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EXPLORE L.A. @ HOME (and in person!)

Vote on Taix Sets a Dangerous Precedent for L.A. Historic Preservation

Taix French Restaurant

Taix French Restaurant has been a mainstay on Sunset Boulevard since 1962. Last year, Holland Partner Group (new owners of the Taix property) unveiled a new project that calls for the demolition of the Taix building and redevelopment of the site.

Yesterday, May 4th, L.A. City Council's Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee voted in unanimous support of an amended scope for the pending Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) nomination for Taix.

Based on a motion and proposal by Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, the nomination protected only a couple of existing exterior signs and a wood bar top—not the Taix building itself. This proposal was previously suggested by Holland Partner Group and rejected by the Cultural Heritage Commission.

PLUM's action yesterday and Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell's motion not only dismiss Taix as a historic resource but greatly undermine the City's Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) program, setting a dangerous precedent.

HCM designation is tied to historic buildings and places, not building fragments and salvage. The Conservancy believes this action is problematic on numerous levels for larger preservation efforts throughout Los Angeles.

This pending HCM nomination will next go to the full City Council for a vote. A date has not yet been set.

Learn How You Can Help Now

Learn More about the Hollywood Community Plan Tomorrow, May 6th!

Hollywood Community Plan

Tune in to the City of L.A.'s Cultural Heritage Commission meeting tomorrow, Thursday, May 6th at 10 a.m., where Item 4 on the agenda is the proposed Hollywood Community Plan Update. The Plan will direct development and density for the next two decades using new tools to preserve the historic character of Hollywood. The Conservancy has submitted a number of recommendations for the plan, including extending preservation and housing protections to Hollywood’s historic bungalow courts.

Saving historic places is a community effort. We need you to voice YOUR support for historic preservation and greater protections to be included with the updated plan!

Join tomorrow’s meeting by using this Zoom link:
https://planning-lacity-org.zoom.us/j/86905065404

Meeting ID: 869 0506 5404
Password: 537536

Thank you for your support!

The Grand Return of Our Walking Tours Continues!

Walking Tours Return

There is nothing like seeing in person the historic places important to L.A.'s past and future!

Spend Saturday mornings with us and rediscover L.A.'s story through its iconic architectural landscape. Walking tours are socially distanced and have a maximum capacity of five attendees (plus one docent). Temperature checks and face coverings over both mouth and nose are required. You must be registered to participate. No walk-ups. 

Art Deco (Saturdays at 10:15 a.m.)
Everyone knows that L.A. is a glamorous city, but few know that true Old Hollywood glamour lies in the streets of downtown L.A.!

Historic Downtown (Saturdays at 10 a.m.)
Get a great overview of downtown L.A. history and architecture, from the eighteenth century to the present.

Modern Skyline (May 8 and June 12 at 10:30 a.m.)
Think skyscrapers aren’t historic? Think again! After seeing how downtown L.A. has evolved over the past century, you’ll see our beloved skyline in a whole new way.

Union Station (Saturdays at 11 a.m.)
Learn the backstory of L.A.'s iconic Union Station—the last great railway station built during the golden age of rail travel.

$10 Members/$15 General Public

Spaces are limited due to social distancing.

Book Your Walking Tour Today

You're the Critic on This Flashback '70s Virtual Tour!

Don't Call Me Ugly Virtual Group Tour

Don't Call Me Ugly! A Live Virtual Tour
Wednesday, May 19 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 2 at 12 p.m.

Everyone’s a critic–especially as it relates to architecture. One person’s “glass box” is another person’s edifice of stunning beauty. And while tastes change over time, buildings from the 1970s remain particularly challenging to many eyes.

But maybe this era is misunderstood. Perhaps we need to review and reconsider the times in which these buildings were constructed. Maybe we need to look a little deeper and maybe, just maybe, see these buildings for the first time!

Join us as we critique some of the tough-to-love buildings of downtown Los Angeles. This live virtual tour has been adapted from the Conservancy’s walking tour, "Don’t Call me Ugly: A Fresh Look at Modernism."

$8 Members/$12 General Public

Register Now

Two "Paul Revere Was Here" Virtual Tour Dates Left!

Paul Revere Was Here Virtual Tour

VIRTUAL TOUR (Includes a FREE Self-Guided Driving Tour Guide!)
Wednesdays, May 12 and 26 at 6 p.m.

The Los Angeles Conservancy and the Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA) are on the trail of L.A.'s legendary architect Paul Revere Williams.

Two events for one price! A virtual tour led by L.A. Conservancy docents provides live information and in-depth highlights about Paul Revere Williams’ life and work, while a self-guided driving tour gives you the freedom to visit over thirty sites associated with Williams up close.

Each downloadable driving guide booklet comes with a sign you can print out and use as a prop as you visit each site! Don't forget to use the hashtag #PaulRevereWasHere.

$25 Members (L.A. Conservancy and SoCal NOMA)/$30 General Public

Register for the Virtual Tour (with Driving Tour Guide)

Treat Your Favorite Teacher to a Virtual Student Field Trip! They're 50% Off!

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips booked for dates between May 15 and June 30 are 50% off!  

Treat your favorite teacher with a virtual student field trip that is easy, engaging, and educational! These hour-long adventures across L.A. County bring local history and architecture right to their classrooms. Below is a selection of the virtual field trips your teacher can choose from:

  • Historic Downtown
  • Union Station
  • A Woman's Place: Union Station and Chinatown
  • New! Paul Revere Was Here

Led by Conservancy educators, our virtual field trips support California’s Common Core State Standards in History and Social Studies—as well as highlight important lessons about the preservation of historic sites.

Recommended for grades 3-12.  

$25 per virtual field trip for a limited time!

Recommended for up to 30 students, but large group options available. 

Book or Gift A Virtual Field Trip

Member Exclusive! Virtual Backgrounds

Last Remaining Seats

Members receive a FREE virtual background in each edition of Explore L.A. @ Home. Virtual backgrounds add flair to your virtual meetings and gatherings.

Join Today

If you’re missing our Last Remaining Seats series, you’re not alone! Conservancy staff and volunteers miss it just as much as you do, especially the members of our Last Remaining Seats (LRS) Volunteer Committee. And while we can’t welcome you back to L.A.’s historic theatres this year, our volunteers have something special planned to help fill the void.

We're excited to announce the release of LRS Unseated on June 15th! Curated by our LRS Volunteer Committee, LRS Unseated is a collection of FREE self-guided filming location tours that celebrate the classic films and historic places of Los Angeles County.

Was Sunset Boulevard actually filmed anywhere near Sunset Boulevard? Where did James Dean first say “hi” to Natalie Wood in Rebel Without a Cause? Find out with LRS Unseated! 

The lineup also includes fun features on the Rialto, Roxie, Globe, Cameo, Warner Grand theatres, and big shots like the Los Angeles Theatre and The Theatre at the Ace Hotel.

Starting this Friday, May 7th, we’ll start teasing content on social media, so be sure to join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and follow hashtag #LRSUnseated.

We can’t wait to welcome you back to theatres for our 35th anniversary season in 2022! In the meantime, we hope you will consider joining the Conservancy as a member and enjoy this virtual background of the Los Angeles Theatre marquee and the featured location below of The Theatre at the Ace Hotel. 

Featured Location: Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles and The Theatre at Ace Hotel (1927)

The Theatre at the Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles and The Theatre at Ace Hotel
933 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Built in 1927, the United Artists (UA) Theatre was the West Coast flagship for the company founded by Hollywood legends Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks. In breaking away from the major studio system, these artists revolutionized film production and distribution.

The building includes a thirteen-story steel-framed office tower. Above the first floor are two stories of gothic-inspired ornamentation with a Hollywood twist: column capitals between double-wide arched windows feature cameramen and musicians.

The decorated ceiling of the auditorium boasts an enormous sunburst, with the oval dome at the center tiled with mirrors and hung with thousands of crystal drops. Angels encircle the sides of the dome.

Murals by Jose Rivas on the upper balcony walls feature UA’s founders, along with other stars of the era, such as Rudolph Valentino and John Barrymore. It’s alleged that the handsome nudes on one mural represent the UA Board of Directors, while the demons on the other side are the evil studio bosses.

The theatre struggled commercially for decades, finally becoming the church for televangelist Gene Scott, who occupied it for over twenty years.

In 2012, Ace Hotel acquired the site, adapting the tower into a boutique hotel and restoring the theatre as an event and performance space. The project received a Conservancy Preservation Award in 2014.

Learn more about the preservation of Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles and The Theatre at Ace Hotel »

Remember that AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to help preserve historic places in Los Angeles every time you shop, at no cost to you.

Simply select the Los Angeles Conservancy on your first visit to smile.amazon.com. You’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the Conservancy.

Thank you!

Photo credits: Taix: Gary Coronado; Taix Rendering: Togawa Smith Martin; Bungalow Court: Lindsay Blake/Dirt.com; Walking tours: Bruce Scottow/L.A. Conservancy; Don't Call Me Ugly: Photo by Bri Bar/Getty Images Signature; Los Angeles Theatre virtual background: Douglas Hill; The Theatre at the Ace Hotel: Mike Hume.

 
 
Annual membership starts at just $40!
 
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