Tour + Panel: California in the ’70s at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Join the Los Angeles Conservancy for a special tour and panel discussion as part of their yearlong initiative celebrating the 1970s!

At 6 p.m., guests can tour the labyrinthine Westin Bonaventure Hotel. This John Portman-designed structure evokes a 1970s vision of the future using circular shapes, massive forms, and the concept of space as experience.

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Photo: Architectural Resources Group

The panel discussion at 7 p.m. will focus on how Los Angeles gave rise to a hotbed of architectural ingenuity during the 1970s, as seen in the creation of its architectural institutions (SCI-Arc, Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA) and a burgeoning crop of hungry architects such as Frank Gehry, Charles, Moore, Cesar Pelli and others. Now household names, these rising stars pushed beyond Modernism to create something new, experimenting with nontraditional materials and revolutionary techniques. Learn from panelists about the advantages and opportunities L.A. provided these pioneering figures and their resulting legacies.

The cost is $25 for the general public and $20 Conservancy members. Space is limited and advance purchase is recommended.