LA conservancy – No Idle hands here

The Theater at the Ace Hotel, revisited.

Last year we saw the movie Back to the Future at the newly reopened Theater at the Ace hotel. Of course I took pictures that were somewhat blurry. Recently I had the chance to return, during the day which a small group of people.A bright sunny day, from the outside the building with it’s Gothic design elements.From the street, pointing straight up one can see the tower, shiny and renovated. Once again, you need to get a little further away to see the tower better.

Theaters inside are always dark, so it’s not like my pictures this time are so much better.The details of the images are better.To be honest, while in the building, you hardly notice the details for all the gothic exuberance around you.Entering the theater itself. I took these pictures a few months ago. I didn’t use a flash, that would have washed everything out, so I’m thinking that the light was more blue, not so purple.I’m pretty sure this is more of that wonderful Gladding McBean glazed terra cotta embellishments. Here used on the balcony inside.One thing that never ceases to amaze is this skylight. Made up of thousands of circles of glass embedded in some kind of mortar.Seeing a movie here is fun, but looking at all the decorations is overwhelming. So much to see.

So here is my plug, go sign up for the LA Conservancy Broadway Tour, no you can’t just walk up and join this one. The management at the Ace hotel is thrilled to open the theater to the public and one way of getting inside and see the details is to go on this tour. Other tours get in here as well, but I’m plugging the Conservancy tour. No I don’t give this specific one, but I do know it is really good. Stepping outside, two different types of graffiti, yarn bombing and applying stickers. Yarn bombing used to be very new and subversive, it is now simply another form of graffiti on our streets. At least once removed it doesn’t leave any residue.

And of course, one can’t have images of this building without this.For many years Reverend Scott used the theater as his Church, and this sign was visible from many different angles in downtown. Today is proudly sits right over the swimming pool. And casts a wonderful shadow on the neighboring buildings.

Leah

John Parkinson

I am on a mission, to introduce and make the name John Parkinson a household name in Los Angeles. About 5 years ago I went on my first downtown tour with the LA Conservancy, The name John Parkinson kept coming up, it seemed like he, along with his son Donald built many of the wonderful buildings downtown.

I became a docent and soon I was showing off a few of his many amazing buildings. I didn’t know a lot about him, just that he came from England and was a stair builder before he became and architect. Lucky for us, Stephen Gee, another Brit who moved to LA, had also taken a conservancy tour. He got very interested in this fellow compatriot and started researching. Before you know it he wrote and published this book Iconic Vision, Stephen Gee, I know, it’s a hard cover book and the cost reflects that, but I read it like a novel.

John Parkinson designed our most important buildings in LA, city hall, the coliseum, a large part of the campus of USC, Union station…. I could go on and I will in other posts. He was largely forgotten, most people don’t know his name. Due to this book an possibly because his time has come, the city of Los Angeles is setting out to honor him and to make him more of a household name here.

Last year this plaque was put up on the Crocker bank building on the NW corner of Sixth and Spring st.Can you tell its not easy to see this plaque? That is because it is blocked by a Ficus tree. Normally I’m thrilled to see trees downtown, but really, they had to block this plaque?!

So yesterday the city named the intersection of Sixth and Spring st. John Parkinson Square. All four buildings on the corners of this intersection were designed by him. I went to the ceremony in the Palm Court of the Alexandria hotel. The room has been spruced up.This was a fancy restaurant in the early 20th c.There are two identical skylights as well as the third that is the header for this post.Great-grandaughters and one husband, great-greatgrandson along with city council-members Tom LaBonge and Jose Huizar awarding the certificate. The great-greatgrandson is studying architecture. Most of the family no longer lives in LA, although one has promised to return, this just feels like home.Stephen Gee, who really got the ball rolling discussing the man and his book.Proud family, proud councilman, and for those us of attending, a very proud happy moment.I will be sharing more of his actual work in later posts. Of course I would love it if you came on one of our LA Conservancy walking tours. I do one a month, so if you want to follow me, make sure to ask me personally. Of course the other docents are wonderful as well, we all share a real deep love for this city.

Leah

More success with the dress

Yesterday was the LA Conservancy event, Restoring Wilshire Blvd Temple. This is why I rushed to finish the dress, I volunteered for the event and what better place to debut this dress? Since it was a little chilly, I put on the dress, a cute little black cardigan, a matching black hat with white polka dots and of course, my LA conservancy badge.Here Is Annie Laskey, program manager, showing off my dress. She later got the official photographer to get some pictures, I hope to get some of those as well.

It was so much fun, having people come up and ooh and aah over the dress. I gave my camera to my almost SIL Yochanan (one more month and it’s official) to get some pictures of me.Doing my job, talking about the Siegel courtyard.Explaining future growth plans.Ok, so you can hardly see the dress here, but I really like this picture of me.

Today I was downtown and I wore the dress, strangers on the street commented that they like the dress. The salespeople at Michael Levine (yes, I had to go in there) were suitably impressed. I met a delightful young man from Berlin, he took my picture, although I never gave him any contact info, so I will probably never see it.

All in all, I have been having so much fun with this dress, and it’s only been two days.

Leah