The soulful art of architecture defines a city and provides a historical commentary of our times. Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Every great architect is, necessarily- a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age.”
Los Angeles is no stranger to magnificent architecture. The iconic Biltmore Hotel emerged in 1923, built by architectural firm Schultze & Weaver and was considered a “statement to the rest of the world that Los Angeles had arrived as an American metropolis.”
The Bradbury Building is bookmarked in history as the oldest commercial building remaining in the central city. Built in 1893, the Bradbury Building is considered one of Los Angeles’ most treasured landmarks, though the identity of the building’s architect remains murky. Lewis Bradbury was a mining and real estate mogul and commissioned Sumner Hunt to design the exquisite office building, but it’s reported that Hunt was later replace by George H. Wyman, who supervised its construction.
Carrying on the legacy of impressive Southern California architecture, architects are expressing their artful visions from the downtown skyline to the Hollywood Hills, to innovative green buildings peppered throughout the city.
Architect Christopher Martin represents one of Southern California’s oldest architectural firms, AC Martin and is currently “reshaping L.A.’s skyline.” The Wilshire Grand tower spire and beacon is near completion, making the building the tallest structure west of Chicago at 1,100 feet.
Winner of two LA County 2014 Green Leadership Awards, Isabelle Duvivier is an “advocate and expert in coordinating the built environment with watershed health.” This innovative approach to design incorporates the conservation and reuse of water, thus conserving energy.
Homegrown architects Brett Woods and Joseph Dangaran of Woods & Dangaran met at University of Southern California. Their designs are “anchored in simplicity” informing their work with a goal to “inspire and to be inspired by those with whom we collaborate.”
“Without an architecture of our own, we have no soul of our own civilization.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright.
Well said, and thoroughly expressed in our city, and the world at large, through some of the greatest architects of our time.