Century Plaza Needs Your Help

Below is information I copied from the Los Angeles Conservancy website:

CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL: One of 11 Most Endangered Historic Sites in U.S.
How You Can Help

To Learn More

Century Plaza Hotel in the News

Did You Know?

Moments In History
Photo courtesy Yamasaki Associates
On April 28, 2009, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Century Plaza Hotel (Minoru Yamasaki, 1966) in Century City to its 2009 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. This annual list highlights historic places throughout the U.S. that face destruction or irreparable damage.

The owners of the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City announced plans to raze the building and replace it with two 600-foot towers in December 2008. The new project would include a boutique hotel, condominiums, and mixed-use space, plus two acres of open space. The venerable hotel received a $36 million facelift less than a year ago. HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Los Angeles Conservancy is leading the charge to save the Century Plaza from demolition. Here's how you can help:
1. Pledge your support for preserving the Century Plaza. Join our growing network of people throughout L.A. and the world in voicing your support for the hotel's preservation. We won't share your information with anyone, and we'll use it only to gauge the level of support for the Century Plaza and update you on breaking news on this specific issue.

Ronald Reagan at the CenturyPlaza Hotel with Mary Lou Rettonand the 1984 Olympic team. Photo courtesy Ronald Reagan Library.
2. If you're part of an organization, consider joining the Conservancy's growing coalition of groups who support preservation of the Century Plaza. For more information, contact Flora Chou at fchou@laconservancy.org or (213) 430-4211.
3. Become a part of the conversation on Facebook and engage in the Conservancy's Century Plaza discussion board. Voice your opinion and find out what others are thinking. Visit our Facebook page and become a fan to get the most up to date information on this issue.
4. If you're not already a member, join the Conservancy to give us greater strength in numbers.
5. If you'd like to make a donation, consider a gift to the Conservancy's Preservation Advocacy Fund to help with expenses for support materials, outreach, and other costs related to protecting the hotel from demolition.

Ladies of the Night
Normally I'm an early riser. There is nothing more wonderful than being up and around before dawn when all is quiet and you know most people are still snug in their beds. Standing out on my deck, cup of coffee in hand, watching the sun rise before the sound of traffic arrives out in the street, is an experience not to be missed. So when I tell you that my natural inclination is to be a night crawler, you might go huuuuhhhhh?
All those years working in construction, when I had to be on the job site before dawn, stuck with me. And then having a corporate job for ten years where I had to be on the freeway in the wee hours for the shortest commute. Which has led to the strange lifestyle of still being a night person some of the time and a morning person most of the time. Night time is when I seem to be the most creative, but the early morning is when I am able to get the most work done.
Yesterday I reverted to my night personna and ended up standing on the corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga Blvds, prime "ladies of the night territory," at midnight...
My friend GZ graciously invited me to the Los Angeles Conservancy's "Last Remaining Seats" to see "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Los Angeles Theatre as my birthday treat.
The evening was quite an adventure. I drove to GZ's home in West Hollywood. From there we walked the few blocks to the bus stop and rode the bus to Hollywood and Highland. From there we took the Red Line train which runs underground all the way to downtown Los Angeles. I don't ride the train very often, but when I do I can't help notice how clean and bright the stations are compared to any of the other cities in the US and the world that I have visited. It's probably an unfair comparison considering our system is so new, but nevertheless, I can't help but feel good about it. It was also nice to see the train was so well used—standing room only.
People reading this from other cities and parts of the world may find it strange that I'm making such a big deal about riding the bus and train. But my friends in LA will understand—LA is the city where we drive everywhere. We don't walk (except for myself and two other people), we don't take taxis (even if we could find one), we don't take buses (aren't those for deranged people who don't have a driver's license?)... and we certainly do not take trains (those things where you have to drive to the station and find a place to park, good luck, so you might as well have driven to your destination in the first place).
Did you lose track of my story already? We arrived in downtown LA and walked along Broadway (a whole other universe I may write about some day) to Clifton's Brookdale, favorite of Huell Howser (who will be featuring the cafeteria again on his KCET broadcast June 27) and the only place to eat when you are in downtown LA, if only because the decor is so unbelievably unbelievable. My friend was concerned about this being my birthday dinner, but with this ambiance, how can you go wrong?
After getting my fill of trout and tapioca, we lined up outside the Los Angeles. From their website: "the last and most extravagant of the ornate movie palaces built on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles between 1911 and 1931. Designed by S. Charles Lee with a French Baroque-inspired décor, its majestic six-story main lobby and 2,000 seat auditorium of carved plaster ornamentation, mirrors, and cove-lit murals recall the glamorous days of 1930s Hollywood."
I led architectural tours for the Conservancy for sixteen years. When I was leading the Broadway Theaters tours, this was probably my favorite. Non-Los Angelenos, and even native Los Angelenos, don't think we have a history. I didn't think so either until I was a Conservancy docent, but Los Angeles has a fascinating background—the downtown theatres being an important part of it.
We found good seats. The proscenium curtain was as stunning as I remembered it. I was somewhat dismayed by the obvious cracks in the plaster around the theatre interior, not there on my last visit many years ago. But it is Magnificent (definitely deserving of the capital "M").
Before the movie, we listened to a talk by Leith Adams, Corporate Archivist at Warner Bros. He showed us how the film was affected by censorship as the producers discovered that the Catholic Church was going to boycott the movie due to the "erotic" nature of the film. We saw one scene as it was originally released in 1951 and as it was restored in the 90s. The 50s audience was not allowed to see Kim Hunter's sultry walk down the stairs towards Marlon Brando. As the chemistry of their relationship was the center of the story, it seems odd that this was omitted. And it certainly was tame by today's standards.
The opening titles of "A Streetcar" came on the screen. The man who had struck up a conversation with me earlier, plopping down in the empty seat next to mine, told me he was only here to hear Leith Adams speak, then he was leaving due to other commitments. Apparently mesmerized by the film, he stayed until almost the end. I understood, as the movie is that spell-binding. I first saw it many, many years ago, one of those films that stays in your brain. I didn't remember all the details, and certainly not the ending, but I did have the relationship between Stella and Stanley in my head in stunning black and white. It would be hard to imagine seeing this film in color.
When you think about it, black and white is a strange phenomenon. All colors mixed together and no colors at all. Why did we start out only being able to take photographs and make films in black and white while our world and our eyesight (for most people) is in full color? Think about it. Okay, another blog.
In the meantime, the acting and photography and sets in "Streetcar" are pretty amazing. It's a very powerful production, even today, almost sixty years later.
I understand why Marlon Brando was the acting icon that he was. I wasn't that familiar with Kim Hunter who did a tremendous job playing Stella. Probably the reason is that, according to IMDb, "Kim was blacklisted in films and TV even though she was never a Communist or even held pro-Communist views. But as a strong believer in civil rights she signed a lot of petitions and was a sponsor of a 1949 World Peace Conference in New York." Terrible, terrible days.
And so, the sojourn home began. The Red Line (packed again at 11:30pm) took us to Hollywood Blvd. And so, there we were, two ladies of the night, standing on the corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga, waiting for the bus close to the bewitching hour... and waiting... and waiting. A taxi pulled up and GZ was ready to hop in but for some reason I felt we needed to wait. Seconds later, like a camel in the desert, our 217 appeared. In my car, driving home with little traffic around, I decided this was the time to be up and awake and on the streets in LA.
Except this morning I missed the sunrise.

Los Angeles Conservancy City Hall Tour

BG and I ventured downtown on December 1 to take part in the Los Angeles Conservancy City Hall tour. I was a docent with the LAC for 16 years but unfortunately had to bow out a couple of years ago as it was just one more thing I couldn't fit into my schedule. But I miss giving those tours and recently have wondered if it would be possible to start leading them again. With that in mind, I decided to be a tourist on some of the tours I used to lead just to see if the excitement was still there.

So on a crisp Saturday morning we showed up on the steps of City Hall. I chose this tour as the building is one of my favorites, full of marble, tile and painted ceilings. Completed in 1928, this was the tallest building in Los Angeles until the late 1950s when a 150 foot height limit was lifted.

After the 1994 Northridge quake, the entire building was renovated and placed on stabilizers. I actually remember being in the building right after the quake. I paid a visit to the bathroom on one of the lower floors. The whole room seemed to be at an angle, there was a huge crack in the wall and the light was going on and off. I got out of there as fast as my bodily needs would let me! Soon after that the building was closed for earthquake repairs which took several years.

This was my first trip back since then. What is most noticeable is that the decorative plaster ceilings have been cleaned and repainted with the original colors. I last saw them when they were just beginning to be restored. What a difference now. The most spectacular part of the building is the rotunda with its gorgeous marble columns. This area is used often in movies to substitute for places such as the Vatican or the Capitol Building in DC. I always recognize it when I see it in a film posing as something else and have a little chuckle!

Enough said. The only way you can truly appreciate the building is it to see it for yourself. The Los Angeles Conservancy tour runs the first Saturday of every month at 11:00am. Treat yourself. Make a reservation. (A good place to park is in the Geffen Contemporary MOCA lot south of City Hall, splat in the middle of Little Tokyo where you can have lunch after the tour.)

So am I ending my hiatus as a walking tour docent? Not quite. Even though I admit I was itching to take the tour over from the docent, I need to focus all my energy on finishing school, then I'll decide.

From the Los Angeles Conservancy website:
City Hall First Saturday, 11 a.m.
This 1-3/4 hour tour explores the wonderful architecture and fascinating history of this beloved, and now fully restored landmark. Included on the tour are some of the building's important public spaces including the magnificent rotunda, City Council chambers, and Public Works session room. Request reservation.

(All photos copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Los Angeles Conservancy March Mosaic Tour

The LA Conservancy is partnering with the J. Paul Getty Museum to celebrate mosaic in Los Angeles in conjunction with "Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa." (See previous blog.) Among other activities, LAC is sponsoring a self-driving tour on Sunday, March 25. the tour will include Watts Towers, St. John's Episcopal Church and the Birth of Liberty at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. For more information go to the Los Angeles Conservancy website.

Another event, which was sold out to the general public when I attempted to sign up initially, is the Wednesday, March 21 Gallery Course at the Getty Villa. As a Conservancy member I was able to sign up for that today. Oh joy!!

I was a docent for the LAC for 15 years and enjoyed every moment of it. Unfortunately, when I decided to go back to school and devote more time to my artwork, along with still working fulltime and other obligations, some things had to go, and this was one of them. I'm hoping some time in the near future I can once again put on my tour-giving hat for the Conservancy...