A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living — Opening this Weekend at the Hammer

Another Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. show opens tonight and this time it is a retrospective of one architect’s work (most PSTP shows are thematic) whose hand…

Another Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. show opens tonight and this time it is a retrospective of one architect’s work (most PSTP shows are thematic) whose hand changed the lives of many through designs for Modern living that were comfortable and desirable while efficient and affordable. A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living, at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, showcases some of the 1000s of projects by A. Quincy Jones, including the gorgeous Crestwood Hills residential development in Brentwood — originally conceived for a group of progressive-minded movie musicians and their friends — and the Brody House in Holmby Hills.

Curated by Jennifer Dunlop, the show makes the case that while more famous LA Modernists like Richard Neutra garnered substantial attention for their attempts to create easily-replicated, high-quality homes in large numbers for LA’s middle class, Jones actually succeeded in this aim.

Archibald Quincy Jones (1913–1979), who was known as Quincy, practiced architecture in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death in 1979, explains the museum. “A quiet modernist and dedicated architecture professor at the University of Southern California, Jones worked to bring a high standard of design to the growing middle class by reconsidering and refining postwar housing and emphasizing cost-effective, innovative, and sustainable building methods. In addition, Jones is among the first architects of this period to view developments as an opportunity to build community through shared green spaces, varied home models, and non-grid site planning. Jones is credited with over 5,000 built projects, most of which still exist today, as the clients and homeowners shared Jones’s compassion for ‘better living.’ ”

A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Livingwill run from May 25th until September 8th.