Things to See and Demolish in L.A.
My recent post about the fate awaiting the Herald Building got me thinking. For years, a major knock on Los Angeles has been its lack of respect for history. Thanks to our constant fascination with everything hip, trendy and modern, we’ll eagerly level any cultural landmark that stands in the way of a glitzy new development project. It’s a constant headache for preservationists, but why fight it? Hell, as long as we’re kissing off the ol’ Hearst place, we may as well go on a free-for-all.
Here’s my list of potential targets to get the wrecking ball rolling. Don’t hesitate to add your own…
The Triforium (Fletcher E. Bowron Square) — This 60-ton civic jukebox cost nearly $1 million to build in 1975. Situated across Temple St. from City Hall, its colorful plastic lights actually pulse to the beat of muzak tunes piped through its enormous, bug-like speakers. (Yes, folks, this is what passes for public art here in La La Land.) Please, please, please, can’t we build a flashy new high-rise here instead?
Fort Moore Memorial (Hill St. near Sunset) — Occupying the hill on which the Pueblo’s garrison once stood, this huge wall celebrates the American Conquest of L.A. in 1847. Soooo politically incorrect! Worse, it features an ugly waterfall that hasn’t worked in god knows how long. Isn’t it time we raze this relic in favor of something more multi-culturally sensitive?
Crystal Springs Carousel (Griffith Park) — It’s old and kids love it. What better reason to tear it down? Built in San Diego in 1925, the classic merry-go-round was relocated here in the 1930s. Carefully restored in the 1990s, it managed to escape the park’s recent wildfire. Now’s our chance to finish off what the fire didn’t! The question is, what to replace it with? While nothing immediately pops to mind, I’m sure Councilman Reyes can think of something.
Music Box Stairs (923 Vendome St.) — Not really much to behold today, these Silver Lake steps were immortalized by Laurel and Hardy in their 1932 Academy Award-winning short, The Music Box, in which the pair heaved a piano ever upward, only to see it careen down again and again. But with the gag forever preserved on celluloid, who needs the actual stairs? Screw history! What Angelenos really want on famous spots like this is more high-density housing!
“The David House” (Hancock Park) — Although not truly “historic” in the strict sense of the word, given L.A.’s penchant for kitsch, it could well become a designated cultural landmark someday. Let’s save future generations the horror while we still can. Let’s pave this sculptural paradise and put up a parking lot…
