What follows is a detailed look at each of the predominant architectural styles of homes in Los Angeles. Spanish-Moorish. [40] Despite the loss of these and the original Googie's in Hollywood, other Googie coffee shops including Norms Restaurants,[41] Johnie's Coffee Shop,[42] and the Wich Stand[43] have received historic designations. Their heyday was cut short by World War II, after which higher density apartment buildings became the preferred model. [14][15], Though Haskell coined the term Googie and was an advocate of modernism, he did not appreciate the Googie aesthetic. One of the more famous Googie buildings is the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), designed by James Langenheim of William Pereira and Charles Luckman and built during 1961. Decorative arches and shady terraces are common features, as are projecting porches over heavy wooden front doors. Transposed to the American colonies, the style has been simplified and rendered practical for local materials and climates. English-styled homes might also incorporate medieval Tudor elements such as exposed structural beams picked out in black against whitewashed walls. Churrigueresque. Also, at the time, the unique architecture was a form of architectural expressionism, as space rockets were technological novelties at the time. Haskell insisted on stopping the car upon seeing Googies and proclaimed "This is Googie architecture. Nowadays, only about 350 vintage bungalow courts remain, with these holdouts increasingly threatened by rising property values. Other telltale attributes: a main entrance with a pedimented projecting pavilion supported by pilasters or columns, double-hung sash windows, and Palladian windows. Stucco, shingle, or lapped siding is a typical finish.
[36] By the mid 1960s the novelty was starting to wane and a backlash rose up against the flashy style. French eclectic might blend aspects of Craftsman, Cottage, or other styles to create a hybrid form while still retaining some of the rustic elements of French provincial homes, such as steeply raked grey-tiled roofs and brick chimneys. The boom period for this architectural mode was the 1920s and 30s, as Hollywood hit its stride, and the demand for stylish residences grew. It was revived as a style in the UK in the latter half of the 19th century, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Floor plans can be subtly sprawling and are sometimes built around a central courtyard, with arched, walled entranceways. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Wooden doors and window shutters, and decorative wrought iron adds to the rustic charm of these homes. At the turn of the 20th century, Hollywood was nothing more than a quiet farming community filled with farmhouses, adobe huts, and orange groves. Commonly found in Florida and Southern California, these homes offer comfort and often integrate interior courtyards and landscaped gardens. The most quintessentially private and exclusive hotel, delivering low-key elegance since 1946. Hybrid cottage styles might include small porches and gabled dormers in attic stories. Tudor styling inside is less common since roaring hearths are neither practical in the 21st century (nor in year-round sunny Southern California). Cottage style is rustic without being ramshackle. Front-facing triangular gables sometimes break up the rectangular linearity of this style. Cantilevered roofs, starbursts, and hard angles are all themes in Googie architecture. Classic locations for Googie style buildings are Miami Beach, Florida, where secondary commercial structures were adapted from the resort style of Morris Lapidus and other hotel designers; the first phase of Las Vegas, Nevada; and their birthplace of Southern California. That was about to change rapidly. Front doors may be wooden with period detailing and rounded tops containing small glass panels. Peaking in the 1920s and 1930s but still popular today, Mediterranean Revival style draws from an eclectic blend of Spanish Renaissance and Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, Andalusian and Beaux-Arts influences. In fact, it was the predominant residential architectural style in America until it was superseded by Ranch-style homes in the 1950s. They are based on a style originating with the Spanish colonials in the sixteenth century and re-popularized by the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Mid-Century Modern and Ranch-style homes dominated the scene. Traditional architecture is an eclectic, modern style of design. Roofs are commonly steeply raked, multi-level, and intersecting with windows set into their triangular front-facing gables. LAs interpretation of the theatrical style can be seen at St. Vincent de Paul church on West Adams, Downtowns Million Dollar Theatre, and at Chapman Plaza in Koreatown. Will your building hold up in a major earthquake? Notable practitioners: Arthur and Alfred Heineman; Arthur and Nina Zwebell, Steeped in Hollywood fantasy and fairy tales, Storybook homes feature steeply pitched thatched roofssome with undulating shingle patternsturrets, dovecotes, stained glass, half-timbering, and other whimsical Old World touches.Notable practitioners: Ben Sherwood; Meyer and Holler; Harry Oliver, Loosely based on the architecture of 16th-century French chateaux in the Loire Valley, the Chateauesque style became trs chic in Los Angeles during the 1920s thanks to its fantasy appeal, aristocratic associations, and last but not least, advances in veneer cladding techniques that approximated the look of expensive masonry construction. The next wave of construction in Los Angeles occurred during WWII as thousands of workers moved to the area to take jobs with defense contractors (Boeing, Lockheed, Douglas, et al.) Sliding doors back onto shady gardens and palm trees are a natural fit for Spanish Colonial gardens.
However, since the citys 2005 adoption of the Small Lot Ordinance, their modern-day counterparts have been springing up like weeds, but with one major difference being that todays units are for sale, not rent. Windows are often tall and rectangular with multiple panes, and these homes contain at least two stories. The style is intended to evoke a fairy-tale feeling, where imagination runs rampant. [9], The architect Michael Hsu designed numerous restaurants for the Austin-based restaurant P. Terry's in the Googie style. Defining features include classical symmetry, mansard roofs, oversize Pullman doors, curving staircases, elaborate moldings, oval windows, and pavilions.Notable practitioners: Roland Coate; Paul R. Williams; John Elgin Woolf, After World War II, Los Angeles faced a housing shortage the likes of which it had never before seen. [17], The new smaller suburban drive-in restaurants were essentially architectural signboards advertising the business to vehicles on the road. Completed in 2003, its considered architect Frank Gehrys most ground-breaking achievement. But, the architectural style of homes remained limited. Landscaping in the grander residences in this style might incorporate English-flavored elements such as rose-beds, walled gardens, and fruit trees. Spanish homes are ubiquitous in Los Angeles.