Programmatic, thematic, mimetic architectural oddities.
Inspired by my recent visit to The Autry‘s Route 66: The Road and the Romance (exhibit runs through January 4, 2015), I headed out last week to view a local bit of this history. I’ve been by the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia countless times over the years. The architectural stylings of the old building intrigue, but it’s not…
So lots of Valley folk have seen this old neon sign blazing away in the night . . . this grinning clown is the stuff of dreams or nightmares . . . you decide! Anyway, the Circus Liquor clown, located at 5600 Vineland in North Hollywood is def a local neon classic. Bonus, couldn’t resist…
She’s big, blonde, beautiful, and boldly sculpted in that iconic white-dress-flying-up moment from The Seven Year Itch (1955). She’s “Forever Marilyn,” the dramatic creation of 80-year-old American artist Seward Johnson (Johnson and Johnson Company heir). This Marilyn is 26 feet tall and poses at the corner of “Main and Main” (Palm Canyon & Tahquitz Canyon…
A while back, I finally did it . . . pulled a U-turn on busy Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks and circled back to the retro-looking “Horace Heidt’s Magnolia Estate Apartments” sign. Curiosity had finally gotten the best of me. I drove into the dated-looking complex and followed a lane that meandered past small bungalows, two-story…
