Starting now: Cultural Affairs Commission considers approving $24 Million for Jose Huizar's lousy, unfunded Pershing Square Modernization scheme designed by clueless French architects. Call in and urge the skeptical commissioners to stop this waste!
They are refusing to take public comment and not live streaming video.
Okay, video is now streaming. Our Richard Schave gave comment that this Pershing Square project is terrible and the City is doing a terrible job letting the community give feedback.
Now artist Barbara McCarren’s, whose “HeyDay” is the central public art of the current Pershing Square, is on the line saying she has not been contacted at all, and she has rights under VARA as the city seeks to destroy her work.
Richard and Barbara slipped in early on General Public Comment but there will be an additional opportunity for the community to be heard when Pershing Square Modernization comes up on the agenda later, item VI. C, Pershing Square Modernization.
Felicia Filer, Public Art Division Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, responds to Barbara McCarren's public comment about not being notified that Pershing Square Modernization would destroy her art, says she will be in touch and will watch the presentation.
Now artist Tory Di Pietro presents on her proposed neon rainbow "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" installation on the west face of the Third Street Tunnel.
Commissioners are seeking clarification on how "The Light at the End of the Tunnel” is experienced by drivers—only backwards in their rear view mirrors from a block away, since it’s a 1-way tunnel. Pedestrian and bike traffic can see the neon head on.
Commissioner Charmaine Jefferson is curious about maintenance funds for the neon installation "The Light at the End of the Tunnel,” and how easy it would be for someone to break the work with a rock. Al Nodal says there are plans for an annual on-site event to raise funds.
Cultural Affairs Commission unanimously votes to approve neon installation "The Light at the End of the Tunnel” at the west mouth of the Third Street Tunnel.
Hollywood Recreation Center Modernization by Lehrer Architects LA, Inc. is unanimously approved.
Next up is Emergency Operations Center - Fire Station No. 4 Stone Tile Replacement. 2009 project is now falling apart. $700K budget to fix facade that’s falling off by plastering.
Very short presentation, to be followed by questions from Commissioners. Pershing Square Modernization should be up shortly. Hope to hear some public comment!
Boom! Commissioner Chamaine Jefferson just described the proposed plaster replacement color for the stone that’s falling off the 11 year old Emergency Operations Center - Fire Station No. 4 as “baby poo.” She doesn’t like the stone, either.
Commissioner Elissa Scrafano says she’s not comfortable giving final approval, asks architect Paul Murdoch if he can come up with more options in the plaster color and finish. Not comfortable with the uncreative approach. Wonders if industrial neighborhood is being shortchanged.
Paul Murdoch says it’s already an incoherent facade, and he thinks just plastering in a solid color to strengthen the horizontality is the best that can be done with a bad building.
Seems odd that the city has a thoughtful architect like
Paul Murdoch working on this trivial stone replacement plastering project.
The Commissioners are all bummed out about this lame project, and the lack of city money to do it right. Commissioner Elissa Scrafano asks if it there’s public art money, could there be a mural? They vote for conceptual only, will the project back. Now Pershing Square!
David Wang (Bureau of Engineering) and Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) are presenting on Pershing Square Modernization phases 1-2, because there is no funding for Jose Huizar’s design competition “winner."
David Wang addresses Barbara McCarren’s concern about destruction of her artwork. Rec and Parks shut down the fountain due to drought. (That’s not her art! That’s Ricardo Legorreta’s piece.) But City doesn’t have the money now to tear her artwork down.
Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) is responding to negative feedback from Cultural Affairs Commissioners on the proposal to do a partial Pershing Square redesign sparked by criminal Jose Huizar’s architectural competition.
Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) says the only change in Agence Ter’s Jose Huizar competition winning scheme is moving the LED pergola to block the Biltmore view. Yeah—because the French team knew nothing about the challenges of the Pershing Square site when they “won.” So awful.
Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) is justifying moving the LED pergola to block the Biltmore view by saying big trees require it. We remember people screaming at her in Pershing Square when the much altered version of the “winning” design was displayed at a public event.
The money doesn’t exist for this park project, but this is the final vision hand-picked by Jose Huizar’s Pershing Square design competition that the Cultural Affairs Commission is being asked to spend $24 Million to start chipping away at today. Yawn.
Heavy focus in the Pershing Square Modernization presentation on creating safety, or the appearance of safety, by breaking down walls, opening sight lines, making the elevator glass to discourage anti-social use. It was ever thus! Ask Hart Crane!
Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) is blaming the architects’ use of the rendering software Revit for how bad the glass elevator looked in previous renderings, and blaming herself and her team for not noticing. Also says the design was bad, redesigned based on Commission critique.
Now the Commissioners ask Qs. Explicitly remind Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) that she was supposed to tell them where Barbara McCarren’s work is. She returns to her slide show. Commissioner Charmaine Jefferson wants DCA to STOP and see if it can be reinstalled.
Commissioner Charmaine Jefferson wants to know about skateboarders. Will there be fencing or night access? Signage? What is the plan for locations of the monuments (something that was asked about at the last hearing). So much uncertainty.
Wow! Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) just said the plan is for Pershing Square to be open 24/7 with bright lighting and a new Rec and Parks security camera technology, which might be tied in to WiFi access. This would be Phase 3. Sounds of interest to @stoplapdspying
No plan to store the Pershing Square monuments, they will be moved once in the park, then again into a “sculpture garden” in Phase 3. We oppose such a plan. There are historic locations for these sculptures that have cultural significance.
A couple commissioners suggest Pershing Square could be renamed Tom Bradley Square. Really?
Commissioner Evonne Gallardo is very unhappy that her negative feedback about the destruction of Ricardo Legorreta’s design was not responded to.
Voting.
Commissioner Evonne Gallardo has a hard time voting on this because they asked for a formal presentation about what is happening with the Pershing Square art at the last meeting, and Debra Gerod (Gruen Associates) did not respond to that. Charmaine Jefferson says with an addendum.
Motion is approved. They are squandering $24 Million on this incoherent Pershing Square design. Charmaine Jefferson says they won’t move any art in the ground now; they owe a response to the public’s concerns. Felicia Filer DCA says it’s a CRA parcel, research just starting.
