In an article reported on Curbed LA, the Ottawa Gazette marvels at Los Angeles' Art Deco buildings, arguing that they may be the real stars of La-La-land. These vestiges of L.A.'s grand 1920s era, or whatever is left of them in a city whose favorite way of dealing with the past is through demolition, are pure beauty.
Most large Art Deco buildings left standing can be found Downtown, a part of L.A. usually avoided by visitors wary of its seedy reputation. Yet, the area is gentrifying rapidly, and though one may argue against the galloping loft developments, these have been particularly instrumental in the preservation of historic buildings. So has the Los Angeles Conservancy, whose considerable efforts have persuaded slumlords that they may not want to trash the gems they had in their portfolio. The L.A. Conservancy organizes fantastic tours of the city's architecture, which will take you behind the scenes -- and back to the Roaring Twenties. [Previous post on LAC's Broadway Theaters tour]photo jerici cat/Curbed flickr pool
