A book and a rant

Looking at a book I checked out at the Brand Library in Glendale today, called Pretty Vacant. I have not yet read what little text there is, but flipping through the pages (it's a small but thick picture book) I can see it features apartment buildings in Los Angeles and Santa Monica from the 50's to the 60's.

I grew up visiting friends in places like these since I was a kid, so there is sort of a nostalgic connection. But all of these buildings, mostly 2-3 stories spanning parking spaces, are such Los Angeles icons. They have various script fonts in their names and many have this bizarre metal signage graphics of the sun.

What I like about these buildings is that they had a hopeful quality to them. All in the same general style, yet unique one to the other.

I tend to notice these buildings more today than before. Why must we build Mediteranian style buildings here? Stop borrowing, it's L.A. Mediteranian and Spanish style buildings were built based on materials in the area and technology at the time, and that is beautiful. But we are living in a very different time and need to use our own materials and aesthetic. Borrow/ steal from the past - yes, but don't pretend to be that period type of structure. Perfect example of disasterous aesthetics, Irvine cookie cutter developments.

Anyway, it's a good book.