The John Anson Ford Theatres, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, is one of the oldest performing arts venues in Los Angeles still in use. The historic open air amphitheatre is set in a natural canyon and encompasses a 45 acre park. The Theatre and site are owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles, and as stewards of this resource, they invested in a Master Plan to identify operational, theatrical and audience upgrades that could be implemented in a unified manner. In addition the plan was to identify opportunities for new facilities that could generate income and activate the site year round. Levin & Associates and a team of consultants were retained to collaborate with the County in developing a Master Plan based on those goals and objectives.  The Master Plan resulted in the development of a new 299-seat theatre, restaurant, office building and rehearsal hall, two parking structures, along with the renovation of the 1200-seat historic amphitheatre.

John Anson Ford Theatres Master Plan

 The Math Science building, Oakwood School`s first new classroom building since it was created in the 1950s, is based on the firm`s 1991 master plan for the campus. The two-story structure is organized around a sky-lit, central interior atrium and an exterior, second-floor courtyard. The main entry is oriented toward the existing campus, and will connect to future development and a courtyard in subsequent phases of the master plan. The building accommodates a lecture hall, ten classrooms, five science laboratories and a greenhouse, faculty offices, and a 12,000 square-foot, below-grade parking garage. Referencing the Eastern tradition of academic brick architecture, a new vernacular for the campus is created with a fusion of exterior-patterned, glazed and textured block, and steel and glass curtainwall. The first-story base gives the building an &ldquo;institutional presence,&rdquo; while the second story speaks to the school`s creative spirit and inventive style of learning. Color and pattern are used on the exterior and interior of the building, with exposed steel structure and mechanical ducts boldly painted to reinforce the concept of the building as a laboratory for learning. 

Oakwood School, Math Science Building

 Grand Central Square is a phased development completed by Levin in 1995 for developer Ira Yellin. The project included rehabilitation and renovation of the 1917 landmark market, conversion of the six-story Homer Laughlin and 12-story Million Dollar buildings into housing, the two-story Lyon Building into offices, and construction of a new, 11-tier parking structure. The 611,000 square-foot transformation was intended as the staging ground for the revived downtown residential and shopping district. Located within the downtown historic core, the parking structure is designed to complement the historic features and proportions of the adjacent buildings. Organized classically with a base, middle and cap, the canopies, lighting elements, and sculptural steel connections reference these regulating lines. Steel-plate bison heads, inspired by the 1917 Million Dollar building`s terra cotta version, support the glass canopies. For generations, the John Parkinson-designed Grand Central Market has been the focus of downtown`s communal life. Successive waves of Angelenos of various ethnicities have mingled in its cavernous space, rubbing shoulders, buying everyday and exotic foods. In a sprawling, car-defining metropolis, the market is one of the few places where this interaction occurs so vividly. Peeling off layers of earlier modernizations, the architects have updated and enlivened the market`s 58 separate stalls. The columns and their modified classic capitals have been painted black to establish an orderly internal rhythm, augmented by the placement of light fixtures and fly-fans. Skylights which had been blackened out since World War II were reopened and covered with louvers to diffuse the light and protect the produce. Vintage neon signs marking each stall have been restored, and new ones were created. New steel and glass rollup doors have been added to each entry to the market, maintaining through-block access. The market`s connection between Broadway, a major Latino shopping venue, and the upscale Bunker Hill district to the west, has been clarified as one of downtown`s most energetic social and physical linkages. 

Grand Central Square, Los Angeles

In the spirit of America’s historic train sheds, the firm has designed a 300-foot long, steel-trussed, open-bay structure to cover and protect Travel Town’s historic train collection. Covering about 400 acres, Griffith Park is one of the largest urban green spaces in the United States. Guided by the challenge of revitalizing a well-used and beloved attraction and influenced by Europe’s historic train sheds from the turn of the century, the design of Levin’s pavilion features multiple roof pitches reaching 50 feet in the air, providing an instantly recognizable identity for the museum and park.

Dynamic and expansive, the pavilion creates a sense of place and identity for Travel Town, enabling and encouraging continuing public access. Functionally, the large pavilion supports the conservation and restoration work that is a regular task of the facility.


Travel Town Locomotive Pavilion

The new Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons is a compelling example of successfully solidifying a sense of place and identity for Scripps College, a respected and distinguished member of the noted Claremont Colleges and one of the oldest and finest liberal arts women’s colleges in the United States.                   

The college established in the early 1990’s a strategic plan to centralize the food services in one place, a vital new source for communal interaction.  The existing Florence Rand Lang Art Building was selected to be renovated and expanded.  Designed in 1938 as the final piece of Gordon Kaufmann’s campus plan, it was, unfortunately, not of the character or quality of his earlier work.

Guided by the Scripps tradition of creating buildings with spaces of simplicity and beauty, Levin recreated a complex of one- and two-story buildings and courtyards.  The extensive renovation was supplemented with five individual additions.  The “renewed” center houses the servery, dining rooms of differing scales, formality and ambiance; faculty lounge, offices for student organizations and government, music studios and the career-resource center.  It has become the gathering place which fosters the intellectual and social interaction and the sense of community the college desired.

“Brenda Levin has brought every element of the Scripps College Commons project into  perfect harmony. She has gutted and redesigned a nondescript building and its surrounding space, creating a place of beauty with an irresistible quality that spells community.  It is the marketplace, the green, the  town square of Scripps and, is already the dynamic center of the campus.”
-Elizabeth Malott, Donor


Scripps College, Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons

Founded in 1887 as a private liberal arts college, Occidental College's 1911 master plan was designed by famed Southern California architect Myron Hunt. Over the years, Hunt designed many of the buildings on campus including the 1928 original student union. The architectural challenge was to double the size of the existing landmark structure, located directly on the public face of the campus quadrangle.The first floor of the existing campus building was completely re-configured to accommodate rooms for meetings, offices for student organizations, and a multi-use student space. The historic spaces on the second floor were renovated for continued use as the campus dining hall, and the private dining and meeting rooms that surround the courtyard.The original architecture is complemented by a 28,000 square-foot addition, a contemporary interpretation of the formal elements of Hunt's design vocabulary and massing. The new two-story space houses the campus food servery "marketplace" and supporting kitchens, campus bookstore, college mail facilities and campus food service.The "renewed" center is a fusion of old and new, more internally coherent and easily accessible. The building is organized around two stairways that are flooded with natural light and serve as entries and gathering places.The new plaza and colonnade form a public square that is visually connected to Samuelson Pavilion, also designed by Levin &amp; Associates. This linkage becomes the new "heart" of the Occidental campus.

Occidental College, Johnson Student Center

The new National Center for the Preservation of Democracy is an educational institution that engages individuals in the examination of their rights, freedoms and responsibilities and explores the intersections among diverse cultural experiences.

The National Center is housed in the Japanese American National Museum’s renovated and expanded Historic Building, a former Buddhist Temple, designed by architect Edgar Cline, and built in 1925. A 10,000 square foot addition was constructed on the north end of the existing building, housing both an entrance lobby as well as a 200-seat Forum.

The architecture of the addition responds to the scale and context of the Historic Building in height, mass and horizontal elements. Its exterior is a metal and glass curtain wall of various tints and textures that enables visibility between the Forum and the Plaza, creating a sense of transparency and access that serves as a reminder that democracy is shaped through the involvement and engagement of individuals.

The Forum is designed to host town hall meetings, lectures, educational programs: a space that fosters dialogue and debate to educate and engage visitors.  The National Center was opened in 2005.


National Center for the Preservation of Democracy

The 600-acre estate and mansion created by streetcar and real estate magnate Henry E. Huntington in San Marino has become a major public attraction known for its botanical gardens, library and art collections.  The original carriage house, a 7,100 square-foot neo-classical building designed by Myron Hunt, was never part of the public realm.  Historically used as a garage and chauffeur’s quarters, it had become a storage facility for lawn mowers and garden equipment.

The firm programmed and designed a restoration of the building exterior and adaptive re-use of the interior as a changing exhibition gallery for the art and library divisions.  The MaryLou and George Boone Gallery includes 4,100 square feet of exhibition space, a satellite museum store, preparators’ area, exhibit staging and support facilities.
  
The concrete exterior was water damaged and deteriorated.  Restoration included a seismic upgrade, new plaster finish and paint, and damaged portions of the concrete balustrade and cornice were repaired or replaced.  The large double hung windows were retained and a dual shading system added to control natural light levels.

The architectural design of the gallery is a composition of details which refer to classical design, but are interpreted and executed in modern form.  The entry lobby is both, literally and metaphorically, transitional space between exterior and interior, between classical and contemporary.  The entry double glass doors recall the original design intent, shown on the original Hunt drawings, while the glass gallery doors are a reinterpretation.  Six new skylights and four custom-designed cast stone plinth light fixtures flood the lobby with light, while the plaster walls and ceilings provide color, texture and a domestic scale.  The project received a preservation award in May of 2000 from the Los Angeles Conservancy.


MaryLou and George Boone Gallery at The Huntington

The Pellessier Building, one of Los Angeles’ great Art Deco landmarks, was designed by architects Stiles Clements of Morgan, Walls and Clements, and was completed in 1931. Built at what was once the busiest intersection in Los Angeles (Wilshire & Western), the 12-story, green terra cotta-clad office tower is sited diagonally to the corner and above the marquee entrance to the 2,400-seat Wiltern Theater.

The Warner Brothers Western Theater (now the Wiltern) was originally conceived as a vaudeville theater. It was designed by Albert Landsburgh, with opulent interiors and decorative  painting by A.T. Heinsbergen. The theater opened to considerable fanfare in 1931, but closed a year later. Re-opening in the mid-1930s, it functioned as a movie theater until 1979 when, despite the building’s status as a Los Angeles city “historic cultural monument” and its presence on the National Register of Historic Places, the owner applied for a demolition permit to clear and sell the site. In order to postpone this action, the nascent Los Angeles Conservancy and the National Trust for Historic Preservation sponsored a feasibility study, which attracted the attention of preservationist and developer Wayne Ratkovich.

In the early 1980s, Ratkovich purchased the building and retained Levin & Associates to renovate and restore the theater. The renovation consisted of major code, infrastructure and theatrical upgrades, including new rigging, lighting, a stage and orchestra pit expansion, and dressing rooms to accommodate live, performing arts programming.

During the building’s decline in the late 1970s, the theater tenant sold most of the decorative light fixtures; the plaster sunburst ceiling in the theater fell, the seats were removed, and substantial water damage occurred throughout the theater. Levin, along with theater consultants Shepardson/Winner, located the original fixtures, re-purchased most of them, and re-created the rest. Working with Tony Heinsbergen, son of the original decorative painter, Levin created a simplified version of the plaster sunburst on the auditorium ceiling, which was painted in a trompe l’oeil, three-dimensional pattern based on original sketches designed to replicate the original.

Murals were repainted, new carpeting in a Deco pattern woven, doors and hardware restored, and theater seats salvaged from the Paramount in Portland refurbished and installed. The exterior theater marquee and vertical neon signs were restored, and a box office to facilitate ticket sales was added.

The Wiltern Theater is now a successful entertainment venue. The Pellissier’s restaurant and retail establishments once again contribute to Wilshire Boulevard’s vibrant commercial life. In 1994, the City of Los Angeles awarded Levin & Associates its Historic Preservation Award of Excellence for its work on this project.


The Wiltern Center (Pellisier Building and Wiltern Theater)

 Built for mining tycoon Lewis Bradbury, the 1893 building is a National Register Landmark, and one of the most significant existing structures in Los Angeles` architectural heritage. Designed by George Wyman, this Chicago-style sandstone and terra cotta-clad building is noted for its atrium skylight, which spans the entire five stories, and open-cage elevators. Likely the most photographed structure in the city, it has been the location of many movies, including Bladerunner, Ridley Scott`s cult science-fiction film. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, the skylight became encrusted with dirt, the light-oak ceilings and marble floor took on a dark patina, and the distinctive wrought-iron handrails and elevator cabs were in need of restoration. Developer Ira Yellin, an urbanist and owner of the adjacent Grand Central Market, also renovated by the firm, purchased the building in 1989. He committed to restoring and reopening the building in time for its centennial anniversary. Exterior, street-level improvements have included the redefinition of a storage area into a rear entrance portico which connects the atrium lobby to an adjacent urban park and parking structure. Ground-floor retail storefronts have been redesigned to accommodate a variety of tenants, while remaining compatible with the historic facade. This has included the reconstruction of the cornice and portals to match the deteriorated original sandstone, and the creation of a color-integral storefront composed of stucco, black aluminum and glass with glazed, back-lit signage panels. When completed, the renewed and cherished Bradbury Building, located at a strategic intersection on Los Angeles` Broadway, symbolized hope for regeneration of the city`s vital urban core. 

 Seaver Center for Natural History Research

Bradbury Building

Built in 1893, the Bradbury Building was one of the city's most remarkable architectural places. It was commissioned by Lewis Bradbery, who wanted a commercial building near his fashionable home. He hired George Wyman to design the building. Wyman, who initially turned down the offer, later accepted it after receiving a spirit message from his dead brother.

 In May of 1931 the Griffith Trust and Los Angeles Park Commissioners selected architects John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley to oversee the final plans for the new observatory building. Austin and Ashley hired physicist Edward Kurth to direct the project with Russell W. Porter as consultant. The dedication and formal opening of Griffith Observatory took place amid much fanfare on May 14, 1935. On that day, the Griffith Trust transferred ownership of the building to the City of Los Angeles; the City's Department of Recreation and Parks (called the ?Department of Parks? at the time of the transfer) has operated the facility ever since. From the moment the Observatory was opened to the public, those who served as full-time and part-time staff worked daily to fulfill the original vision of the Griffith Observatory as an educational and inspirational resource for all of society. The Observatory closed in 2002 for renovations and expansion, and the design was led by architects Stephen Johnson of Pfeiffer Partners and Brenda Levin. It was reopened in 2006. Pfeiffer Partners oversaw the project and designed the new expansion, and Levin concentrated on the restoration. 

Griffith Observatory

 Designed in 1925 by architects John Austin, Albert C. Martin, and John Parkinson, the 27-story City Hall was the only building allowed to break the 13-story height limit maintained by the city until 1957. Thus, it became the city`s tallest building from its completion in 1928 until the late 1960s. Presenting an image befitting a major metropolitan center, its granite Beaux-Arts base supports a monumental, pyramid-capped tower. Although it incorporates Greek, Roman and Renaissance design elements, its spirit is purely American, symbolic of the optimism of the 1920s California. The interiors are Byzantine in style, in particular the central rotunda and public spaces, which are clad with marble and inlaid tile. The ceilings are decoratively painted. During the past 72 years, the tower has been damaged by earthquakes. Exterior terra cotta cladding, and interior unanchored masonry walls have cracked. As historic preservation architect for the seismic rehabilitation, which was initiated in 1993, Levin &amp; Associates, in collaboration with Albert C. Martin Partners, Architects and Engineers, has developed the approach, standards, and alternatives which guide the seismic and code-upgrade methodology for the building`s historic areas. The hierarchy of historic significance for each area established by Levin enabled the engineers to propose solutions which preserve the most historically significant areas. Base isolation and conventional shear-wall are being implemented. The firm developed and negotiated alternative code compliance strategies, in consultation with the State Office of Historic Preservation, and created architectural plans for the areas of impact. Restoration guidelines for historic materials, decorative painting, historic light fixtures, and exterior terra cotta replacement, cleaning and repainting were developed in collaboration with conservators. 

Los Angeles City Hall

Founded in 1980 by Harvard-educated architect Brenda A. Levin, FAIA, the architecture and urban design firm Levin &amp; Associates has received worldwide attention since its inception. Levin &amp; Associates' portfolio includes the preservation and renovation of Los Angeles' most significant and iconic landmarks; adaptive re-use; the design of new educational, cultural and civic projects; urban design and master planning. 

Levin & Associates Architects

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