Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990

A sequel to last year’s wildly successful Pacific Standard Time exhibit is currently running at the Getty Museum. Called “Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990,” the show presents the single best overview of L.A.’s constructed environment we’ve ever seen. Not only are there maps, photos, and blueprints of iconic, as well as lesser known, spaces in Los Angeles, there’s also a terrific video of Edward R. Murrow touring Television City (CBS studios) in the 1950s, an historical look at L.A.’s intricate freeway system, artist renderings of LAX, UCLA and Disneyland, and architectural artifacts from the 1984 Olympics. Also featured are the Case Study houses, Park La Brea, the Century Plaza hotel, Gregory Ain and Joseph Eichler homes, the Chemosphere, Watts Towers, the Capitol Records building, Dodgers Stadium, the Hayden tract, Disney studios, and almost everything else we love about Los Angeles. Karen, Tim and I spent more than two hours pouring over every detail.

This is a fabulous exhibit. But it ends July 21, so get over there quickly. And while you’re there, be sure to stop by the Getty gardens, now in all their summer glory. It’s the perfect L.A. experience.

Getty Gardens from above

Enjoying the gardens