Clockwise from top left: the Los Angeles Theatre plays New York's Broadhurst Theatre via Tom & Lorenzo; the Music Center plays Rome via the LAT; Chatsworth's Fox Residence plays a house in Palm Springs via beckster740; Los Angeles Athletic Club plays New York Athletic Club via Exit Only
The LA Conservancy announced the winners of its 30th Annual Preservation Awards yesterday and finally, we're all acknowledging that deep in its heart "Mad Men" is a Los Angeles show. The AMC series won the Conservancy's 2011 media award for the attention it's brought to mid-centuriana and preservation, and for creator Matthew Weiner's support of the Conservancy--he hosted the opening night of film series Last Remaining Seats last year and recently spoke out against changes being made at Vernon's La Villa Basque, where the show has filmed. (Not mentioned is cast member Vincent Kartheiser's Metro boosterism.) "Mad Men" is shot mostly in Los Angeles (see above, and sorry to New Yorkers who think there's nothing beautiful in LA) and incidentally, last year's LA Conservancy President's Award winner, Bob's Big Boy Broiler, showed up in last season's season finale. Plus, southern California is Don Draper's special place where he actually gets to be happy once in a while. Start thinking spin-off, Weiner.
The often controversial and currently-threatened Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles won this year's President's Award for "more than fifty projects in which CRA/LA has played a key role in preserving significant historic places." Those include the Downtown Women's Center (also a Preservation Award winner this year), the Hollywood Bungalow Courts, the Boyle Hotel in Boyle Heights, and the Westlake Theatre.
Other winners include Murray Burns, who has personally restored or saved almost 30 houses in Angelino Heights, LA's Historic Preservation Overlay Zone Preservation Plan, and the renovation of the Natural History Museum's 1913 Building. All nine winners are here. The awards will be presented at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel on May 12.
· 2011 PRESERVATION AWARDS [LA Conservancy]
Loading comments...