Design and Architecture
The problem with A/C, Neon City, Jewish LA
The world needs to cut back on HFCs but Americans love staying cold; does that mean you need to get a smaller fridge or turn off the air-conditioning? Los Angeles was once a city of neon; now the colorful gas lighting is making a comeback. Why? Avishay Artsy tours Jewish Los Angeles, and finds some of LA’s most noted designers and builders.
By Frances Anderton • • 29m ListenGin Ling Way in Chinatown was built in the neon era, so its structures were coated in brightly colored fascia signs, with neon piping outlining the buildings and their fanciful rooflines. It was a glowing destination unlike any other in the city.
In this episode
3 storiesChanging the rules for HFC's
Americans have the biggest fridges in the world . Not only that, the U.S. outstrips the rest of the world in the use of air-conditioning. Now developing countries like India and China are catching up. But there is an environmental cost.
Read the story9 minWhen LA was lit with neon
Most cities in Los Angeles County today are pretty strict about signage. That was not always the case though; in fact at one time streets were “cacophonous” with vivid neon signs. That’s according to Tom Zimmerman and Eric Lynxwiler, co-authors of “ Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965.
Read the story8 minJews and the development of Los Angeles
This weekend DnA producer Avishay Artsy will lead a tour of the Jewish history of Boyle Heights. It’s the culmination of a year of research he’s been doing on the Jewish imprint on LA’s built environment.
Read the story11 min
