Pounded" reporting the 4.5% year-over-year drop in U.S. home prices cited in the most recent S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, Citigroup analyst Stephen Kim is quoted as saying: "Many important housing-specific valuation and fundamental metrics are at historical trough levels - signaling 'buy'. However, the broader economic picture, which has been

THE CITY BACKSTAGE

2007-11-27T12:26:00.001-08:00

Walking in the hills above the city, it occured to us that we were getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the technology that makes the city possible: The power lines, the water tanks, and the indispensable and often massive drainage and debris-control basins, shown here right up against the hedges at the edge of a Brentwood estate. Basically, this is a backyard dam with an overflow drain waiting

THE RIGHT TO DRY

2007-11-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

We came across a website dedicated to promoting the air-drying of laundry as an environmental measure, laundrylist.org... "changing the world through clotheslines..." It would certainly change the urban landscape.

CITY WITH BENEFITS

2007-11-19T21:00:00.001-08:00

Not far up the road from the Wired Living Home (see November 14th entry) is a trailhead of sorts. Past the “No Parking” and “No Trespassing” signs posted on the iron car barrier and the chain link fence, a paved roadway wends its way up and down miles of hills occupied only by brush, electrical transmission towers and a couple of giant DWP water tanks serving the thirsty population below. We

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD ON McMANSIONIZATION

2007-11-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

From the November Architectural Record:"...In a May 2006 study [the National Trust for Historic Preservation] found that more than 300 communities in 33 states have taken steps to combat teardowns and overbuilding by imposing demolition delays, limits on square footage, and creating conservation districts..

LITTLE BOXES 2007

2007-11-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

We got a look the other day at the Wired Living Home designed by legendary architectural innovator Ray Kappe and currently for sale. Developer Living Homes wants you to buy $35 tickets to see it via shuttle bus. That’s nice because it will keep the traffic down in consideration of the neighbors. We didn’t buy tickets though, and if you're interested in buying the house, ask your broker to

MEDIAN LA COUNTY HOME SALE PRICES FALL

2007-11-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

The LA Business Journal says the October 2007 price is down 3.7 % from 2006 to $525,000. They quote some experts about the trend. "In early November, [Coldwell Banker Broker Stan] Richman’s office sold a home in the Beverly Hills area for $5.85 million, but that was only after reducing the asking price to $5.9 million from $6.5 million in late October... Richman said. 'If we can get a 10 or 15

LAND USE CONTROLS DRIVE UP HOME PRICES

2007-11-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Virginia Postrel explores the "cost of the 'right to build'" in a current Atlantic Monthly article called 'A Tale of Two Town Houses.' Using Dallas, Texas, with it's outlying development-ready cotton fields, as a basis of comparison, she suggests that tight building rules drive up Los Angeles housing prices by further constraining an already tight supply of homes. Postrel cites a Coldwell Banker

WEST HOLLYWOOD GREEN RESOURCE CENTER

2007-11-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

We stopped by West Hollywood City Hall yesterday on behalf of a client and were able to have a look at their Green Building Resource Center. It's really just an exhibit of sustainable building materials mounted on boards, but it contains a nice variety, and it's well presented and organized. If you're planning some construction and need a first-hand introduction to some of the resources now

SUNDAY BEST

2007-11-04T21:30:00.001-08:00

We don't always like these spec redo's with their focus on current design fashions, but this one at 1440 Kings Road above the Sunset Strip built by Vracko Construction (listed by Richard Klug of Sothebys) impressed us with it's attention to design details. Our favorite: Master bath mirrors cleverly designed and positioned in front of the picture window to provide simultaneous views of yourself

GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS RATED

2007-11-03T09:24:00.001-07:00

The current issue of Urban Land Institue's "Multifamily Trends" magazine ranks green building programs in order of comprehensiveness, listed here starting with the most rigorous: 1. U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Homes 2. U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Home (LEED-H) 3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Certified New Homes 4.

GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS

2007-11-01T17:16:00.001-07:00

Two Southern California Cities recently passed so-called “Green” legislation. West Hollywood promises “flexibility, responsiveness to local conditions, and cost-effectiveness.” as key features of its new Green Building Ordinance. The rules cover “all new development” and remodels, touching on resource use at construction sites as well as the energy consumption of finished buildings. The ordinance

TUESDAY TOUR

2007-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Broker Open House tour included this new West Hollywood project. Brix Realty's David Sudeck promotes the two unit structure designed by Bruno Bondanelli of designx-architecture (who currently seems quite busy in West Hollywood) as "eco-luxury", with US Green Building Council LEED Gold certification pending, featuring: "...Energy-saving Bosch appliances. Rooftop solar electrical

IN THE LINE OF FIRES

2007-10-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Now that many of the recent area fires have been quelled (The LA City Fire Department blog links to a Google map showing which fires are active, contained and extinguished) it seems timely to ponder the fact that many of LA's coolest houses, highly flammable and, perched as they are for seclusion and view in the hills, are located in formerly designated “mountain fire district” areas. The Fire

SUNDAY BEST

2007-10-29T10:35:00.001-07:00

Our favorite among open houses we saw yesterday was Steve Frankel's (Coldwell Banker-BH East) listing at 8630 Fennell Place. It appears frozen in 1955, down to the turquoise appliances.

AT HOME WITH BUDDHA

2007-10-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

We've been encountering a good deal of Buddhist statuary on our visits to homes on the market. Some of these Buddhas may reflect the spiritual inclinations of the sellers, others seem to be decorative. Many have clearly been placed by the professional staging designers. We saw the head at the top left on the Sunset Strip. The reclining figure below was in Los Feliz.

RELAX: TARANTINO, NEUTRA, ZEN.

2007-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

We’ve noticed a good many listings touting “zen” among the property’s assets. One of the latest is at 8427 Ridpath Drive in the Hollywood Hills (MLS#: 07-228579). Jason Reitz of Rock Real Estate describes it thus: “Straight Out Of A Tarrantino Movie, This Hand Crafted 1930’s Modernist Zen-Architectural Canyon Retreat Is Influenced By All The Masters Of The 20th Century Including Wright & Neutra

RIDING THE RAILS

2007-10-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

We took the subway to get somewhere in LA! Interested in taking a look at a new multi-family project in Long Beach, a train ride seemed more appealing than another day on the freeway. So, this still being LA we first got into the car and drove east to the Red Line station at Wilshire and Western. A train pulled in before we could make sense of the ticket vending machines, so we stole the first