L.A. Conservancy Preservation Award Application Available; Due January 31

From the LA Conservancy...

The Los Angeles Conservancy welcomes applications for our 30th Annual Preservation Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation in L.A. County. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, January 31, 2011.

Downloadable application (MS Word): http://www.laconservancy.org/awards/PA11_application.doc
Application as Adobe PDF: http://www.laconservancy.org/awards/PA11_application.pdf
General information; info about past recipients: http://www.laconservancy.org/awards/

To qualify, projects must have been completed by December 31, 2010, be located in Los Angeles County, and meet nationally recognized standards for the treatment of historic properties and landscapes (in the case of construction or landscape projects). Recipients will be selected by an independent jury of leading experts in architecture, historic preservation, and community development. We will present the awards at a luncheon in May 2011.

The deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2011. Each application has a non-refundable application fee of $50. You can download the application above or on our website, or request one by calling the office at (213) 623-2489.

Preservation Award winners range widely, from sensitive restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects, to groundbreaking advocacy and education efforts by individuals and groups. We encourage submissions from throughout Los Angeles County that illustrate the value and power of historic preservation. Construction projects may be commercial, residential, or institutional. We also encourage nominations for historic landscape projects and significant contributions to preservation education or program development. Past recipients include the Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace and Heritage Center, Oaklawn Bridge and Waiting Station, Palomar Senior Apartments, Point Fermin Lighthouse, City of Huntington Park Historic Preservation Ordinance, and Valley Municipal Building, among more than 200 others.

Revised Development Plan Preserves Century Plaza Hotel

News from the Los Angeles Conservancy...

Revised Development Plan Preserves Century Plaza Hotel

The Los Angeles Conservancy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Next Century Associates (owners of the Century Plaza Hotel) have announced plans for a revised development project that would preserve the 1966 Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. All three parties worked together at the urging of Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz, in whose district the hotel resides. The Conservancy is extremely grateful to Councilmember Koretz for his leadership in bringing us all to the table, and to his staff for their dedication to finding a preservation solution. The revised project will preserve the existing hotel building as the centerpiece of a mixed-use development with hotel, residential, and office space; retail and restaurants; and public plazas and open space. The project will undergo the normal City review and approval process, including a full environmental impact report (EIR) estimated for release and public comment later this year. Next Century's architectural team has begun a concept design that will be available for review in the coming months. The project allows for the reuse of the hotel building and development of the property in a way that maintains the building's eligibility as both a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) and for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources. To this end, architecture and preservation firm Architectural Resources Group, Inc. will conduct an independent historic evaluation of the project. The Conservancy and the National Trust will continue our involvement through a Preservation Advisory Group that will review the preservation project as it develops. Significant documentation has been done to identify the building's historic features, and the preparation of a detailed Historic Structure Report is underway. Architecture firm Marmol Radziner and Associates has created detailed protocols for the treatment of the building's historic features. This groundbreaking research--particularly into the treatment of aluminum, which came into widespread use in the 1960s and was used extensively in the Century Plaza Hotel--will benefit not only the hotel building but many other historic resources from the sixties and beyond. The progress we've made to date is very encouraging and could serve as a model for collaboration between preservationists and developers going forward. It is particularly meaningful on the heels of the demolition of the 1965 Columbia Savings Building, which underscores the fragility of Greater L.A's 1960s heritage. For more information, visit their website, The Sixties Turn 50.

"The Sixties Turn Fifty" Kicks Off Sept. 30 with Free Panel Discussion

In 2010, buildings from the 1960s will start reaching the ripe old age of fifty -- an important milestone for their preservation. To celebrate, the Los Angeles Conservancy is launching a nine-month series of events and activities showcasing greater L.A.'s rich legacy of sixties architecture.

Help us kick off this exciting program with a free panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities of preserving 1960s architecture. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
8:00 p.m. (doors open at 7)
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Building (1965)
111 N. Hope Street, downtown Los Angeles, 90012
Light reception to follow
Free; reservations required -- click here for details and reservations

If your nonprofit organization is holding any events featuring the 1960s between September 2009 and June 2010, please let us know! We'd be glad to help promote it as part of the "Sixties Turn Fifty" program. Send your information to Cindy Olnick at the Los Angeles Conservancy - colnick@laconservancy.org, (213) 623-2489.