Architecture Field Trip - La Jolla and Newport Beach
Last week, there was a roadtrip from Pasadena to North County San Diego primarily to take care of business. To round out the trip, there was an overnight stay by the ocean, visits to exceptional works of architecture and some time in nature.
The Hilton Torrey La Jolla Torrey Pines offered the perfect location for my stay, close to my appointment and a good area for my morning run the following day. Each room has a private balcony with golf course and ocean view. The balcony was an important criteria for my pandemic trip; the sunset view was a bonus!
Triad (Case Study House #23)
Three adjacent single-family residences in La Jolla form the Triad (Case Study House #23), completed in 1960 as part of Arts & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program. All were designed by the archtecture firm Killingsworth, Brady & Smith and completed in 1960. (The same firm designed Case Study House #25 in Long Beach which I visited in a previous blog post.)
These three homes were intended to be the pilot project for a large tract of houses in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, but only this Triad was ever built. The houses were designed in relation to one another with individual floor plans, landscaping, and exterior sheathing. Each features a common entry sequence, which brings visitors over a shallow reflecting pool on the approach to the front door.
More detail can be found at the links here for Case Study House #23A and #23C. Both are in the National Register of Historic Places. #23B has been renovated beyond recognition.
A Stop by an Old Friend - The Salk
Since the start of the pandemic, the Salk Institute has been closed to the public. That means architecture tours are on hold. Still, I stopped to take a photo. Below, the late afternoon sun lighting up the west facing administrative offices and a glimpse of the north facing laboratory building.
A Torrey Pines Nature Preserve Run
As I mentioned before, my hotel on the mesa meant that I was steps away from one of my favorites places in San Diego - the Torrey Pines Nature Preserve. Being so close to the preserve meant that I didn’t need to drive and pay to park. I ran to the preserve and enjoyed a nice meditative hike along a few of the trails taking in the scenic views and native plant landscape.
An Architectural Masterpiece - Lovell Beach House
On the way back home, I chose to drive the extra miles to Newport Beach to view the Lovell Beach House designed by Rudolph Schindler and built in 1926. I was amazed by the modernist concrete beach house and how well it was maintained. So much to take in! More details can be found here.
So many high points covered in 24 hours!