CLOSE AD ×

Eavesdrop: Alissa Walker

Eavesdrop: Alissa Walker

STARCHITECT ROUNDUP
Santiago Calatrava dropped out of San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal and Tower competition in mid-May because his firm had questions about the project’s economic feasibility. However, we also heard that the folks at developer Boston Properties weren’t able to get Calatrava’s design to pencil …. If you ever forget what Daniel Libeskind looks like, just head to Sacramento, where his 15-foot headshot is plastered on Danny-designed luxury condo Epic Tower… WhenFrank Gehry’s not pumping iron at Gold’s Gym, he’s being sued over silver. Circa Publishing Enterprises of Culver City said Gehry reneged on his deal to produce Gehry-trademarked jewelry. Last spring, the Frank Gehry Collection showed up at Tiffany & Co.

LET’S GET NAKED!
UC-Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium is ground zero for a battle of epic proportions, but this ain’t no football game. Protesters have been living in a grove of oak trees next to the stadium since December to prevent developers from cutting down trees to build a student athletic center, designed by HNTB Architecture. A 78-person nude photo shoot/protest was held in March in support of the cause. Meanwhile UC-Berkeley maintains that new trees will replace all the removed ones, and that the building’s design will create new public spaces near the stadium.

A DOUBLE DESIGN “I DO”
After 20 years of kicking around the LA design world more-or-less solo, radio host Frances Anderton (of KCRW’s DnA, Design and Architecture) and West Hollywood urban designer John Chase were both recently married, and wanted to celebrate their coinciding unions. Their mutual friends gathered on a recent breezy afternoon for a double wedding reception at the home of landscape designer Katherine Spitz. Chase and partner Jonathan Cowan were croquetready in seersucker suits and matching Chuck Taylors, and Anderton was stunning in a red, laser-cut masterpiece by architect and designer Elena Manferdini, who was also in attendance.

RAISING THE ROOF
Inflatable kangaroos bounced among the waterbed pods of the Standard Downtown’s rooftop as the LA Forum honored Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg at the 20th annual ForumFest. A sharp-looking Aaron Betskyrevealed in a speech that the real motivation for starting the Forum was because founders believed LA was “dumb.” But the remark that garnered the biggest gasp was when Betsky admitted he had included the Forum as a beneficiary in his will. 


CLOSE AD ×