The Los Angeles Conservancy and Pasadena Heritage are teaming up to celebrate 50 years of historic preservation after the 1970s with two special virtual events starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.
“Children of the ’70s: Preservation on the Rise” will start with a virtual panel discussing how the ’70s influenced Pasadena architecture, to be followed by a virtual tour at 7:15 p.m. exploring the ’70s architecture found at ArtCenter College of Design, led by an L.A. Conservancy docent.
Leaders of organizations devoted to preserving Southern California’s historic structure – groups such as Pasadena Heritage, Hollywood Heritage, and the Los Angeles Conservancy – will be on the panel and talk about the sea-change that shaped the preservation movement, and how the ’70s impacted Southern Californians’ views about architecture and preservation.
The panel will include Margaret Bach, founding president of the Los Angeles Conservancy who has a longstanding engagement with the built environment, as a designer, writer, documentary filmmaker, historian, and preservation advocate.
She served as the founding president of the Los Angeles Conservancy, editor of LA Architect magazine, and manager of KCET’s award-winning public television series, “LA History Project.” She also led the restoration of Irving Gill’s Horatio West Court in Santa Monica.
Bach has written extensively about Los Angeles’ built environment and now devotes her time to her interior design practice, her family and grandchildren, her art practice, and community work. She formerly served on the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission and is currently a member of the Kitchen Cabinet of Food Forward, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit pioneering produce recovery and distribution to those in need.
Also on the panel is Christy Johnson McAvoy, a founding principal of Historic Resources Group and co-founder of Hollywood Heritage. She has been at the forefront of historic preservation since the late 1970s. An expert in many facets of historic preservation, including planning, regulation, incentives, identification and evaluation, reuse, and education, McAvoy has concentrated her practice in complex multidisciplinary projects which preserve the historic built environment.
Prior to her retirement in 2015, McAvoy completed over 150 projects in California, including CBS Columbia Square, the Egyptian Theatre, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and the Coliseum. Her work has received recognition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, the California Preservation Foundation, the Cultural Heritage Commission of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Conservancy; the Governor of California, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Susan N. Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage, will also be on the panel. Mossman has been a preservation professional for more than 40 years, since joining the staff of the fledgling Pasadena Heritage organization in 1978. She has served as Pasadena Heritage’s executive director since 1994, and previously served as the organization’s program director for 15 years.
She first joined Pasadena Heritage as a volunteer and was the second employee hired when the organization was in its infancy. Under her leadership, Pasadena Heritage has tackled such major advocacy issues as saving the Stuart Pharmaceutical Company building from demolition and working tirelessly with others to defeat the 710 Freeway extension through Pasadena’s oldest neighborhoods. A major milestone for the organization was the creation of a supporting affiliate, Heritage Housing Partners (HHP), to acquire, rehabilitate, and resell older homes as affordable housing.
The panel will be moderated by Julianne Polanco, from the state Historic Preservation Office.
Following the panel, the virtual tour will allow visitors to explore the 1970s architecture of ArtCenter College of Design’s original campus in Pasadena, from the comfort of their living rooms. The impressive main building, designed by Craig Ellwood and Associates, is a designated city landmark. Thanks to an innovative steel-and-glass bridge structure, the building spans an arroyo on the campus’s hilly site.
Tickets to the twin events are $25 for the general public and $20 for LA Conservancy members.
To reserve a space, go to www.laconservancy.org/event/3016. Sales are final and no refunds or exchanges are allowed.
