Times Critic Reviews New West Hollywood Library

Los Angeles Times architecture critic, Christopher Hawthorne, recently reviewed the new West Hollywood Library, which also contains new chambers and meeting space for the West Hollywood City Council. Hawthorne' full review can be read here.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Hawthorne begins his review with a decidedly positive summary: "The new West Hollywood Library, set to open to the public Saturday on a curving stretch of San Vicente Boulevard across from the Pacific Design Center, is a building that offers a freewheeling tour through centuries of architectural history. Explicitly or implicitly, it points back to the work of Charles Moore, Pierre Koenig, Frank Gehry and even Michelangelo...Whatever you want to call its style (the first local stirrings of a postmodern revival, maybe?), it sounds altogether too busy and too stuffed with architectural influences to succeed. And yet it does succeed — beautifully."

Source: Los Angeles Times

Rarely does Hawthorne offer such a glowing review of public works projects. He concludes his review with a poignant observation that resonates well beyond the walls of West Hollywood's newest civic achievement: "But after many decades of existing as an essentially privatized metropolis — with mostly residential architectural landmarks to match — our region is being forced, as it grows denser, to relearn the art of civic architecture and to reengage the public realm. And in that sense the library is a tremendously encouraging achievement."

West Hollywood's Transit Future

A few things are now certain regarding mass transit in Los Angeles: the subway will be extended as far west as the VA hospital, the Expo Line will be extended to Santa Monica and the Crenshaw Line will connect the Green Line to the Expo Line via LAX. All of these projects are in various phases of approval, funding or construction and are likely to be completed sometime in the next 5-15 years, assuming the Mayor's 30-10 plan takes hold in the new Congress.

Since Metro chose not to include a transfer structure at Wilshire and La Cienega to serve a future subway extension into West Hollywood, the options for providing mass transit to West Hollywood residents are limited. The most viable alternative seems to be a northern extension of the Crenshaw Line, which would create a high ridership transfer point with the Wilshire subway before traveling to Hollywood/Highland via West Hollywood. See figure 1 below for route alternatives.

Figure 1

Demand for a mass transit line that serves the Beverly Center, Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood Library (under construction and across the street from the PDC), and Santa Monica Boulevard corridor is incredibly high. We need to double down on our existing and future transit investments (subway, Expo and Crenshaw) and leverage their construction for strategic enhancements to our transit network. Extending the Crenshaw Line northward through West Hollywood makes a lot of sense, for it would not only serve one of the densest and most vibrant cities in the region but it would also improve the connectivity and overall functionality of Los Angeles' expanding transit network.

WeHo Spur

Joel Garreau made the point in his book, Edge City, that “every American city that is growing is growing in the fashion of Los Angeles.” Studying the patterns of growth found within the Los Angeles region allow us to examine the principle dynamics of contemporary urbanization (de-centered growth, poly-nucleation and sprawl) and propose appropriate planning solutions. These dynamics have produced the unique urban form and scattered travel patterns (and congestion) that characterize Los Angeles today, which many planners are now working so hard to fix.

A tremendous amount of work is being done to correct the problems and negative externalities caused by decades of unchecked growth. Extending the "subway to the sea" is one such effort, which is clearly vital to the public health, economic strength and cultural vitality of the Westside and the region. Despite the overwhelming evidence demonstrating the need for extending the subway west under Wilshire Boulevard, which I support strongly, building a transportation network based on a hub and spoke model ignores the very nature of urban growth and travel patterns in Los Angeles. Not all roads lead to downtown, nor should they. Building a de-centered, poly-nucleated transportation network that relies on linkages and connections would mirror the urban system that it is purported to serve.

Sending a spur of the subway through West Hollywood to connect to the existing Red Line station at Hollywood and Highland is exactly the sort of linkage that I'm talking about. Providing transportation connections that don't require a ride through downtown increase options for riders and facilitate easy access to other parts of the region like West Hollywood, while making the rail system more robust and effective overall.

The public comment period for the Westside Subway extension ends October 18, 2010. Be sure to email your comments in support of a West Hollywood alignment by clicking on the link under "Contact Us."