TrixieStork
HTSTerm22022-2023
23March2022
GeorgeJepson
TheSuburbanSprawlofLosAngeles:AStudyontheFailureofIdeals
Whatelementsdefinethesuccessofacity?Whilehistoricallycitieshavegrownfrom geographicaladvantagesandnaturalresources,theU.S.expansioninthe1800sabruptlyended whenreachingtheWestCoast,blurringrealityandgrowth.Thisledtoadiversemixofcultures andbeliefsattheedgeofcivilizationfoundingLosAngeles.Butunlikemostcitiessituatedalong riverswhichsupplyfood,water,andfertileland,inLosAngeles,acitybuiltinthedesert,natural resourcesaresparse.Lackingtheconstraintsofpreviousexamples,thecityspreadfurtherand furtherintothedesert,andatapoliticallychargedtime,itbecameatestinggroundforbig businesses,architecture,andeconomy,leadingtoidealsthatstruggledtoovercomethe systematiccorruptionpresent.Anddespiteeffortsmadetoconstructanew,moderncity,it ultimatelyfailed,asitisnowadangerousandcongestedcitystrugglingwithgentrification. DespitethepotentialofLosAngelesanditsnuanceasacitydefinedbytheautomobileand modernarchitecture,thepoliticalcorruptionofitsdevelopmentandrealizationultimately solidifieditsfailureasamodernutopia.
Inthelatenineteenthcentury,LosAngeleswasatownofnomorethanfivethousand withanareaof28squaremiles,1 butbytheturnofthecentury,thecityhadgrownwithoverone hundredthousandinhabitants.Laborerspouredinfromtheeast,hopingforbetterwagesand livingconditions,underthepromisethatthedevelopingrailwaysystems,port,andfactories wouldtransformthecityintoametropolis.DeepintheSanFernandoValley,thePuebloofLos Angeles–asmallSpanishplazafromtheeighteenthcity2 –survivedalongtheLosAngeles river,sustainingitselfonthefewnaturalresourcesavailable.ButasManifestDestinyreached theWestCoastinthe1850s,theareaoncecontrolledbyMexicowasquicklycommandeeredby U.S.troopsandthecitybegantogrow.Andasitgrew,sodidtheneedforwater.The unpredictableweather–draughtsandsevereflashflooding3 –haddeterredearlysettlers,butthe newinhabitantswerenotleaving.Bythelatenineteenthcentury,theyhadbegunbuildingthe LosAngelesAqueduct,4 addressingtheneedforwater,butalsoallowingthecitytospread unchecked.Theoncesmalltowninthevalleywasnowoverrunwithlaborersinsearchofjobs fromitsfounderswhopromotedtheconstructionofamassiveport,railways,andfactoriesto rivalanyotherAmericancities.Thisresultedintheriseofracialandorganizedcrimeby1870,5 withtheincreaseinpopulation,density,andlackofgovernmentcontrol.Incidentssuchasthe
5 Hernández,Kelly,“HobosinHeaven:Race,Incarceration,andtheRiseofLosAngeles,1880–1910,”413 4 Davis,Mike, City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles,4. 3 Yerkes,RF,“GeologyoftheLosAngelesBasinCalifornia-anIntroduction,”16 2 Banham,Reyner, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies,26ChineseMassacreof1871,6 resultedinthedeathof10%oftheChinesepopulation,andthemob controlledentireareasofthecity.Thiswasonlyworsenedasthe Los Angeles Times, avital industry,wasbombedin1910afterdisputesoverfreespeech.7 By1945,thecity,oncemadeup offarmland,wasnowconvertedintoexpansesofhousingtracts8 inanattempttohousethe exponentialpopulationgrowth.Butthisfastpacedanduncontrolledgrowthdidnotresultinthe idealistichopesofthemid1800s.Classwarandrepressiononlyworsenedastimeprogressed andthemergingofLosAngelesandHollywoodaidedthedetachmentfromreality.Thesetwo parallelcities,Hollywoodwithfameandmoney,andgreaterLosAngeleswithcrimeand poverty,juxtaposethelandscape,onlystrengtheningtheconfinesofsocialclass.
Bythe1920s,LAhadtransformedintoamegacitywithunimaginablewealth, opportunity,andpoverty.Landwascheapontheoutskirtsofthecityandconstructionwas everywhere.TheinfluencesofSpanishhaciendascoupledwithmodernismresultedindiverse architecture.Thedecentralizedcitynurturedfree-thinkingandattractedfamousarchitectssuch asFrankLloydWright,RichardNeutra,R.M.Schindler,andJRDavidson.9 Withthenewmoney andlackofconstraints–existingarchitecture,values,andstandards–theychallengedthe mountainousLosAngeleslandscapewithnewgeometriesandcompositions,whilealso addressingthedefiningaspectofthismoderncity:theautomobile.Fromdrive-inrestaurants,as seeninFigure1,tomovietheatersandSunsetStrip,thecarinfluencedallformsofarchitecture. Butthistimealsocamewithconstraints.Between1929and1939,TheGreatDepression decimatedfactoriesandtownsacrosstheUnitedStates,includingLosAngeles.10 Businesses failedand25%oftheworkforcelosttheirjobs.11 Allbuildingstopped.Butwhereconstruction ceased,theorygrew,andtheshortcomingsoflow-incomehousingwerefinallychallenged. Architecturewasnolongeraluxuryofthepast,itbecamea“socialart.”12 Thelackofbuilding allowedforthedevelopmentoftheoriesandstudiesaddressingtheantiquatedsystemofhousing themiddleandlowerclass,particularlyfamilies.Whilemostarchitecturebeforehandservedthe singlemalebachelor,thenewdesignsofWright,Neutra,andDavidsonincorporatedthe blendingofvaluesbyaddressingprivacy,maximizationofspace,andlowcostconstruction.13 Throughthesinglestoryopenfloorplansthatdeveloped,houseswerestandardizedtomeldthe structureandfacade.Thesenewrectangularandhall-lesshouseslinkedarchitecturetothethen currentsocio-economicconditions,politicizingarchitectureasa“servicetoatimeandplace”14 andreimagininghousesofthefuture.Althoughthisperiodwasdefinedbythedownfallofthe Americaneconomy,itsconstraintsultimatelyadvancedmodernarchitecture.
10
12 McCoy,Esther,“Arts&ArchitectureCaseStudyHouses,”57
13 Ibid,56.
14 Ibid,56
11 Hernández,Kelly,“HobosinHeaven:Race,Incarceration,andtheRiseofLosAngeles,1880–1910,”435 “LosAngelesConservancy” 9 McCoy,Esther,“Arts&ArchitectureCaseStudyHouses,”57 8 Klein,Kerwin,“Westward,Utopia:RobertV.Hine,AldousHuxley,andtheFutureofCaliforniaHistory,”468. 7 Hernández,Kelly,“HobosinHeaven:Race,Incarceration,andtheRiseofLosAngeles,1880–1910,”446Focusingonthreeparticularhouses,eachoneuniquelyreferencesthenewideas developingoutofLA.BeginningwiththeEamesHouse,orCaseStudyHouseNumber8, completedin1949byCharlesandRayEames,15 itclearlyreiteratesthedesiretobuildfunctional housesfortheaverageAmericanfamily.Albeit,thestandardwhitefamilyoffour,perpetuating theracialdividealreadypresent.Asarchitecturebecamearepresentationofideals,thishouse perpetuatedthesocialdemandforfamilyhousingandpracticality.Theuseofsteelcreatedacage inwhichpopulardesignsofthetimewereincorporated,asseenbelowinFigure2.Slidingdoors, glassandarectangularfacadecombinetoformamodularspace.AspartoftheCaseStudy HouseProgram,itreferencesasymbiosiswiththeexistingsiteandalsotestsprefabricationand newmaterialsdevelopedduringWorldWarII.Andwhiletheseattemptssucceed,thishouse remainssingularthroughitscontinuationofspaceandspatialflow.Thelargeglasswindows mergethepublicandprivatespaceswiththeonlycleardelinationsbeingthedivisionofthetwo centralcubes.Ontheotherhand,theStahlHouse,asseeninFigure3,alsofromtheCaseStudy HouseProgram,completelyreinterpretstheseparationbetweenprivateandpublicwhilealso maintainingsimilaraestheticstotheEames.Whilebothhousesincludesteelstructureswithglass panellings,the“L”shapeofPierreKoenig’sCaseStudyHouse22from1959clearlydividesthe publicspacesfromtheprivatespacesofthehousethroughahallway 16 Thisdelineationofspace isalsoreferencedwiththeswimmingpoolwhenenteringthehouse.Itisanobstaclethatmustbe passedinordertoexperiencethehouse.Itisalsodefinedbytheprivacyofitsterrain.Situatedon acanyon,thesolidwallfacingthestreetprovidesprivacywhiletheopennessoftheopposite wallallowsforviewsofLosAngeles.Asbothhousesimmersearchitecturewithnature,thisidea spreadthroughSouthernCaliforniaandintotheBayAreawithhousessuchastheHousefor NesbittbyFrankLloydWright.Completedin1951,17 thishousenotonlyreflectsthepolitical influenceofPostWarAmerica,butalsothesimilarconstraintsofarchitectswithcheapbuilding costs.CopperpanelingontheroofwasaddedaftertheKoreanWar,andthenaturalterrainis accentuated,asseeninFigure4.ThishousecommunicatesclearreferencestotheCaseStudy Houses,butdespiteallthreereflectingtechnology,values,andmodernism,theyfailtoaddress therisingissuesoftheLosAngeleslandscapeduringthetwentiethcenturyonalargerscale.As wealthyfamiliescontinuetocommissionfamousarchitects,thesesmallscaledesignsaddress theirimmediatecontextratherthanimpactingsocietybyprovidingsolutionstoendthe increasingsegregationinSouthernCalifornia.
TwentyyearsaftertheCaseStudyHouseProgram,andmorethanfortyafterTheGreat Depression,theidealsofLosAngelescontinueresonatingthroughthewritingsofReyner Bahnam.Inhisbookfrom1971, Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies,Banham admiresthediversityofarchitectureinSouthernCaliforniaandthesingularityofthemetropolis influencedbycars.Heidolizesthehighwayandclaimsthecitytobeaccessibletoall.Between thePlainsofId(flatlands),Surfurbia(beachtowns),Autopia(freeways),andthefoothills, Banhamtheorizesaharmonyofcarsthatendlesslyweavethroughthisinextricablycomplexroad
15 “EamesHouse:EamesFoundation”
16 McCoy,Esther,“Arts&ArchitectureCaseStudyHouses,”70.
17 Ibid,59
system.18 HetellsoflearningtodriveinordertofullyabsorbLosAngeles:“likeearlier generationsofEnglishintellectualswhotaughtthemselvesItalianinordertoreadDanteinthe original,IlearnedtodriveinordertoreadLosAngelesintheoriginal.”19 Thisoptimismand oftentimesinfatuationwiththecitypervadesthroughoutthebookandquestionsitsvalidity.He goesasfarasclaimingthefreewaysare“oneofthegreaterworksofMan,”20 praisingits organizationandcivilengineering,asseeninFigure5.Inatimeoffastpaceddevelopment, BanhamrecognizedkeyaspectsofLosAngelesandthearchitecturecontainedtherein.He accuratelydefinedthefreewaysystemsaskeyarchitecturalelementsinthecityandanalyzedthe CaseStudyHousesofNeutraandSchindler.HeevennoticedGehry’stalentthroughhisearly worksinSantaMonicaandWestHollywood.Butintheend,hefailstocomprehendthepotential andsubsequentdownfallofthesesystems.
AlthoughBanhamwasnotentirelywronginhisexaminationofLA,histextultimately failstocomprehendtheimminentfailureofthesystemshesoadamantlypraises.Startingwith thefreewaysystem,Banhamwrites,“becausethepointaboutthisgiantcity,whichhasgrown almostsimultaneouslyallover,isthatallitspartsareequalandequallyaccessiblefromallother partsatonce.”21 AndwhilethispointmaynotbewrongincreditingthePacificRailwayforthe basisofCalifornianhighways,itfailstotranslateinamoderncontextwiththeabsenceofboth equalityandaccessibility ModernLosAngelesismarredbygangviolence,poverty, homelessness,andtraffic,notthecarefreeidealisticcityBanhamportrays.Manyareassuchas DowntownLA,Compton,andSkidRowarenotoriousfortheircrimerate,andhavebeen associatedwiththissincethe1990s.22 Theseplacesstrugglewithpoverty,pooreducational systems,lackofwelfare,andevenhealthcare,creatingurbanblockssingulartotheones adjacent.AffluentareassuchasBeverlyHills,thePalisades,andCalabasasstarklycontrastthe previous,questioningtheoverallaccessibilityofthecity,evenforneighboringdistricts.Traffic riddlestheroadsystemandtheconstructionoftollroadssuchasFasTrakdeliberatelysecludes thewealthyfromthepoorwithprivatetransportationsystems.Andwiththecostoflivingrising, gentrificationspreadsthroughoutthecity,withthegovernmentpushingthehomelessandpoor furtherintothedesertratherthansolvingit.Anddespitetheattemptsofarchitectureinthe twentiethcentury,thecitycontinuestovalueindustryoversociety,cateringtothewishesofthe wealthyratherthanthemajority.
Intheend,LosAngeleshasultimatelyfailedtoriseasthesuccesstheBanhamand architectsofthe1930shadaspiredforit.Politicalandeconomicinfluencescorruptedits potentialinvaluingindustryoversociety,subsequentlycreatingasatellitecityinwhichnoneof itsfoundingbusinessesremain.Insteadavastpopulationstruggleswithitsexpanse, environmentalimpacts,andcongestion.Worsenedbytherecenteffectsofthepandemic,the chasmbetweenclassescontinuestogrowalongwithviolenceandhomelessness.Theidealsof
Banham,acityofdiverseecologiesandaccessibility,fallshort,asthecostoflivingconfines residentstotheircircumstances,creatingurbanblocksruledbyownershipandcrime,where welfareisonlyaccessibletothewealthy.LosAngelesnowrepresentstheclashbetweennaive idealismandreality;acityinthedesertcontrolledbycarsandwealthratherthansociety.
Figure1: Los Angeles Time
Figure3: Julius Shulman, 1960
References
Banham,Reyner.LosAngeles:TheArchitectureofFourEcologies.HarperandRowPublishers, 1971.
Davis,Mike,andRobertMorrow.CityofQuartz:ExcavatingtheFutureinLosAngeles.Verso, 2018.
Dorland,C.P.“CHINESEMASSACREATLOSANGELESIN1871.” Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California, Los Angeles,vol.3,no.2,1894,pp. 22–26. JSTOR,https://doi.org/10.2307/41167579.
“EamesHouse:EamesFoundation.”EamesFoundation|Welcome,16Apr 2020, https://eamesfoundation.org/house/eames-house/.
Hernández,KellyLytle.“HobosinHeaven:Race,Incarceration,andtheRiseofLosAngeles, 1880–1910.” Pacific Historical Review,vol.83,no.3,2014. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2014.83.3.410.
Klein,KerwinLee.“Westward,Utopia:RobertV Hine,AldousHuxley,andtheFutureof CaliforniaHistory.”PacificHistoricalReview,vol.70,no.3,2001,pp.465–76.JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2001.70.3.465.
“LosAngelesConservancy.”L.A.Before1940|LosAngelesConservancy, https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-la/curating-city/modern-architecture-la/history-lamodernism/la-1940.
McCoy,Esther.“Arts&ArchitectureCaseStudyHouses.”Perspecta,vol.15,1975,pp.55–73. JSTOR,https://doi.org/10.2307/1567014.
Yerkes,R.F.,etal.“GeologyoftheLosAngelesBasinCalifornia-anIntroduction.”Geological SurveyProfessionalPaper420-A,1965,https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0420a/report.pdf.