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A former California Editor of the Architect's Newspaper, Sam Lubell is the author of several books on architecture, including Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: West Coast USA and Never Built New York.
PROFILE
Sam Lubell
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FROM Sam Lubell
Design and Architecture
'Never Built New York' Bridges filled with skyscrapers, a geodesic dome over a baseball stadium, a subway system made of above-ground pneumatic tubes, and other crazy schemes were almost built in New York. You will find these in Never Built New York , the new book by Greg Goldin and Sam Lubell, who previously created a book and exhibition about the sometimes visionary, sometimes cockamamie schemes that for whatever reason never made it past the drawing board in Los Angeles. Lubell and Goldin talk about New York's missed opportunities and reveal what Los Angeles could learn from them. Frank Lloyd Wright's plan for the decommissioned Ellis Island Image Courtesy of American Weekly, July 30, 1961
Design and Architecture
Should a mid-century bank be saved? 8150 Sunset is a proposed five-structure development designed by architect Frank Gehry for developer Townscape Partners. Its site is the eastern edge of the Sunset Strip at the border of LA and West Hollywood. Currently on the site is the Lytton Savings Bank, a modernist building designed by the late Kurt Meyer. Preservationists have earned the bank a historic designation. What does this mean for the Gehry project? Should the bank building be saved?
Design and Architecture
Can High-Speed Rail Connect Us? Columnist Joe Mathews recently visited Germany and experienced high-speed rail for the first time (on a 300-km-per-hour train from Frankfurt to Cologne), and was frightened. But he also marveled at how German high-speed rail stations combine so many different kinds of transportation and draw people. Architecture writer Sam Lubell asks whether the newly-built ARTIC rail station in Anaheim lives up to that standard. ARTIC Dreams, a video co-produced for KCRW by Sam Lubell, filmed and edited by Alex Hallajian, with support of KCRW’s Independent Producer Project
Design and Architecture
Culver City Braces for Closure of Community Ice Arena The beloved Culver Ice Arena is closing because it can’t afford a new market rent. Today’s show explores the fight to save the rink, and what its demise says about the changing character of Los Angeles as buildings, and land values, rise and rise. With Culver City councilmembers Micheál O’Leary and Andrew Weissman, Calarts Norman Klein, Shannon Takahashi of Culver Ice Arena, and supporters of the rink. Renee DeAngelis, owner of Planet Granite, responds. Also, the movie Her depicts an LA of towers and public transit. But is that the LA we want? With Chris Nichols, Norman Klein, Craig Hodgetts, Evan Kleiman and Sam Lubell.
Design and Architecture
“Sculptural” Architecture at MOCA and LACMA In the last couple of weeks, two of the large-scale Pacific Standard Time Presents exhibits have opened; one at LACMA, showcasing Peter Zumthor’s design to replace four buildings on the museum site; the other is at MOCA. MOCA’s is an exhibit that stalled along the way, largely to do with the framing of the show, as “A New Sculpturalism.” About a month ago, architect Thom Mayne helped assemble a team to realize the installation. They maintained more or less the same designers, but changed the layout. So how does the show look and feel now? And more importantly what does the “sculptural” building actually proposed for LACMA mean for Los Angeles? We heard from architecture writer Sam Lubell, installation manager Anne Marie Burke, architect Peter Zumthor and LACMA director Michael Govan and architect Craig Hodgetts.
Design and Architecture
A New Plan for Union Station L.A.'s growing public transit system includes new plans by Metro to develop 38 acres of land surrounding Union Station into a mix of commerce, housing, terminus for the regional connector and—potentially—the high speed rail. Metro has been searching for a master-planner to come up with a vision for the site and invited a group of six high-level teams , including Italy’s Renzo Piano and Britain’s Norman Foster, to compete for the project. Yesterday, Metro planning staff posted its recommendation for the master-planner, a choice that has to be approved by the board later this month. It’s the team of L.A.-based Gruen and British firm Grimshaw, designers of the Fulton Street Transit Center in New York. Sam Lubell, editor of the West Coast edition of The Architect's Newspaper, talks about why this challenge is being faced in cities around the world, and how the winning team is a good choice for Los Angeles.
Which Way, L.A.?
Is LA Still a Fast-Growing World City? In the years after World War II, Los Angeles' population growth was spectacular. During 20 years as Mayor, Tom Bradley envisioned what he called a "World Class City" with skyscrapers, subways, new schools and parks to accommodate a population that would live increasingly in multi-family housing in much denser neighborhoods than it was famous for. That's the vision we're building for now, but is it really the wave of the future?
Design and Architecture
Broad's Grand Plans A few weeks back, Eli Broad unveiled the design for his new contemporary art museum , to be built on Grand Avenue opposite MOCA and next door to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The design, by admired Manhattan architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro , looks like a piece of sculpture in itself and makes a dramatic feature out of its concrete "skin." Frances talks to architect Elizabeth Diller about the light-filled warehouse space for art, and gets the opinions of critic Sam Lubell on the design. But The Broad, as it's being called, is also hoping to transform this part of downtown into a destination. Councilwoman Jan Perry talks about the impact she thinks it will have on the area, and some local residents give their thoughts about what else Grand Avenue is missing. Site on which the Broad Museum will be built The architects call the Broad's diaphanous concrete skin the "veil;" encased inside is the "vault" Inside, visitors will board an escalator that takes them to a fourth floor gallery Art will be exhibited in a column-free, sunlit space that's over an acre in size This fly-through video shows the museum in relation to Grand Avenue's other landmarks
Design and Architecture
Bright Spots in a Bad Year Even if 2010 was tough on the design and construction industry in LA there were still some—even surprising—bright spots. DnA asked some design and architecture experts to offer their choice of the best thing to happen to the built environment in the past year, and found that creating community was a dominant theme. Hear Juan Devis, Christopher Hawthorne, Linda Dishman, Sam Lubell, Rochelle Mills, Guy Horton and Katherine Perez on such highlights as connecting neighborhoods with the Expo Line , taking back the streets with CicLAvia and bringing fine architecture to Skid Row .
Design and Architecture
Renzo Piano's Resnick Pavilion On October 2, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Resnick Pavilion opens to the public. The 45,000 square foot gallery is the newest art space at LACMA and the latest building on the campus to be designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. Critics have already nicknamed the Resnick the "Baby Piano" since it indeed looks like the smaller sibling of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum , which opened in 2008. LACMA Director Michael Govan discusses how it fits into his art and architecture vision for the campus, and architecture writer Sam Lubell explains why Piano is the go-to architect for so many art museums.
Design and Architecture
BCAM Comes to Town BCAM east façade, Installation of Urban Light Chris Burden, December, 2007 BCAM detail of glass core, north façade January, 2008, © Weldon Brewster BCAM southeast façade, BCAM Born scrim John Baldessari, January 2008 Installation of Urban Light Chris Burden, January, 2008 All images 2008 © Museum Associates, LACMA unless otherwise noted
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Press Play with Madeleine Brand
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Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
The Business
Revisiting showrunner Steven Bochco on his memoir Steven Bochco, the writer-producer behind record-breaking Emmy winners Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, fought battles with everyone from out-of-control actors to network censors in his long career. He isn’t afraid to tell those tales in his memoir, Truth Is a Total Defense. This week we revisit the conversation where he shared some of his favorite stories with us.