@daveH: While I certainly agree with favoring re-use of existing buildings I find your other comments problematic. As EmersonNYC notes, Louis Kahn’s Four Freedoms park is similar to his Salk institute in the very distinct way that it forces a perspective. The whole point of the design is to frame a view that includes the UN (A legacy of FDR, whom the park commemorates). Maybe you don’t like the design, but it very elegantly serves its intended purpose and "succeeds" very nicely.
I also find it problematic that you consider the UN Headquarters a "design fail." Again, maybe you don’t like the design, but your criticism lacks weight when you say "what did the designer of the UN…" The design process for that complex was a massive collaboration under Director of Planning, Wallace K. Harrison and included international architects like Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. It is such an architecturally rich project and draws from earlier successful modern building like Lucio Costa’s Ministry of Education and Health Building in Rio de Janeiro and influencing many buildings afterward. To reduce the UN Secretariat building as a "design fail" on the part of "the designer" because of the views is such a frustrating piece of criticism.
CBS Head Pays Microsoft Cofounder $28 Million For Glassy Carbon Beach House
Paul Allen has no taste and destroyed one of Californias best homes just for fun (Neff House, not this). This dude needs to go. On a side note, that house is hideous.
Gorgeous 1920s Mediterranean by Wallace Neff in Pas's Prospect Park Asking $3.8 Million
Todays "architects" could should stop for a minute, and look what Wallace Neff and others mentioned above achieved. Their understanding of the scale of rooms to their function, attention to architectural details, and beautiful landscaping still hold up 90-yrs. later! Yes, in time everything such as kitchens and bathrooms need updating, but use restraint and respect the original.
As for the ‘Mc-Messes’ being built today, they are the residential equivalent of the strip malls of the 1970’s & 1980’s. One can hope most of them will fall prey to a bulldozer in about 10 years.
Gorgeous 1920s Mediterranean by Wallace Neff in Pas's Prospect Park Asking $3.8 Million
This is a gorgeous historic home and property, designed by one of California’s most noted architects, Wallace Neff. It’s in a wonderful area of Pasadena, and one of it’s most famous neighbor’s architecturely, is the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Millard house, "La Minutura". The Millard house also is listed for sale, and these two properties are similarly sized and priced. I guess for the multi-millionaire architectural connoisseur who is looking to buy, it will come down to which syle and school of architecture they prefer.
Bel Air Megamansion Liongate Hitting the Market for $65 Million
@MGRRRR: I totally agree with you. This property at 616 Nimes Road only has a 1.6 acre lot with a nearly 24,000 square foot house, compared to the (384) Delfern (Dr.) property, which sits on 7 acres with a 15,520 square foot house. Those 7 acres in north Holmby are quite a valuable commodity and that’s why it went pending at $75M; not to discount the value of the classic Wallace Neff designed home. The Delfern property sits on 3 parcels, and hopefully as you’ve inferred, will not be sacrificed to subdivision in the name of greed.
Survey Reveals: Santa Monica NIMBYs Mostly Old White People
@Caity Wallace: "most are progressive, environmentally sensitive and intelligent natives of the city who hate seeing it being turned into Miami Beach West.
An oxymoron.
Furthermore, NO ONE is proposing to turn Santa Monica into Miami Beach West. That is a complete fallacy. But there needs to be a balance. Rents are out of control, and there needs to be new inventory somewhere.