In this ongoing series, we aim to give you a travel guide to cities around the globe — with an architectural twist. These tours offer chances to experience great design away from the traditional tourist hotspots and an alternative angle on the world’s metropolises. After our opening guide to New York City, we explore another great American city, this time on the West Coast: Los Angeles.
Via Fashiopolis
Wake up at: The Standard, DowntownLA by Koning Eizenberg Architecture
One of the many recent projects in Downtown LA that build off of an original structure, the Standard applies its brand to what was originally the Superior Oil headquarters. Situate yourself in the downtown core from the rooftop bar and pool as you arrive and choose from Medium, Large, X-Large, Humongous and Wow rooms (welcome to California).
Grab a coffee from: Verve DTLA by Studio MAI
Taking advantage of the California climate, Verve Coffee’s first LA outpost feels like an oasis whether you sit outside on the patio or inside in the bright, high-ceilinged former warehouse space. Verve aims to make each location specific to its surrounding neighborhood, and in this case, the space is integrated with the other tenants of the Primrose Design Building. Studio MAI designed the interior, and their studios essentially share the space, only separated by a wall of frosted glass. Combined with the patio off the street and open-plan layout, this shared space results in a renovation that would be right at home in Kinfolk magazine (which, of course, you can pick up at Verve).
Via Emma Macdonald
Get lost at: The Eames House by Charles and Ray Eames
Make the trek from downtown to the Pacific Palisades (just north of Santa Monica) to get lost in the eucalyptus trees and discover the one and only Eames House. Self-guided tours of the exterior are free and easy to book. Over the course of your visit, you will run into everyone from architects to students, sketching from the grass, to Eames fans eager to play with the classic house of cards. The famous Case Study House No. 8 is a stunning example of Mid-century Modern (it was completed in 1949) and is beautifully furnished by the Eames, as well.
Via Emma Macdonald
See where it all began at: The Gehry Residence by Frank Gehry
1002 22nd Street, Santa Monica
Continue a tour of where the greats have called home within the Santa Monica bungalows. Frank Gehry may be better known for his Disney Hall in LA, but his own residence is an interesting look at where his aesthetic first took shape. The original pink bungalow is still visible beneath the chainlink fence, wood, glass windows and aluminum that Gehry has added in every shape and form. An unusual example of Decontructivism in a residential context, the Gehry house illustrates a home’s interaction with its landscape in a very different way from the Eames’ residence.
Admire a different icon at: In-N-Out by Kanner Architects
You knew you were going to go, so why not visit the location designed by LA architect Stephen Kanner? His gasoline station and this In-N-Out being the most overt examples, Kanner was known for his interpretation of California culture and use of urban iconography. This project is just off of UCLA and so provides a beginning to more architectural exploration on campus — after taking time to enjoy an animal-style cheeseburger and shake.
Check out the art scene at: Moran Bondaroff (formerly OHWOW Gallery) by Relativity Architects
Spot the much-lauded Moran Bondaroff gallery by its living-wall exterior on La Cienega Boulevard, its full-of-life façade in contrast to its stark interior designed by Relativity Architects. The gallery is white-walled to allow for its exhibitions to take over, with a tall wood truss ceiling that Relativity has kept intact. The gallery represents Lucien Smith and the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe as well as many more up-and-coming contemporary artists at the forefront of the LA scene. Following the visit with a trip to Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s new Broad Museum will ensure you have seen the best of the best.
Via LA Canvas
Stop for dinner at: République by Osvaldo Maiozzi and Walter Manzke
For the best frites in LA, move east of Hollywood to République. Chef Walter Manzke and architect Osvaldo Maiozzi emphasized the original materials of the space — built in 1928 by Charlie Chaplin, no less — in their renovation, and the result is a friendly melting pot of influences and materials. The trompe l’oeil geometric tiles will lead you in, despite the unavoidable line.
See a show and stay the night at: Ace Hotel Downtown LA by GREC Architects
The Ace theatre is a sight to be seen. Restored from its 1927 construction, the space created by the gothic United Artists Theatre’s mirrored, vaulted ceiling is perfect for the dramatic events it now hosts. The Ace puts on screenings with live accompaniment, concerts, comedy shows and fundraisers most nights of the week, many of which are open to the public. GREC Architects has maintained the feel of the original building in the rest of the hotel, the ornate detailing now juxtaposed with minimal rooms and flashes of bare concrete.
