Esoteric Survey

Alisa Walker wrote an excellent piece on the impending destruction of Horton Plaza for Curbed. I took the photos.  Will this PoMo wonderland in San Diego be saved? An urban mall designed to revive downtown San Diego is set to be destroyed

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...

Solar House (1957) by Peter Lee In 1954, a group of Arizona politicians, business leaders and Arizona State University joined forces with the Stanford Research Institute to form the Association for Applied Solar Energy  (AFASE) . The mission was to promote research and investment in solar energy. They held symposiums, exhibitions and s ponsored architecture and design competitions.  This included  a 1957 competition called  Living with the Sun.  Architects submitted designs for a solar house that would be built  in Phoenix. Concepts were submitted by  Paolo Soleri, Victor Olgyay, Davis, Brody and Wisniewski, and Leland Lewis Evison.  The prize-winning design was awarded to   University of Minnesota School of Architecture senior, Peter Lee .  Image:  ASU  via  A House in the Sun: Modern Architecture and Solar Energy in the Cold War  by Daniel A. Barber Image:  ASU  via  A House in ...

You would think that if a house like this, by an architectural master like Richard Richard Neutra, were for sale, the seller might want to mention it. Source: Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) In this case, it isn't. This is also the only photo of the house shown on the MLS. Unfortunately, this is another case of expensive real estate and a small home. The property is being marketed as a $10.5 million "development opportunity."  Source: Redfin The zoning is LAR1 and the slope is something fierce, so development is limited to one dwelling unit and would be very tricky.  Source: Google via  Redfin However, this view has me nervous about the fait of the little architectural gem.  Source: DNA  ( This is from an old listing of the property) That listing actually showed the house, which appears to be in excellent condition. Source:  DNA The house was bu...

Industrial Developers/Loch Crane Office Building (1965) by Loch Crane in the Sorrento Valley area of San Diego I've lived in San Diego my entire life and pass by the Sorrento Valley exit at least three times a week. Sunday was my first time taking the exit. I wasn't there to look for this Loch Crane project. but was drawn in by the breeze block that could be seen from a distance.  The building is vacant and pond  vegetation and algae have taken over the gutter and sidewalks.  Fences are up around this property and all the neighboring buildings around the cul-de-sac. No Trespassing signs on the fence note that the property is owned by Caltrans, the state highway agency. The reason Caltrans now owns the area is because the retaining wall they built for a freeway expansion project (seen here behind the building) caused  ground water to seep into building foundations, hence the pond look on the street . Caltrans now plans to demolish the buildings. BID pr...

Hunt House- Jerrold Lomax design under Craig Ellwood, 1955-57 I was fortunate to be able to visit the Hunt House before it sold in 2012 for $5.3 million. It was in incredible original condition, including some original furnishings. See more images  here . Architect Ardie Tavangarian purchased this architectural landmark and now wants to demolish it.  Here is an example of a project by Ardie Tavangarian.  Source: Eveett Fenton Gidley  Tavangarian also worked on a house for Jackie Collins, which was apparently inspired by a David Hockney painting. The architect reportedly  worked with Richard Meier at one point.  Source: The Real Deal  T he item was continued at the Malibu Planning Commission, so hopefully this  small house won't become another victim of  valuable real estate. It would be a major loss. Tavangarian ha s already upset some in Malibu with another proposed project on an empty lot ...