Things to do / Travel Guide
The reality of living and building structures in earthquake-prone southern California has most certainly influenced the local architecture. Outside of retrofitting, there are buildings of virtually every style known to have influenced modern man, ranging from downtown L.A.'s skyscrapers to pastry shops decorated by giant donuts that can be seen and recognized from afar.
Seismically-safe housing (i.e., retrofitting) has been designed to withstand and minimize the damaging effects of unpredictable earthquakes and has, in many cases, led to some unusual shapes for houses and other buildings. The Getty Center, for instance, which was originally housed in an Italian-style villa in Malibu, relocated to a newer, more spectacular site on top of a mountain in the Sepulveda Pass. Designed by Richard Meier, the Getty Center is a marvelous example of prominent modern architecture, built with white marble that comes together with themes of the Far East, like Feng Shui.
In the downtown area of Los Angeles on South Grand Avenue, the Biltmore Hotel (officially called the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles) is a grand example of Old World European architecture. Former guests at the hotel include presidents, kings, queens, and movie stars, and scenes from “Ghostbusters” were filmed in the hotel's ornate lobby and ballroom.
Other architectural styles you can see in southern California buildings are art deco (the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles) and Italian pseudo-replicas (like 2 Rodeo in Beverly Hills - designed to mimic the Spanish Steps in Rome). Kate Mantilini's, a restaurant popular with wealthy L.A. diners, is a striking example of avant-garde architecture that was conceived to be pragmatic and beautiful.
For Frank Lloyd Wright buffs, the master architectural designer left his mark on the city with the construction of a “textile block” house at Ennis House, circa 1924. Frank Lloyd Wright also designed Hollyhock House, in Hollywood, which was inspired by Mayan temples.
Visitors can observe Spanish Colonial architecture at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, which includes murals, sunken gardens, and hand-painted ceilings more commonly found in Mexico, Latin America, and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world.
The Mission Revival style of Spanish-Mexican architecture was brought back to life, so to speak, in the 20th century with the Women's Club of La Jolla, erected in 1913 and located in the San Diego area.
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