Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.
Singer-songwriter Dar Williams has spent years on the road and along the way she learned a lot about America’s small towns and what makes them thrive. She talks about her book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns , and plays songs that relate to those themes.
The La Brea Tar Pits has a new design team that won’t uproot the mammoth family from its lake of tar. DnA talks to architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi about how they plan to maintain the “thereness” and “spectacle” of the prehistoric site while making it more open and attractive to visitors. Once upon a time, tract homes were seen as bland and boring, and then came Cinderella Homes. We’ll hear how a 1950s fantasy trend in suburban design made Southern California homeow...
How do you make your own architectural statement on a street filled with eye-grabbing Eric Owen Moss buildings? Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee talk about bringing “decorum,” pillowed tilt-up concrete and hidden outdoor rooms to their subtle remodel of UCLA’s graduate art studios on Hayden Avenue in Culver City. And we learn about the massive, sometimes illegal, global trade in used stuff and where it winds up after we've tossed it out. Fun fact: The Japanese hoard as much as Americans....
A dramatic decision by a little-known planning agency may impact how much new housing goes up in your city. The board of the Southern California Association of Governments, or SCAG, voted recently to allocate more housing in coastal, job-rich cities in Southern California rather than in rural areas. That means over 3,000 new units for Beverly Hills, which had planned to build three. DnA talks to the mayors of Culver City and Beverly Hills about their different approaches to new housing construct...
Ray Kappe, creator of stunning homes and a highly original architecture school, has passed at age 92. DnA gives tribute to a well-lived life. Did you know that you can learn about the fuel usage of a car by its show color? We talk to “communication color” consultant Sabine Lapine. And, still planning your Thanksgiving meal? How about cooking something tailored for the art and design fans in your life? Esther Choi explains “Le Corbuffet.”
The city of LA is launching a competition to design a new streetlight. LA's chief design officer Christopher Hawthorne tells DnA about the history of LA's streetlights, and what the city is looking for in a new streetlight. And when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, there were only 30 walls separating nation states around the world. Now there are over 77 -- and most of those have gone up in this century. A show at the Annenberg Space for Photography explores why walls are a global phenomenon....
Marciano Art Foundation is closing. The news came days after visitor services associates announced their intention to unionize. DnA attends a protest outside the Wilshire museum to hear about the role of low-paid labor in the highly lucrative world of contemporary art. Plus, more changes are coming to Museum Row, but LA-based architects aren’t getting to design them. We look at the shortlist for the La Brea Tar Pits expansion, and the role of localism in a global architecture profession....
The co-founder of Studio 54 is opening a new boutique hotel in West Hollywood. Veteran hotelier Ian Schrager talks about his colorful life and career creating spaces to attract the in-crowd. And filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer tells us about the dramatic life and civic impact of Schrager. DnA also visits another site that was designed as a social magnet: Horton Plaza, a postmodern icon designed by the late architect Jon Jerde. But the 1985 mall has become a ghost of its former self. DnA learns what’s in...
The Getty Fire has spread to hundreds of acres, with tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate. But the Getty Center, with its priceless collection of art and artifacts, was designed to withstand the flames. Plus, how safe is the fire retardant that air tankers are spraying onto the flames? If you’re planning to dress up for Halloween, you may be thinking of those old spooky favorites: a mummy, a vampire, Frankenstein’s monster. But have you ever wondered about the origin stories of those s...
Saudi Arabia has an image problem. But it has become a new frontier for American artists and designers. We look at the controversy surrounding site-specific art festival Desert X's planned expansion to Saudi Arabia, and we talk to an LA-based consultant for the futuristic megacity of Neom. Both are bankrolled by Mohammad Bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. How do designers deal with the blowback?
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 18 bills last week to boost housing production. Does this mean the housing crisis is solved? DnA talks to Angela Brooks and Larry Scarpa about the “elephant in the room” that was left out of the bills, and their NEST 'kit-of-parts' that they believe can build affordable housing faster. And, RuPaul has brought drag into the mainstream, but it’s hardly a new phenomenon. In his new book "Drag: The Complete Story," Simon Doonan recounts the history of cross-dressing and why ...
Remember Cross Colours? The LA-based urban streetwear line was a hit in the early 90s, with bright, bold designs and uplifting messages about unity. Now the label is back, and the California African American Museum is celebrating with a retrospective that shows its impact on the mainstream fashion industry. Plus, Forever 21 may not last forever. But the demand for cheap clothing has not gone away. Fashionopolis author Dana Thomas tells DnA about the human and environmental costs of fast fashion,...
The coworking giant WeWork said it would raise world consciousness and rebuild cities, with help from architect Bjarke Ingels. Now it has pulled its IPO, after firing its CEO last week. Where does that leave WeWork and coworking spaces in general? We hear about LA's booming coworking scene, how spaces are differentiated through design, and we’ll talk to the founder of Epiphany Space, which aims to raise consciousness in a very different way. And, what do autographs reveal about Los Angeles? Josh...
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens was established 100 years ago. But Henry Huntington’s footprint was far bigger than that. DnA looks at the man who was “probably the most important urban planner L.A. has ever had,” and at 1919, an exhibition about that turbulent year. Plus, Paul Fortune came to LA for sex and drugs and wound up with a glittering design career. He talks about “Notes on Decor, etc.”
Will an all-electric Porsche drive sports car lovers to embrace clean energy vehicles? Can an adult video site help clean up plastic trash in the oceans? DnA looks at the climate messaging coming from unexpected quarters, even as the White House tries to roll back environmental protections. And we meet the folks with the future in their hands: teenagers. Santa Monica High School climate activists share their thoughts on taking inspiration from Greta Thunberg, on educating adults and the need for...
After it opened in 1989, Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade became one of the most popular shopping and entertainment destinations in the world. But the Internet has changed how we shop, watch movies and order food. So business leaders and designers have launched Promenade 3.0. Will lawn games, public seating and Instagram moments make it a must-visit place once again? And, coastal cities around the world are facing rising sea levels. What can we learn from Lagos? Hear from Nigerian-born arch...
The Music Center Plaza, opened in 1964 with a design by architect Welton Becket, has been reimagined for pedestrians rather than cars. “We had to walk a line between preserving as best we could what was here, but making it work better for the changing urban environment that we have here,” said architect Bob Hale. And Los Angeles has a new city forest officer, starting Tuesday. Rachel Malarich has two big goals: adding 90,000 trees to LA’s streets and private yards, and increasing the tree canopy...
A large two-story Craftsman house on a residential street in Koreatown has been subdivided into 15 single-occupancy bedrooms and bathrooms, and common living and dining areas. “Cohaus” creates community and adds density without changing the architecture. But at least one neighbor is not happy with this arrangement. We find out why. And, Bird electric scooters are everywhere. But critics say they’re not as eco-friendly as the company has presented them. Bird’s head of sustainability explains what...
Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard is in the midst of some big changes, with major projects at the Petersen, Academy Museum, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits and Craft Contemporary. Will these schemes be united, and how will they greet the street? And we'll hear about three architectural firms competing to reimagine La Brea Tar Pits. Plus, working with a general contractor can often be a challenge, whether you're building a house or looking to remodel. The start-up Sweeten wants to disrupt the general cont...
Summer in Southern California means swimming pools, and those glittering havens from the heat are celebrated in the new book “Splash: The Art of the Swimming Pool,” a collaboration between photographer Tim Street-Porter and his wife, the designer and writer Annie Kelly. Plus, we meet two artists from AfriCOBRA, a Chicago-based collective formed in the late 1960s that made art to empower black communities. Their work is part of the blockbuster show “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power...
Let’s play ball! There’s a $100 million renovation coming to Chavez Ravine. Janet Marie Smith of the Dodgers gives us the rundown, and architecture critic Paul Goldberger discusses the evolution of the American ballpark. Plus, the city hopes Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, can be an answer to the housing shortage. And they’ve built one to prove it. We’ll hear about lessons learned from a little house in a backyard in Highland Park.
The designer of “The Blue Whale” has died. The Argentinian-born architect Cesar Pelli of the Petronas Towers and other landmarks passed July 19 at age 92. We’ll hear about his mark on LA, where he created glass-skinned buildings inspired by local artists, including the colorful, if controversial, Pacific Design Center. And a classic LA house with a dark past has become a party house with a purpose. We’ll meet the new owners (and their seven Persian cats) of the Lloyd Wright-designed Sowden House...
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House has become Southern California's first UNESCO World Heritage site. Why did it earn this distinction, and how will it cope with a flood of new visitors? Starburst signs and Satellite shopping centers... Apollo 11 launched 50 years ago on Tuesday, marking a high point in the space age. We'll look at how space exploration shaped LA's landscape. And we’ll go see the fabulous outfits by Guo Pei, a Chinese designer who was born in a time that rejected fashion, on s...
When Philip Johnson built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove for televangelist Robert Schuller in 1980 it was called "the largest glass building in the world." Now it’s the new home for Orange County's Catholics, renamed Christ Cathedral, and architects Johnson Fain have dialed down the sunlight with a bold screen of “quatrefoils.” And, the City of West Hollywood is in the midst of creating digital billboards that are visually appealing without offending residents. We'll hear about how they p...
When longtime Apple chief designer Jony Ive announced he was jumping ship, markets shook. How much is good design worth? We talk about what’s next for Apple, Ive and the branding of consumer technology. Plus, will we have dogs in 60 years? A time capsule at Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial captures the values and anxieties of Angelenos today.
Spanish architecture firm Selgascano is taking over LA with brightly colored plastic and lots of plants. DnA visits their Second Home Hollywood, Serpentine Pavilion at the La Brea Tar Pits; and Sam First, a jazz club at LAX. And, forecasts are more accurate than ever. Andrew Blum says props should go to the creators of the weather prediction “machine” and explains how this global science project is now under threat just as storms are growing in size.
Uber wants to add app-based flying taxis to LA's airwaves. Uber Air is set to launch in 2023, and the company has enlisted eight firms to create (pro bono) concept designs for what they call “skyports.” Can drone taxis remedy LA traffic jams, or just add to transit inequity? And, the city has a housing crunch, but are lots of apartments sitting empty? Some city officials want to impose a vacancy tax on landlords and property owners who keep homes vacant.
Santa Monica Airport is expected to close by 2028 and be replaced by a park, and this weekend the city will begin digging up both ends of the runway. But the transition is worrying folks who see a clean, green, quieter future for aviation; and people who believe the Westside needs housing more than it needs another park. Plus, a new film about the life and times of Halston combines high style with corporate drama. We hear about an American fashion designer’s fabulous rise and meteoric fall....
LA Pride takes place this weekend and among those celebrating will be the new residents of the LA LGBT Center. The center was founded 50 years ago and a major upgrade was designed to bring LGBT youth and seniors together in a very modern family. And, have you ever wondered how an artwork winds up in LACMA’s collection? Think of it like a dating show that matches wealthy donors with curators and the objects they desire.
Los Angeles is considering revising its regulations around billboards to allow more digital signs all around Los Angeles. But activists say the proposed rules would allow for Las Vegas-style digital billboards far and wide. For this episode of DnA on ATC, KCRW’s Frances Anderton talks with Larry Perel about the signs of what’s to come.
