Esoteric Survey

901 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 901 was the Eames Office from 1943 to 1988. Some of the most important designs of the 20th century were conceived and prototyped within these walls. Wartime products to furniture, toys, and films were all made in this nondescript industrial building. I've been by the building more times than I care to admit and have posted about it in the past . However this time, thanks to Gerson and Danny (Modern for All), I had the opportunity to get inside. As an Eames geek and practitioner of Contact Magic, this was a big deal for me. Architecture critic Reyner Banham said  “Visiting architecture freaks tried to make the Eameses’ office in Venice their first port of call, exploiting their good nature to secure introductions before going on to investigate the rest of the scene.” The building, constructed in 1929, was operating as the Bay Cities Garage for a number of years before Evans Products Molded Plywood Division took the space over in 1943, first for w...

Horton Plaza by Jon Jerde opened in 1985. It was a big deal. Downtown San Diego was dead and this postmodern mall was an attempt to revitalize the heart of the city. It's considered a postmodern architectural icon, as well as redevelopment success story. Jerde referred to the style as "Festival Marketplace".  His design for the shopping center was based on Ray Bradbury's essay "The Aesthetics of Lostness". Anyone who has been there, knows what this is all about. There are curved walkways, mismatched levels, one-way ramps, sudden drop-offs, colonnades and cul-de-sacs, all around a central courtyard.  Six buildings that were were on the National Register of Historic Places were demolished to make way for the 6 block shopping center.  In true San Diego style, many of the demolished buildings were recreated as stucco renditions. The Knights of Pythias Castle was one of the victims. Image: San Diego History Center (via SD Reader ) The de...