P1. Other Identifier
*a. County Los Angeles
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted and (P2c, P2e, and P2b or P2d. Attach a Location Map as Necessary.) *b USGS 7.5' Quad Burbank Date 2018 T 1N ; R 13W ; of of Sec B. M. c. Address 222 E Harvard St City Glendale Zip 91205
Zoned. UTM: , mE/ mN APN: 5642013901e. Other Locational Data:
*P3a. Description
Character‐defining Features
■ Two‐story height
Alterations
Undergoing rehabilitation at time of survey;
entrance altered
Integrity
The property retains integrity of location,
design, setting, materials, workmanship,
feeling, and association.
■ Rectangular plan; complex massing of bold geometric shapes; asymmetrical composition ■ Cast‐in‐place concrete construction
■ Flat roof
■ Expressed cast‐in‐place concrete exterior walls
■ Recessed entrance accessed by sunken plaza
■ Galzed metal storefront doors
■ Glazed metal storefront windows as voids in otherwise solid volumes ■ Sculptural façade articulation with projecting carels and stair tower; cast concrete brises‐soleils P5a. Photograph or Drawing (Photograph required for buildings, structure, and objects.) *P3b. Resource Attributes:
HP14. Government building
*P4. Resources Present ■ Building
*P5b. Description of Photo
View Southwest, 2017
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Source
1973, LA County Tax Assessor
*P7. Owner and Address
*P8. Recorded by:
Historic Resources Group
12 S Fair Oaks Ave, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91105
*P9. Date Recorded 2017
*P10. Survey Type Intensive
*P11. Report Citation: Historic Resources Group, City of Glendale South Glendale Historic Context Statement, September 30, 2014. *Attachments: ■Building, Structure, and Object Record ■Continuation Sheet 245 of 248
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
Primary #
HRI #
State of California ‐‐ The Resources Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
*Resource Name or #: 222 E Harvard St
B1. Historic Name:Glendale Central Library B2. Common Name: Glendale Central Library B3. Original Use: Civic/Institutional B4. Present Use: Civic/Institutional *B5. Architectural Style: Brutalism
*B6. Construction History:
No permits available.
Owner History:
Address not listed in available city directories.
*B7. Moved No Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features B9a. Architect: Welton Becket and Associates b. Builder:
B10. Significance: Institutions and Community (1919‐2000): Post‐World War II Institutional Development (1945‐2000); Architecture and Design: Post‐World War II Modernism: Brualism
Area South Glendale
Period of Significance: 1973 Property Type: Civic/Institutional Applicable Criteria:A/1/1; C/3/3 This property was documented in the 2006 Glendale Downtown Specific Plan, and re‐evaluated during the 2017 South Glendale historic resources survey. It is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, California Register of Historical Resources, and Glendale Register under Criterion A/1/1 as an excellent example of post‐ World War II institutional development, and under Criterion C/3/3 as an excellent example of Brutalist institutional architecture by master architectural firm Welton Becket and Associates. This property exhibitis high quality of design, and retains significant character‐defining features of its original design, including its two‐story height, rectangular plan, flat roof, and cast‐in‐place concrete construction.
Welton Davis Becket, FAIA (1902‐1969) was one of the most influential architects in the development of Los Angeles, and founded a practice that became one of the nation’s largest architectural firms. Becket was born in Seattle, Washington, and studied architecture at the University of Washington. He completed a year of graduate study at the École des Beaux Arts in Fontainebleau, France, and arrived in Los Angeles in 1931. In 1933 he formed a partnership with his classmate, Walter Wurdeman, and Charles F. Plummer. They specialized in small commercial buildings and residences. In 1935 the partners won a design competition for the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles; the distinctive Streamline Moderne landmark was constructed north of the Miracle Mile district for the 1935 National Housing Exposition. After Plummer’s death in 1939, the firm incorporated as Wurdeman and Becket.
Wurdeman and Becket embraced a philosophy of “Total Design,” a concept that became integral to their work and would guide the firm for years to come. This philosophy embraced the integration of all requirements for the solution of an architectural problem: preliminary research, site selection, economic analysis, traffic surveys, and the actual design, engineering, and interior design of the building or group of buildings, for which Becket employed his own team of architects, engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers. Wurdeman and Becket’s design for Bullock’s Pasadena, completed in 1947, established the prototype for the postwar suburban department store.
In addition to its sophisticated late Moderne architecture, crafted to evoke a fine home or country club, the store was the first to be designed and oriented toward the automobile, with its main entrance accessed from a large surface parking lot. When Wurdeman died unexpectedly in 1949, Becket bought out his partner’s heirs and assumed sole leadership of the firm, changing its name to Welton Becket and Associates. (SEE CONTINUATION SHEET)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes:
*B12. References
Historic Resources Group, City of Glendale South Glendale Historic Context Statement, September 30, 2014.
City of Glendale Building Permits.
Glendale City Directories.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Christine Lazzaretto; Robby Aranguren
*Date of Evaluation: December 2017
246 of 248
State of California The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
*Recorded by: Historic Resources Group *Date: November 2017 ■ Continuation □ Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
Significance Statement continued…
Becket’s success is attributable to both his design sense and his business mentality. He was able to estimate projects accurately, which brought him repeat clients. His philosophy of “Total Design” allowed him to offer a broader range of services than other architects and tailor his designs to each client’s specific needs. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Welton Becket and Associates grew to be one of the largest architectural firms in the world with more than 400 employees and offices in San Francisco, New York, Houston, and Chicago. The firm’s work included a wide range of commercial, civic, institutional, and retail projects. Among this vast body of works are a significant number of regionally and nationally significant buildings and landmarks, including the circular Capitol Records tower in Hollywood, one of the most important buildings associated with the recording industry in Los Angeles; the Cinerama Dome, one of the few auditoriums nationwide built expressly for the exhibition of films shot in the Cinerama process; the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, comprised of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Ahmanson Theater; the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium; and the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Welton Becket died in 1969 at the age of 66. In 1987 Welton Becket and Associates was acquired by Minnesota-based Ellerbe Associates, creating the firm of Ellerbe Becket Inc. Becket’s contributions to Los Angeles have since become recognized for their primary role in defining the character and fabric of the region during the Modern period.
Additional Photos:
View Southwest, 2017
247 of 248
State of California The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
*Recorded by: Historic Resources Group *Date: November 2017 ■ Continuation □ Update DPR 523L (1/95) *Required information
View Northeast, 2017
248 of 248