“Levitated Mass” is a sculpture by Michael Heizer consisting of a 340-ton boulder sitting above a concrete trench through which you can walk. The piece is on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and does not require museum admission to view.
The Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles underwent a $125 million renovation in 2015, including the addition of this distinctive facade designed by the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, which is comprised of over 100 tons of stainless steel ribbon. Design reviews have been mixed with some critics describing it as a “car wreck” and the “Edsel of architecture”. What do you think?
Griffith Observatory sits on the south facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. This beautiful Art Deco building opened its doors on May 14, 1935. It is named for Griffith J. Griffith, the Welsh-American industrialist who donated the land that is now Griffith Park and the funds to build the observatory.
The two-story recessed vestibule entrance to the Eastern Columbia Building in downtown Los Angeles provides a spectacular example of Art Deco design. This pic shows the beautiful blue and gold terra cotta sunburst that is directly over the entrance doors.
The Central Garden at the Getty Center in Los Angeles was created by artist Robert Irwin. Its 134,000 sq. ft. contain over 500 varieties of plants and a stream that cascades over a stone waterfall into a pool with a floating maze of azaleas.
The 13-story Eastern Columbia Building in downtown Los Angeles is considered one of the best surviving examples of Art Deco architecture in LA. Designed by Claud Beelman and costing $1.25 million, it opened on September 12, 1930. Its award winning renovation in 2006 turned the building into 147 live/work lofts.
Pershing Square is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and was originally named La Plaza Abaja when dedicated in 1866, but was renamed in 1918 in honor of the World War I general. This pic captures one of two large architectural balls and the waterfall fountain.
Links: LAParks
The Getty Museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, is on a hilltop just west of the 405 freeway in Los Angeles and offers good views of Bel-Air and the surrounding Southern California landscape. Be sure and check out the renowned impressionist and post-impressionist paintings by van Gogh (Irises), Renoir, and Monet.
Links: The Getty
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