Irving Gill Tour

 

Horatio West Court, Santa Monica

 

I fell in love with architecture in the 1980s when the library where I was working, in San Diego County, asked me to start ordering books in the 700s. For those who don't know, books in the Dewey Decimal 700s consist of art, music, sports, TV, movies, and, of course, architecture. Although adept at all the other subjects, I knew nothing about architecture, so I signed up for a tour of houses designed by Irving Gill. I was hooked.

A contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, Gill started his career in Chicago, but in 1893 moved to San Diego, where he became a noted and prolific architect. A few years later, he began designing homes in Los Angeles and is now considered one of the leading pioneers of the early modern architectural movement. His work is characterized by clean lines, high ceilings, rounded archways, and natural use of light. His medium of choice: concrete.

Unfortunately, very few Gill homes still exist in L.A., so I was thrilled when the Southern California chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians offered an Irving Gill bus tour today. Tim and I bought tickets immediately.

Our first stop was the Horatio West Court, built in Santa Monica in 1919. Located on Hollister just a block from the beach, the courtyard features four small two-story homes, rescued from dilapidation in the 1970s and lovingly restored to their current glory. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but the exteriors clearly declare Irving Gill's unique style. Tim and I were ready to move in right then and there.

 

Street view of the court

 

Plenty of windows and natural light in the second story

 

Windows detail

 Wonderful old garage doors

 

Front door detail

 

We next traveled to Santa Fe Springs, where we toured the Clarke estate, an 8000-square-foot mansion built in 1921 amidst 60 acres of orange groves. The enormous house was eventually deeded to the city of Santa Fe Springs and is now used as an event venue. Though the red balconies and doors are not original to Gill's design, they are nonetheless striking against clean, white concrete walls.

 

Clarke mansion, entrance view

 

Balcony, interior courtyard

 

Courtyard door, looking out

 

Rearview of the house

 

Side door and flowers

 

Front door and carport

 

Tim checking out Gill's handiwork

 

Our last stop was the 1800-square-foot, single-story White/Morgan residence, erected near Melrose and Vine in the early 1920s. We had visited the home 10 years ago. But, boy, what a difference a decade makes! The house has been completely restored and is magnificent. The concrete walls not only repel the heat, they also muffle outside noise even though the house is located mere feet from one of Hollywood's busiest intersections. I'm in love with Gill all over again . . .

Unassuming front door, off an enclosed driveway

 

 The living room

 

Bedroom

 

Kitchen

 

Dining room

 

Backyard patio

 

Guest house entrance

 

Enclosed driveway

 

Driveway door detail

 

Bathroom mirror selfie

The California Incline

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Santa Monica beach, Labor Day 2016

 

Before I was brave enough to drive the freeway, my sister and I would travel to the beach via surface streets from Burbank. We’d take Barham over the hill into Hollywood and then turn right onto Wilshire all the way to Santa Monica. At Ocean Avenue, we’d turn right again for one block and then take the California Incline down to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to our favorite beach, Sorrento, slightly north of the Incline.

When I was a kid, I thought the California Incline was so named because it was the steepest road on the western edge of the continent. It wasn’t till many years later that I figured out it was the “California” Incline because it connected California Street, which ends at Palisades Park above, with PCH below. Regardless, it’s always been scary steep to me. I didn’t mind taking the two-lane road down to PCH, hugging the landside of the Santa Monica bluffs, but rarely took it back up. The ancient concrete wall/fence on the open side never looked secure enough to protect us from certain death below. Still, a reputed 15,000 cars used the California Incline a day.

The Incline was closed for demolition in April 2015. Reconstruction began shortly after. Watching the project take shape as I periodically drove up the coast, I marveled at how the whole thing hadn’t collapsed a long time ago. The new Incline is over 5 feet wider, incorporating a bike and pedestrian lane on the open side. No longer are cars dangling directly above PCH.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new California Incline was Thursday, when we were making our way to Disneyland for the 5K (see below). So instead, we went yesterday. We took the Expo Line to the end and then walked along Palisades Park to California. We then walked down the Incline and back up again. It’s still steep, but a lot less scary. And on a day like yesterday, the views are absolutely beautiful. So glad we live here . . .

 

Top of the Incline: cars on the right, bikes and peds on the left

 

Walking down (Tim in black t-shirt and lifeguard hat)

 

Pedestrian bridge to the beach

 

The bluffs: looking up at Palisades Park

 

Looking south onto PCH: the Incline on the left

 

Walking back up

What a view: this is why we live here

 

Glad we took the train!

 

Heading home

P.S. We ate at Danny Trejo's new foodtruck, while strolling along Palisades Park. Way tasty brisket and carnitas tacos.

 

Tim ordering 

Expo Line to Santa Monica

 

Waiting for the train to Santa Monica

 

The long-awaited extended Expo line lightrail, from Culver City to Santa Monica, finally opened yesterday. We, of course, had to be among the first to ride it. 

The new rail was due to open at noon, so at 11AM we walked two blocks to Sepulveda Blvd. to catch the northbound #6 Culver City bus to Pico. We arrived at the lightrail station 15 minutes later to find police cars and a line of people, of all ages and creeds, waiting to get on the train. As one seasoned passenger said, "They're here for the novelty, but will never ride it again!"

 

 Waiting on line

 

 Tim advising older riders how to get senior fares

 

On the platform

We were allowed onto the platform at 11:50AM. Everyone was jubilant. A trolley promptly arrived a few minutes after noon; but our cheers quickly turned to boos when we realized it wasn't in service. We waited another 10 minutes for the real first car to arrive. But again more disappointment when the doors opened and there wasn't room for even one person to get on. We ended up waiting half-an-hour, when we finally squeezed our way onto the third set of cars. By some miracle, I snagged a seat next to a young man who had never ridden the lightrail before. He was on his way to work and had no idea where to get off. After two false starts, he exited. I saw him on the platform, looking confused, as we zipped by.

 

 New trolley to Santa Monica--love the color!

No room for us!

 

 The first train to L.A.

Fun decorations

 

Heading north

 

We finally got on--Tim holding tight

 

We arrived in Santa Monica after about 20 minutes. Hundreds of people were waiting on the other end to catch the train to downtown L.A. We decided to eat lunch, in hopes the crowd would subside. Turns out we were overly optimistic. Still, it was worth the wait. Santa Monica may be only 8 miles from Culver City, but driving there is always a nightmare. Though not ideal, taking the trolley, from now on, will be a complete joy.

 

Waiting to go home

 

Pacific Ocean Park

While Tim was watching the Clippers playoff game at home, earlier this week, Karen and I attended a Venice Historical Society lecture/slide show about the old POP amusement park in Santa Monica. Opened in 1958, the Pacific Ocean Park Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier—POP, for short—was an extremely popular teen destination in the early '60s, before it closed and eventually burned down. 

I remember going to POP only once, but my sister and I weren't allowed to ride any of the attractions because, according my mother, several people had died there. As it turns out, this was just urban legend. Nonetheless, POP was cheesy—especially when compared to, say, Disneyland, the gold standard of SoCal amusement parks—and was nothing more than another kitschy pier attraction, so prevalent on the beach side of L.A. county in the early-to-mid-20th century. Still, this didn't seem to matter to the folks at the lecture. The small room was packed with people our age and older. 

The lecture was great. Domenic Priore, co-author of a new book on POP, narrated the slides, while well-known local historian Marc Wanamaker, who had actually worked at the park, provided "color" commentary. Clips of numerous movies and TV shows filmed at POP were also sprinkled throughout—perhaps the most famous being the final episode of The Fugitive, where the one-armed-man is (spoiler alert!) shot atop one of the rides. (I guess Mom was right: people did die at POP!) Our favorite clip, though, was this one (below) of Nancy Sinatra singing "Who Will Buy This Wonderful Feeling?" Not only does it reek of late-1960s TV musical specials (gotta love the Broadway-style choreography), it also provides one last fabulous peak inside POP before it was completely destroyed. Enjoy!

 

Last Weekend

The weekend began, of course, with the royal wedding, Friday morning. I debated waking up at 1AM to see it live, but tivo’d it instead so I could watch while getting ready for work. The whole hat obsession was a bit odd, but the wedding itself was wonderful. Kate Middleton and her dress were gorgeous and I cried when William and Harry—both looking so handsome in their military regalia—arrived at the church. If only Diana were alive to see it. What a glorious day!

In the late afternoon, Tim and I joined a handful of my students who had arranged a tour of the CNN studios in Hollywood. We’ve toured other TV studios before, so nothing new, but we did see Dr. Drew, CNN’s latest on-air personality, getting off an elevator, and chatted briefly with fashion commentator Nick Verreos on his way to shoot a critique of the wedding guests’ attire.

On Saturday, Karen and I spent a couple of hours visiting homes on the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase tour. Now in its third year, the tour featured more than 70 properties located in a diverse section of L.A. that stretches from Culver City to Venice Beach. This has become a premier event for local gardeners and, most amazingly, is free. Highly recommended.

That night Tim and I joined my students once again for the dept’s annual Dodgers outing. The seats were in nosebleed territory, as usual, but the view of the city was phenomenal. After a long day in the sun, I was exhausted, so we left the game early, stopping in upscale Larchmont, on the way home, for an ice cream nightcap. Baciami gelato: creamy, rich and expensive, but oh so tasty—yum!

Back to it on Sunday, Tim accompanied me on yet another house and garden tour—this time in Santa Monica. The homes were fabulous and the weather perfect. We took the Miata and rode with the top down all day. After three hours of touring, we headed toward the Brentwood Country Mart for some Reddi Chick rotisserie-baked chicken, our new favorite “fast food” on the upper westside. Built in 1948 and looking like something right out of the midwest, the barn-clad Mart is located on the corner of busy San Vicente Blvd. and 26th St. in the heart of ritzy Brentwood. The shops may be too high-end for our thin wallets, but the food is outrageous—definitely worth the 20-minute (on a good day!) drive.