Invented Spaces or Authentic Places?

Professor David Sloane

Marsha Rood FAICP

From left to right: Vaughan Davies, Tim O'Day, Neal Payton, Hassan Haghani

The Americana at Brand in Glendale at night.

The Americana at Brand in Glendale during the day.

The top picture is the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

The lower picture is the Grove in Los Angeles.

The top figure ground drawing is the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

The lower figure ground drawing is the Grove in Los Angeles.

Vaughan Davies vision for future planning of the Los Angeles region.

Venice California

From the Bartholomew plan for Glendale.

Universal Studios Hollywood backlot.

Place des Vosges (1604) in Paris

The Los Angeles region has evolved as much from out-sized dreams and inventions as from traditional rules for establishing human settlements. Carey McWilliams called Los Angeles an “improbable” place not destined to succeed, but determined to do so. As Southern California developed, the visionaries who built this region knew it was less about location and more about destination.

The enormous popularity of “invented” or themed destinations – Venice of America, Olvera Street, Disneyland, Third Street Promenade, CityWalk, The Grove and many others – has provided planners, designers, and developers with inspiration and lessons on both success and failure.

What is the difference between those places that have a “unifying vision” and those that celebrate a “messy vitality”? Where do “invented” places end and “authentic” places begin? In a land where set designers build houses, architects design movie sets, and many of our most cherished “public” spaces are privately owned and operated, anything is possible.

Those were the questions that the Los Angeles Regional Planning History Group, in cooperation with the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, set out to answer during their sixth colloquium entitled “Los Angeles: Invented Spaces or Authentic Places?” on July 9, 2011. The event took place in Friends’ Hall at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino.

A colloquium is an academic seminar in which a particular topic is explored and usually features guest speakers. For this event, the audience was treated to talks by David Sloane (Professor, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development), Hassan Haghani (Community Development Director for the City of Glendale), Vaughan Davies (Principal and Director of Urban Design for AECOM), Neal Payton (Principal at Torti Galles and Partners), and Tim O’Day (O’Day and Associates, author and Disney historian). The follow-up discussions were moderated by Sam Gennawey and graphically recorded by Brian Wallace.

The program was divided into three sessions:

§ Session 1: Context

§ Session 2: Definitions and Debate

§ Session 3: Applications

After a coffee reception, Marsha Rood FAICP, member of the Los Angeles Regional Planning History Group Board of Directors and one of the event organizers, kicked off the colloquium by introducing the moderator, Sam Gennawey, who in turn introduced the five speakers.

Professor David Sloane was called upon to set the stage with a presentation called “Inventing an Authentic Urbanism.” He provided an overview of the development pattern of Los Angeles with a focus on “invented” versus “authentic places. He begins with the question “Is Hollywood LA?” with a shot of the Clockhouse Square in the Universal Studios backlot that was featured in the movie Back to the Future. Using figure ground drawings, Professor Sloane compared a number of Los Angeles’s gathering places, both old and new. A figure ground drawing allows the viewer to easily distinguish the positive space between buildings. He has concluded that Los Angeles has many places that have made the transformation from being purely invented to something more authentic. Some examples include Mariachi Plaza, Third Street Promenade, Leimert Park, the Grove shopping center in the Fairfax District, and Venice. After Professor Sloane’s presentation, the floor was open to questions and comments from the audience. The organizers made sure to build in ample time for this type of dialogue throughout the event.

The objective for the second session was to clarify the edges of the debate. The event organizers were fortunate to have an outstanding panel of professionals. On one side are those who feel that great spaces are a result of a unified vision that is based on a place mythology that has an explicit back-story. The visual contradictions that create chaos have been removed and the pre-determined “mono-value” culture benefits from more top-down control. The other side would argue that the shared community vision has to evolve and the place mythology less important and is developed incrementally from the grassroots. There is a certain “messy vitality” that adds energy and a higher degree of life to the environment and sometimes success comes despite the best intentions with quality, variety, and surprise.

The third session would come after lunch. Before breaking, Sam Gennawey posed three questions for the participants to ponder. After lunch, the participants would be gathered to address these questions and to create a list of key concepts that must be present to create truly authentic places in Southern California and what are the environmental design patterns that seem to reoccur in the destinations that we find inviting.

• What are the lessons we can learn?
• How can we best apply these lessons?
• What are stories of success and failure?

The result of the group discussion included:

• Connectivity to Community
• Enduring Vibrancy
• Human Scale of Architecture
• Simple, Flexible Design
• Sustainable – Economic, Social, Environmental
• Central Gathering Feature
• Adaptive Buildings
• Diverse Skills and People
• Connection to Outdoors
• Strong Sense of Place/Identity
• A Beautiful, Well-maintained Public Realm

Listed below is evidence that was presented by the speakers that is consistent with the findings generated by the participants of the colloquium. These are some of the relevant highlights.

Connectivity to Community

One design pattern that received broad consensus from the participants was the notion that successful, authentic spaces are connected to the surrounding community. They are transparent and not a stand alone “Alhambra.” These spaces fit within the city and help to tame the streets.

Neal Payton presented examples of profit making centers that became the heart of neighborhood activity because they were connected to the neighborhood. He began his tour with the Place des Vosges (1604) and Place Vendôme (1702) in Paris. Both were commercial ventures where the developer (a King) sold land that faced a beautiful square and required the builders to follow strict design guidelines to that created something more beautiful then the sum of its parts.

Payton provided examples in the United States that include Lake Forest, Illinois built in 1857, St. Amands Circle in Sarasota, Florida first built in 1917 and “modernized” in 1955, and Shaker Square in Shaker Heights, Ohio, built in 1922. He also talked about America’s first shopping center, Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri built in 1922, which was heavily themed yet is fully integrated within its surroundings. Other examples of this positive design pattern include Palmer Square in Princeton, New Jersey built between 1929 and 1936, Rockefeller Center in New York built in 1930, and Lincoln Road in Miami Beach built in 1922.

Within Southern California, Payton suggested that the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica is an excellent example of an invented place that has become an authentic civic space due to its integration within the surrounding community. To provide contrast, he compared the Third Street Promenade to the Grove. The Grove is one of the most commercially successful malls in Los Angeles. However, it is isolated from the neighborhood by a forbidding 750-foot wall along one of Los Angeles’s most traveled streets. The only way to access the development by foot is to pass through the equally invented Farmer’s Market, which is much more porous then the new shopping mall. Payton suggested that Third Street Promenade has the ability to evolve over time and will continue to stay relevant while the Grove will be knocked down and rebuilt from the ground up.

Enduring Vibrancy

The goal is to build a legacy. According to Hassan Haghani, the City of Glendale was the invention of one brilliant urban planner named Harland Bartholomew. Bartholomew also worked on the design for Westwood. In 1928, he released a comprehensive plan for Glendale filled with illustrations that defined the urban design details necessary to create a vibrant, beautiful, and functional city. The illustrations included the suggested treatment for major street intersections, cross sections of the various types of roadways, and an outline for the necessary recreational facilities. One of the illustrations that makes a big impact is called “An Attractive Glendale” and features a healthy tree above the surface while showing that this is the result of good, solid roots based in proper urban planning principles such as carefully integrated curved street design and public trees and outdoor furniture that complements private buildings and grounds. The result is a city that is as timeless and beautiful as a tree. For those planning the future of Glendale today, staying true to those roots is a priority that will lead to success. Haghani highlighted a number of neighborhoods within Glendale such as the Downtown Specific Plan, where the City want to create “an exciting, vibrant urban center which provides a wide array of excellent shopping, dining, working, living, entertainment and cultural opportunities within a short walking distance.” Another area of focus is the Rossmoyne historic district. The subdivision first opened in 1923 and through meticulous research, the city staff was able to find ample documentation as to the heritage of the district and developed guidelines that would enable residents to accurately rehabilitate and enhance their homes.

Human Scale of Architecture

Vaughan Davies suggested that the formula for success is to use man as the measure, not the auto. By doing this, we are using a social scale that creates places to cherish, stay in, and invest in. As an architect who has routinely worked on a grand scale (including a project in South Africa for 600,000 residents), Davies has tried to infuse this formula into his projects. Examples include the waterfronts in Long Beach and San Pedro, the Hollywood and Highland entertainment retail center, the Gateway Center in downtown Los Angeles, and Paseo Colorado in Pasadena.

Simple, Flexible Design and Adaptive Buildings

When designing projects, Davies suggested Mater atrium necessitas or Necessity is the mother of invention. This means difficult situations inspire ingenious solutions. We must plan for future generations who are “unable to speak” and remember, “those who can do the most with the least will win!”

Haghani stated that Glendale is trying to create an Arts and Entertainment District through the thoughtful readaptive use of older buildings. Anchored by the iconic Alex Theatre, the City has encouraged the development community by providing flexibility for a diverse palette of uses while maintaining the intimate human scale of the existing architecture.

Sustainable – Economic, Social, Environmental

To illustrate the need for change, Davies painted a somewhat bleak picture through statistics. He said we consume 5 times more oil than oxygen per day. The average household budgets more then 20% to support the car. Over $64 billion per year is lost in travel time in the United States and the average commute is now 30 minutes. Eighty percent of the time we drive our 250 million cars to elective destinations such as soccer games, shopping, and running errands. All of this wear and tear has degraded our infrastructure system to a C- to D grade. Davies added that the future would need to be based in a new reality in environmental design that is focused on the watershed, regeneration, smart corridors, and eco-grid. For Southern California, he suggested we start with the watershed, embrace the new coastline, establish an eco-grid, and reinvent the corridors.

Central Gathering Feature

While talking about his Hollywood and Highland project, Vaughn Davies suggested that if the project were ever torn down, the one element that would immediately be rebuilt was the courtyard with the gateway featuring the DW Griffith elephants from the movie Intolerance that looks directly upon the Hollywood sign. The movie set was one of the largest ever built and stood at this spot almost 100 years ago.

Diverse Skills and People

Marsha Rood FAICP noted that creativity is where skills, diversity of population, and a place to engage overlap. The most successful places are those where there is an opportunity for spontaneous interaction and where all people are welcome, including immigrants.

Connection to Outdoors

One of the most successful new shopping centers in Southern California is the Americana at Brand in Glendale. Developed by Rick Caruso, the Americana was the next step in the evolution of the “lifestyle” center that Caruso had pioneered with The Grove. The Americana would not only be a place to shop, dine, and gather but one that also features apartments. Like Caruso’s other projects, the highlight would be the village green with water features plus an old-fashioned trolley. The park has been an outstanding success and has become a valued public amenity, even if it is on private property.

Strong Sense of Place/Identity

One of the best examples of an invented place in Southern California is Disneyland. Disney historian Tim O’Day talked about the influence the theme park has had on the popular culture and the way we view the built environment. He said it begins with language. Walt Disney used his own peculiar nomenclature. Employees were known as “Cast Members” and wore nametages (something new). They “played” a role “onstage” while services would be hidden “backstage.” Customers were “guests” and they would visit “adventures and attractions.” There would be no rides at Disneyland. O’Day spoke of how Disneyland’s physical design reassurances us that the world can function, it can be beautiful, and everybody can be friendly to one another even in the harshest times.

A Beautiful, Well-maintained Public Realm

Places in Southern California that were cited by the participants as “authentic” include Pico Union, Leicester Square, Old Pasadena, Third Street Promenade, Laguna Beach, Venice Beach, Playa del Rey, Gramercy Park, historic downtown Los Angeles, and the surrounding mountains, parks, and beaches.

Places that the participants cited as “Invented” include The Grove, the Mercado in Boyle Hieights, CityWalk, Grand Avenue including Disney Hall, the Americana at Brand, the Getty Center, USC, Bunker Hill, Irvine, Disneyland and Downtown Disney.

The Big River and other stuff

When you peel back the layers at Disneyland, there is a lot of very interesting stuff that is hidden right in front of your eyes. This week I am going to take a look at two such treasures, Disneyland’s Big River and a very private, not-so-secret club.

READ MORE AT MICECHAT

New Book from Samland (Sam Gennawey) Coming Soon

WALT AND THE PROMISE OF PROGRESS CITY

Sam Gennawey

Forward by Werner Weiss

Walt Disney’s vision for a city of tomorrow, EPCOT, would be a way for American corporations to show how technology, creative thinking, and hard work could change the world. He saw this project as a way to influence the public’s expectations about city life, in the same way his earlier work had redefined what it meant to watch an animated film or visit an amusement park.

Walt and the Promise of Progress City is a personal journey that explores the process through which meaningful and functional spaces have been created by Walt Disney and his artists as well as how guests understand and experience those spaces.

Coming October 2011

ayefourpublishing.com

Amazon.com

The Epcot Arrival Experience

The EPCOT Arrival Experience

You only get one chance to make a great first impression and that is the case with theme parks. The arrival experience must take the guests from where they are to where the designers where they want you to be. So come with me as we enter the front gates of Epcot.

Let's go back to sort of the beginning. Over the years, it became a well-known fact that Walt Disney did not like to do the same thing twice. He said, "I've never believed in doing sequels. I didn't want to waste time I have doing a sequel. I'd rather be using that time doing something new and different." Walt said, "It goes back when they wanted me to do more pigs." The Silly Symphony cartoon Three Little Pigs became a huge success in 1933 due in part to Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, a hit song that resonated with Great Depression audiences. Theater owners were clamoring for a follow-up. Walt hesitated," he said. He proclaimed, "You can't top pigs, with pigs." Nevertheless, Walt could be practical when necessary and he had ambitious plans for the animation studio. Those ambitions cost a lot of money. Therefore, he relented and produced two follow up cartoon shorts. However, Walt was right and the follow-up films did not have the same impact or commercial success as the original.

Many years later, the same thing would happen with another blockbuster - Disneyland. But Walt liked new challenges and he already had a Disneyland. What was the point of building another theme park? That was the beginning of EPCOT the City.

Sadly, Walt passed away before any of his most ambitious dreams could be realized. Roy Disney, near retirement, decided to stay and to make sense of Walt's ideas and to create something his brother would be proud of. He wanted people to remember this project was one man's dream so he renamed it Walt Disney World.

In the first phase, Disney built the Magic Kingdom, three resorts, a multimodal transportation network, and the entire infrastructure to turn wetlands into a livable small city. The Imagineers would apply many of the lessons learned in the operation of Disneyland to facilitate guest comfort and high capacity in the Magic Kingdom. So what do you do next? How to build EPCOT?

The Magic Kingdom was to be an updated Disneyland. The new park, EPCOT, had to be just that, something incredibly new. It had to be different than the Magic Kingdom and that put a lot of pressure on the Imagineers.

There is an often-told tale about the genesis of EPCOT, the theme park. As the story goes Imagineers John Hench and Marty Sklar were surveying two concepts that had developed pretty far and then pushed the two models of the two separate projects together - Future World plus a permanent Worlds Fair called the World Showcase. They turned the two projects into one massive 260-acre park. The park would be twice as large as the Magic Kingdom and three times as large as Disneyland.

Epcot's gateway performs the same function as the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom entries; it serves as a spatiality-constricted portal that becomes a time machine. At the Magic Kingdom, passing below the railroad tracks send you back in time to enter an idealistic American town around 1900.

At Epcot, guests arrive by auto, bus, and monorail. But no matter how they got there, the shared experience of walking under Spaceship Earth results in a time machine propelling you into the future. The gateway is a sequence of spaces separated by barriers that reveal ever-expanding opportunities as you move forward.

Once you exit the parking tram, leave the bus stop or walk down the monorail ramp you will enter a public realm geared toward the human scale. The urban park-like landscaping and the service buildings outside the gate create a timeless, clean, modern look. The emphasis is on the horizontal. Even the Monorail platform is oriented toward horizontal axis as are the low overhangs of the ticket booths and the entry gates. Everything outside the gates reinforces this intimate scale. The result is that Spaceship Earth acts like a beacon and becomes the center of attention, and a point of orientation.

Spaceship Earth is a non-threatening sphere, just like Mickey Mouse. It's simplicity and good form has become an iconic structure and the perfect representation of the original intent for the park. The texture of the exterior tiles creates an oscillating pattern and the surface captures the light and changes throughout the day. The alternating repetition along the skin of building reflects the weather and time.

Spaceship Earth is a truly amazing piece of engineering. The structure was influenced by a number of icons from World's Fairs past. The 1939 New York World's Fair featured a 180-foot-diameter spherical building called the Perisphere along with a 700-foot obelisk called the Trylon. The Unisphere from the 1964-1965 was certainly an influence. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome for the US Pavilion at the 1967 Montreal Expo is a direct forerunner.

To make a bold statement, the Imagineers decided to do Buckminster Fuller one better. They were going to take his dome and create a complete sphere. This engineering feat had never been done before.

The significant technical hurdle was to figure out how to build a sphere. The clever solution was to build the structure in three parts. The first part was a structural table with six pylons sunk 120 to 185 feet into the ground. On top of this structural table they built a geodesic dome. Hanging upside down from the structural table's outer edge is another dome. The combination makes up the sphere. The skin of the sphere is made up of two systems. There is an inner skin that contains the ride. Suspended by a two foot gap is an outer skin. Between the two skins is a sophisticated drainage system that channels storm water run off out to the lagoon.

Spaceship Earth stands 180 feet tall and 165 feet in diameter. It took 1,700 tons of steel to build the superstructure. The outer skin is made up of 11,324 custom fitted triangular Alucobond panels. Alucobond is made up of two anodized aluminum faces and a polyethylene core. The result is a lightweight, extremely strong outer skin that is smoother than glass and self-cleaning. The geosphere is visible from miles around. You can easily see it from the air. The result is a surface that is ever changing in color and texture. I find it quite beautiful.

The Imagineers wanted to do more than create a structure that was just big. Their goal was much more ambitious. They wanted something that could unite all of the themes of Future World into a single structure while striking an emotional note in the viewer.

The monorail station, ticket booths, and entry gate shelter help to deflect the view of Spaceship Earth. The Monorail and its beam are part of the show. When the monorail debuted at Disneyland, it was proclaimed as the transportation system of the future but remained a novelty. At Walt Disney World resort, the monorail would become a real transportation system that would be critical to the success of Epcot by tying it to the Magic Kingdom and the resorts. In the Imagineering Guide to Epcot the authors state that, "its no accident that the monorail passes right through the heart of this park. This connection not only transfers riders from the Transportation and ticket center, but also gives them an overview of the Park on their way in. And it provides additional show value and kinetics for those already there."

Once you pass under the entry gate shelters, the roof pulls away, the buildings to the side force you to focus straight ahead toward the shear-curved wall of Spaceship Earth. For me, there is one of those magical moments when your apprehension fades away and you feel awe and delight. My only disappointment is the field of Leave a Legacy tombstones. In the past, the planters, buildings, and little shops adjacent to the loading area for the Spaceship Earth attraction gently funnels guests toward the portal under the geosphere. From the walkway to the bottom of the sphere is only 18 feet. It feels so close you want to jump up and tap the bottom. You and your party will share the humbling experience of passing under the iconic Spaceship Earth. The effect is to remind us of how small we are and how big the world can be.

The portal under Spaceship Earth funnels you into the Millennium Plaza. The Innoventions buildings create a strong boundary and frame the plaza. The slow removal of the tarps is helping the plaza return to its stark mid-century grander. At the plaza's heart is the Fountain of Nations, which was dedicated by Walt Disney's widow Lillian in 1982.

Turn to the left and you will discover that the east side of the park is devoted to the left side of your brain. This is where you will find the pavilions that deal with science, math, and rational, objective thought. The themes are energy, space exploration, and mechanical engineering. The landscape reflects this theme with geometrically shaped planters and pathways. Everything is rigid with sharp angles. The plantings are precise and formal, and public furniture is functional and uses technology to overcome environmental challenges.

If you go to the right and enter the west side of Future World, you get to stimulate the right side of your brain. This is where holistic thinking, music, the arts, and creativity thrive. The circle of life, both on the land and the sea, is celebrated in two of the pavilions. The Land pavilion pops up out of the ground as if from a split in the earth and the Seas pavilion is shaped like a wave or a huge shell. The Imagination pavilion invites you to suspend your disbelief as you pass through a magical garden and the pyramidal structures have been described as a "symphony of volumes, forms, tonal nuances." The pathways are gently curved; the plantings are less formal, there is lots of water, and seating areas under shady spots that are covered by a canopy of mature trees.

Future World has been compared to a World's Fair and for good reason. The basic design principles are the same. Epcot and World's Fair features monumental pavilions with each focused on a single concept. The pavilions are tied together by highly detailed, well-designed public spaces. To create a memorable and meaningful experience, the public spaces integrate landscaping, water, sculpture, light, motion, and scenic vistas.

Although Epcot was meant to be a distinctly different experience then the Magic Kingdom, the Imagineers were wise enough to repeat what works. You will find many similar environmental design elements. Both parks begin with the illusion of time travel. Both parks force guests to gather in a forecourt, walk through a constricted space and exit into another much larger, wide-open plaza. This central plaza allows the guests to settle, get oriented, and makes decisions.

Panorama: Once Upon a Time

Leave it to Mark Taft over at Insights and Sounds to be instant nostalgic as well. I swear Mark I had this pre-posted awhile ago.

From the Library

It's been a long Summer. Time to slow down and read a good book. As a die-hard Disney fan, I'm reading about my passion . . . Disney. Join me as I pull three wonderful books off the shelf. One about Walt's brother Roy, One about Walt and Disney trivia, and the last one an interesting look at Disneyland past and present. Let's turn some pages, shall we . . .

READ THE REST AT MICECHAT

If you are going to the D23 Expo, I will be at the MiceAge/MiceChat booth a good part of the day on Friday, August 19. Please stop by and say hello.

The Reedy Creek Improvement District

When Walt died in December 1966, many people believed that his death would mark the end of the Florida Project. However, through the sheer will of his brother, Roy, the project did live on. As a starting point, Roy decided to schedule screenings of Project Florida, the EPCOT film, to build civic interest in the project. The first screening of the 24-minute film took place at 2:00 p.m. February 2, 1967, at the Park East Theater in Winter Park, Florida. Disney and the Orange and Osceola county delegations to the Florida legislature hosted the event. In the audience were over 900 business leaders, government officials, and members of the press. Their support would be necessary if the project was to become a reality. This would also be the first time the public saw images of Walt since his death. It was an emotional event.

From Roy's perspective, the most important objective for the EPCOT film event was to make sure that the Florida legislature enacted the necessary ordinances to make the project happen. Disney wanted three things: In addition to the two interchanges, Disney wanted the state to create the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) as the overall administrator for the entire property. Within the boundaries of the RCID would be the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. Roy reminded the crowd, "We must have a solid legal foundation." Disney was not seeking public funds for a private enterprise. They were seeking unprecedented control over their property. They wanted flexibility, not red tape.

One of the most perplexing problems facing Walt in his effort to build a community was the conflict between his desire to fully control the project and the rights of residents to vote. Disney explored a number of creative ways to deal with the governance issue. It was Florida attorney Paul Helliwell who was serving as lead legal counsel that first suggested that Disney create its own municipality. Walt was not so sure. In Project Future, Chad Emerson says, "Jules Stein, a friend who at the time was a lead executive of Universal Studios, had cautioned Walt against creating new cities as part of his Florida project. This caution resulted from trouble Stein had encountered after incorporating Universal City, a parcel of land the [Universal] Studios owned in the county outside the Los Angeles city limits." You can see the Disney Burbank studio from the upper lot at Universal City.

However, Helliwell convinced Walt and Roy that creating their own municipality would give them the greatest control over the property. A municipality would allow for ways to limit the review of other agencies, therefore providing the greatest flexibility. It would allow them to control the utilities. In Married to the Mouse Richard Fogelsong summed up a 1966 ERA report noting, "Both capitalism and democracy were problematic; each produced fragmentation of effort. The Disney solution was centralized administration-benign, paternalistic, based on expertise."

When the issue of voting rights was raised, Helliwell assured the brothers that Florida law had already been tested. Marvin Davis said, "Walt's thought was that in order to maintain the original philosophy of keeping this an experimental prototype, it would have to be something that was pretty much controlled by the company....This is something that we never really discuss very much publicly....In order to have the control that is necessary there, you would just about eliminate the possibility of having a voting community. Because the minute they start voting, then you lose control, and that's the end of the possibility of experimental development."

Walt and Roy agreed that the solution was to restrict voting rights to property owners. Using provisions provided under the Florida Drainage District Act, the landowners would elect a five-person Board of Supervisors. Each landowner would have one vote for every acre of land he owned above one-half acre. Since Disney was the sole property owner for much of the property, there would never be a conflict. Anybody who lived on the property would be leasing from Disney; therefore they would not have voting rights with regards to land use issues.

This solution had to be approved by the Florida Legislature, and the political climate was in Disney's favor. The Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake were born on May 12, 1967, when Claude Kirk, Florida's new Governor, signed the 481-page enabling bill. General Joe Potter said, "It gave us all the powers of the two counties in which we sit to the exclusion of their exercising any power." He added, "Of course it let us issue bonds." Potter noted that the only powers that still reside with bodies outside of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake "are the taxing power of Orange County, the sales tax of the state, and the inspection of elevators." The Florida Supreme Court ruled in 1968 that the RCID could issue tax-exempt bonds for public projects even though Disney was the sole beneficiary.

Richard Fogelsong described "a twin-tiered government, with two general-purpose local governments on the bottom and a special-purpose district on top." The benefit was that "the RCID controls both tiers: the forty-seven residents in the two cities are trusted, supervisory-level Disney employees, and the special-district government is controlled by the landowner, Disney." The purpose for having the two cities was to create an environment where all of the land was within the city limits of a municipality. The residents could not vote to incorporate those areas outside of any boundary. They already live within a municipal boundary. In Florida, only a popularly elected government could regulate building codes and land use. Since Disney controlled the cities, they controlled the planning and zoning authority. Fogelsong called the arrangement, "A Vatican with mouse ears."

How unprecedented was this action? The Governor turned to Roy and said, "Mr. Disney, I've studied the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It's very comprehensive. I noticed only one omission. You made no provision for the crown."

The RCID is the multi-jurisdictional organization responsible for the governance of the Walt Disney World Resort property. While the RCID is based on the legal foundation of a special utility district, it has morphed into something never seen before, a private/public agency with more powers than most governments in the United States.

When the time came to build in Florida, one of Walt's highest priorities was to avoid the incompatible surrounding land uses that came with Disneyland in Anaheim. Walt was not going to repeat that mistake again. He wanted to control the edges. This time he had the resources and bought as much land as he could afford. The result was that Disney secretly gobbled up more than 43 square miles of Central Florida. With this much land, spread over two counties, Disney knew they would need to find some way to govern the property in order to have maximum flexibility. They could not be limited to working through existing governmental agencies. The experimental nature of the EPCOT project demanded a new approach.

When the Project Florida film was first shown to the public during the February 2, 1967, press event, Roy Disney first suggested the creation of this special agency. The Disney staff and Florida Legislators drafted the formation papers for the RCID in 1967 to manage the property. According to Donn Tatum, "An essential ingredient of a Community of the Future is that it always remain in a state of becoming." Not only did the Florida Legislature create the RCID, they also incorporated the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista under Chapter 298 of the Florida statues. Matthew Arnold noted, "Chapter 298 required the circuit court to grant approval of this resource management district once the requesting landowners met certain rudimentary requirements. Once permitted, the new district, named for the major waterway that flowed through the property, encompassed not only Disney's property, but also those circumscribed areas still owned by holdout landowners."

Donn Tatum described the RCID: "In essence, a composite of special assessment, improvement and taxing districts already provided for under existing Florida laws, each of which now provides for a separate and independent district under separate governing bodies." The result is "the effect of combining the services these districts perform within a single District under a single governing body."

The legislation created three governmental agencies that would oversee the development of the 27,400-acre Disney property with the RCID in the lead. The RCID was originally created primarily to deal with flood control, drainage, and pest control issues. However, the unique agreement granted authority over a much broader range of issues, such as building and maintaining roadways, utility and sewer systems, public transit and public safety services, and regulating the zoning and building codes. Like other public agencies, the RCID could also issue bonds. They even had authority to approve a nuclear power reactor as long as it followed federal guidelines.

One of the few things the RCID cannot do is to regulate schools. Schools were not an issue in the first phase due to the very small permanent population. Nevertheless, Walt planned to build schools in EPCOT, and he was very interested in reinventing the educational system to "welcome new ideas so that everyone who grows up in EPCOT will have skills in pace with today's world."

All three governmental agencies, the RCID and the two cities, are required to comply with the Florida Local Government Comprehensive Planning and Development Regulation Act. In 1965, Marvin Davis and his team drafted the original development plan, which guided the development of the Magic Kingdom theme park, resorts, golf courses, plus a city that combines residential, commercial, industrial uses plus the infrastructure to support all of this. That plan outlined how Disney World would be surrounded by a large greenbelt and be protected from the outside world. This would not be a sequel to Anaheim. This would be a whole new production. It may be hard to believe today, but the RCID was more than 16 miles from the nearest major urban development at the time.

The RCID is governed by a document called a comprehensive plan, which is the primary document that regulates issues such as land use, conservation, urban design, infrastructure, and other factors that add to the character and quality of life within a community. This document is required by state law and is intended to ensure the local agency is protecting the quality of the environment and providing for the necessary infrastructure for a resort the size of a medium sized city. Think of a comprehensive lan, or general plan as it is known in other parts of the country, like a blueprint for the future. Author Bill Fulton said, "The idea of the comprehensive plan is that the future physical form of a community should be envisioned and laid out in a forward looking and wide-ranging document, often accompanied by maps and other graphic representations of the community's physical form." The fundamental purpose of land use planning is resource allocation. Land has an intrinsic value that can be amplified through development or preservation. A comprehensive plan is long-range policy planning tool that informs policymakers and all interested parties the best path to maximize those assets.

The 1965 Davis plan guided the development through the resort's opening in 1971. The RCID drafted its first comprehensive plan in 1974, when phase one of the project was completed. In keeping with the experimental nature of the Walt Disney World project, the RCID Comprehensive Plan predated the state's mandatory planning regulations, which were not put in effect until 1975.

The primary function for the comprehensive plan is to govern the location and intensity of land uses. In 1974, as it is now, the RCID was fortunate because there was little concern about conflicting land use like a government would have in a traditional city. Here, one owner owns much of the property and intergovernmental relationships have been firmly established. The planning process does take into consideration the impact of internal changes on the surrounding communities. The RCID planning process has always been meant to be collaboration between regional and local agencies.

The RCID plan became the model for other Florida communities. At the time, the information would fit onto one map; today, the RCID plan uses more than 40 maps. The plan was modified in 1979 to meet the State's updated standards.

Throughout that first decade, the plan served the RCID and Disney; however, by the mid-1980s, the company was about to enter a period of very rapid growth with the opening of EPCOT and the arrival of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. In 1988, consultants working with the RCID and Disney rewrote the plan with the expectation of having three theme parks and a much larger number of hotels, amenities, and second-tier attractions. Because of this effort, the state modified the land use regulations in 1993. The success of the resort meant that urban development around the RCID property was starting to encroach. This was the motivation for another comprehensive plan update that started in 1996 and was completed in 1999.

In 2004, Comcast was interested in buying The Walt Disney Company. Concerned about what this could mean, the Florida legislature authorized a study to look at issues related to a change in ownership of the property. The state identified options for ensuring adequate governance of the RCID, including codifying a process to recall RCID board members as well as increased oversight of the RCID's operations. However, none of those changes were implemented when no deal was struck and the acquisition stalled.

A 2008 comprehensive plan update-still in effect in 2011-is based on nine goals, which are documented in the plan. The first goal is "to preserve the integrity of the natural environment; maintain convenient, efficient public services; minimize threats to health and safety; and control and direct future development through policies, principles and standards that support the potential for economic benefit." The RCID must continue to "maintain a safe, convenient, efficient, and balanced transportation system to meet the multi-modal capacity requirements of existing and future development."

Other goals include the RCID's original primary purpose, which was "to provide water, sewer, solid waste, and stormwater management services to existing and future development within its boundaries in the most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sound manner possible." They are also responsible for protecting and conserving the natural resources of the district. Since most of the property is tourist oriented, another goal is to "promote the creation of state-of-the-art vacation and recreational facilities; to maintain and expand access to these facilities; and to retain the visual, environmental, and psychological benefits provided by open space in the District." Another goal is "to promote intergovernmental coordination with the two cities within its boundaries; the two counties in which it is located; other local governments in the immediate vicinity; and regional, state and federal governmental entities for the mutual benefit of all involved parties." The RCID is also responsible for promoting "adequate public facilities to existing and planned development areas in a manner that is concurrent with the impacts of such development and efficient and consistent with available financial resources." Finally, the RCID must "facilitate the provision of an adequate supply of affordable housing for any unmet affordable housing need generated by employment growth within the district."

Brown Derby Phones

I am going to take a little trip to the Brown Derby inside of Disney’s Hollywood Studio in Orlando. Like any LA diva, I have my traditions and want just what I want the way I want it. This is Hollywood, right? I insist on sitting in a booth, preferably one of those in a corner. The wine list always gets a glance and I must finish with a slice of Grapefruit Cake. It can’t be fattening because it is made with Grapefruit, right? You know the camera adds 10 pounds.

The Brown Derby is an accurate reproduction of the famous eatery near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. The original opened in 1929. The Brown Derby also had a second facility on Wilshire Boulevard that was shaped like a giant hat. That restaurant opened in 1926. The portraits on the wall were part of a grand bargain between an artist named Vitch and owner Bob Cobb. When Cobb wanted to add somebody to his “Wall of Fame” he would commission Vitch to draw a caricature and trade him for a meal. The tradition continued with other noted artists such as Zel, Pancho, and Jack Lane.

When I dine at the Brown Derby, I always take a moment and pop my head into the Bamboo Room. This was the restaurant’s first cocktail lounge and it opened in 1936. I have often dreamed of taking over this space and having a party.

Back to the phone. Long before there were cellphones, there was the dial phone. You stuck one finger inside of the dial and turned it all the way to the stopper. If the number had a lot of zeros you just grinned and bared it. Like today, time is money and if you can combine a bit of business with your meal all the better. More importantly, in those days talking on the phone while eating was very rare and meant you must be doing something very, very important for the server to walk all that way and plug in the phone. Just ask your server and you may get to talk with a celebrity. Of course, I was talking with my agent at the time…

Quick Disneyland Trip Report

Had a chance to take a quick trip to Disneyland and DCA on Saturday, August 13. Some quick impressions. First, the parking lot tram folks were out in force early in the morning and it made it a breeze to get to the front gate. Bravo.

Off to another adventure in the backwoods.

Confession. I have never seen the Little Mermaid. So shoot me. One day. So I appreciate the Reader's Digest version of the film on display in the new attraction. More importantly, I think the Ursula figure is one of the coolest things.

Stormtroopers trolling the queue for the new Star Tours. The update is a home run.

Of course, this is my favorite new bar.

I love the fact it is small and cluttered with all sorts of things. The light is poor and that is exactly the way it should be. Buy the right drink and a few magical things may happen.

Another new addition is the updated Disneyland Hotel. The building that faces Downtown Disney is the Adventureland Tower. You get Disneyfied Polynesian music, carpets almost like the Poly at WDW, and lush tropical planting alongside the building. You also get these wonderful paintings in the lobbies.

Los Angeles: Invented Spaces & Authentic Places

The Los Angeles region has evolved as much from out-sized dreams and inventions as from traditional rules for establishing human settlements. Carey McWilliams called Los Angeles an “improbable” place not destined to succeed, but determined to do so. As Southern California developed, the visionaries who built this region knew it was less about location and more about destination.

Disneyland's Castle and Matterhorn

The enormous popularity of “invented” or themed destinations – Venice of America, Olvera Street, Disneyland, Third Street Promenade, CityWalk, The Grove and many others – have provided planners, designers, and developers with inspiration and lessons on both success and failure.

Chinatown

What is the difference between those places that have a “unifying vision” and those that celebrate a “messy vitality”? Where do “invented” places end and “authentic” places begin? In a land where set designers build houses, architects design movie sets, and many of our most cherished “public” spaces are privately owned and operated, anything is possible.

Those were the questions that the Los Angeles Region Planning History Group, in cooperation with the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West, set out to answer during its sixth colloquium entitled, “Los Angeles: Invented Spaces or Authentic Places?” The event took place on Saturday, July 9, 2011, in Friends’ Hall at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino.

READ MORE AT MICECHAT

D23 Expo

If you happen to be going to the D23 Expo on Friday, August 19 be sure to stop by the MiceChat/MiceAge booth and say hello.

The Entertainment Retail Center

Los Angeles is as much a state of mind as it is a physical place. Where we shop, dine, and gather is a reflection of our community and us. Los Angeles is a land where Hollywood set designers build houses, architects design movie sets, and many of our most cherished "public" spaces are privately owned and operated. In Los Angeles, anything is possible.

In 1965, architect Charles Moore declared that in Los Angeles "you have to pay for the public life." This is a region "in terms of the traditions we have inherited" where "hardly anybody gives anything to the public realm." Journalist Carey McWilliams called Los Angeles an "improbable" place not destined to succeed, but determined to do so.

The planners, architects, dreamers, and schemers who built this region have created entertainment retail centers where it has always been less about the location and more about the destination. They are constantly reinventing the formula to stay one step ahead of a fickle public. These facilities provide entertainment to the masses while achieving the highest possible return for its owners and developers.

Los Angeles has long been a pioneer in the development of entertainment retail centers. The addiction began early on. The Broadway-Crenshaw Center opened in 1947 and is considered one of the earliest suburban retail centers in the United States anchored by a supermarket. When the Lakewood Center opened in 1952, the region had its first mall-type shopping complex.

When Victor Gruen designed the Northland Mall near Detroit built in 1954 and the enclosed Southland Mall near Edina, Minnesota built in 1956, he was trying to create a new kind of communal space for post-war America. Many of his imitators only saw these structures as machines for making money. Like other parts of the country, Los Angeles has seen its fair share of uninspired, boring, formula driven boxes of mass consumption.

Los Angeles always marched to a different tune. Where we choose to shop, dine, and be entertained would be no exception. The polycentric region was not built around one central commercial business district like more traditional cities. In Los Angeles, we had to invent the places we wanted to visit.

The first center that tried to break the mold was CityWalk at Universal City in 1993. German-Jewish immigrant Carl Lamellae founded Universal City in 1915 for the sole purpose of making motion pictures. The property grew from 230-acres to more then 425-acres with the additions of a popular studio tour and theme park added in 1964 and a live concert venue in 1972. Universal Studios was becoming more then just a movie studio. It was becoming a major entertainment destination.

By 1989, legendary entertainment mogul and head of Universal Studios Lew Wasserman hired architect Jon Jerde to draft a master plan for the property to capitalize on this momentum. Jerde's reputation was growing due to his simple, yet effective architectural elements for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic as well as the Horton Plaza shopping center in the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego. Horton Plaza would become a catalyst for the revitalization of that city's urban core.

A major component of the master plan was an entertainment retail center to be called CityWalk. In a Los Angeles Times interview Jerde said, "I saw CityWalk as a venue for human intercourse." He agreed with Charles Moore and said, "All America is now private except for profit centers" and only "New York and San Francisco held on to more foot driven aspects of human interaction, but most of the country has been given over to separateness and loneliness." He wanted to create something that was different and not just another decorated shed laminated in a historical or fashionable model. Jerde said, "Our enemies are artifice and the ersatz [with] fake this and that, like those theme restaurants. But people reject it. It's exceedingly difficult to make sure that what you do isn't exceedingly synthetic and contrived."

CityWalk's first phase opened in 1993. Jerde created a two block long pedestrian "street" that was influenced by hill towns in Italy such as Tuscany as well as North Beach in San Francisco. The street is functional and connects the parking structures required by this isolated, compact hilly site to the theme park's front gate.

Jerde said, "CityWalk had to be appropriately built on the architectural language of L.A., as opposed to New York or Paris. And the language of L.A. is that there is no language except stucco buildings and layers put upon them. So the thematic element is layering." Juxtaposed facades, historic neon signs, and billboards frame the narrow street, which Jerde says creates "a sequential plan of orchestrated events." The massing of the buildings came from computer-compiled traces of local architecture. No one building is replicated. Instead you have a collage of images and traits of the city. Jerde wanted a space that is "self-consciously designed" yet tries to appear to have grown organically. CityWalk does feels energetic, bordering on chaotic, as it tries to echo the visual chaos of a complete city within the space of a few yards. The street leads to a large central plaza capped by a steel-web canopy. Within this multi-story space are an interactive fountain by WET Design and a second level of nightclubs and restaurants dubbed CityLoft. CityWalk is more then just shopping and dining. More then a third of the 540,000 square foot building area is dedicated to offices and a satellite college campus.

CityWalk's second phase opened in 2000 and is best experienced at night. Lighting is used as the signature architectural component. Los Angeles Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff suggested "the new structures offer fewer architectural quotations, leaning toward a more abstract aesthetic" with "images distilled from Los Angeles' own peculiar landscape of fantasy." He says, "the effect is a 'Blade Runner'-like collage of commercial images, a tensely energetic mix of fantasy and reality."

CityWalk is not without its detractors. Cultural critic Norman Klein said that the shopping center is "a Victorian-style separation of classes in our public life" while writer Lewis Lapham said the it was for consumers that "had no intention of going to see the original city fours miles to the south." Scholar Mike Davis said, "It fulfills our worst prophecies."

Jerde would depend on a sense of randomness, surprise, and disorder. Universal's long-time competitor, The Walt Disney Company, would go in a different direction with Downtown Disney in Anaheim. The entertainment retail center opened in 2001 as part of a major expansion of the Disneyland Resort that included a new theme park and a hotel.

John Hench, 65-year Disney veteran, said, "The whole 'malling of America,' I think is the expression - comes from Main Street here in Disneyland. They suddenly discovered that they could build a shopping mall and make it work a lot better by observing what happened here." However, he said, "Their observation is only partial, it didn't penetrate too deeply, but they knew they wanted to make sense of the place."

Hench explained that Disneyland worked "simply because every member of the thing, every facility, agrees on what the place is. One building recognizes the existence of the other. There's plenty of diversity, but there isn't contradiction." He said, "Most urban environments are basically chaotic places, as architectural and graphic information scream at the citizen for attention. This competition results in disharmonies and contradictions that...cancel each other [out]." He warns, "A journey down almost any urban street will quickly place the visitor into visual overload as all of the competing messages merge into a kind of information gridlock."

Hench taught his designers that architectural chaos "does have some stimulation to it because it's a threat - you're stimulated by a threat, but how long can you continue that?" He proposed, "We stimulate them with another kind of emotion, with the kind of stimulus that says, 'You're going to be okay.' It's the stimulation you get out of a party or a fiesta, or having fresh-killed game. The primitive thing - we all eat again." The result is "not a threat, it's the reverse." This advice would become the model that most developers would follow.

Downtown Disney has none of the harsh edges to be found at CityWalk. Timur Galen of Walt Disney Imagineering said the district "possesses its own unique 'sense of place,' evoking the feeling of stepping into a garden paradise." It features a meandering pathway dotted with planters, fountains, and deflected views. A hotel is integrated into the mall along with numerous performance spaces. The center is not as highly detailed and theatrical as Main Street inside of Disneyland. However, it does capture that spirit of reassurance that is inside of the park.

The architectural vocabulary developed at Disneyland has influenced other "invented" places. For an outstanding example, one has only to exit Disneyland and drive north along the freeway to The Grove in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Built in 2002, the Grove is one of the most successful shopping centers in the region. It was built adjacent to another "invented" place, the historic Farmer's Market (built in 1934). Developer Rick Caruso considers Walt Disney a hero and said that he is "one of the true geniuses in the world." He had already built other "lifestyle" centers in suburban locations such as The Commons at Calabasas and The Lakes at Thousand Oaks. The Grove would be his first urban infill project of this type.

Caruso said, "What we are building are downtowns. It's not just the big ideas, it's also the little ideas that matter" and his goal is to build "a great street." "It's a thousand different things you notice but you couldn't tell what it is," he says. "It's the scale of buildings and the width of the street. It's the rhythm of the trees and the lampposts. It's eye candy that your brain pick up but you can't really say what makes a difference." He was inspired by the redevelopment of Rome's Via Veneto and wanted to capture the elegance and spirit of an Italian villa. The Grove features a musical fountain designed by WET design and a double-decker trolley that was designed by former Disney Imagineer George McGinnis.

Like Disneyland, The Grove features building façades framing a narrow corridor using forced perspective. Forced perspective is a filmmaking technique that adds depth to motion pictures. Within the built environment, forced perspective can create an illusion of greater building height while maintaining an intimate atmosphere. At Disneyland, the first floor is generally nine-tenths scale while the upper floors get progressively smaller. At The Grove, the first floor is full-scale while the upper floors get progressively larger.

Caruso left nothing to chance. He even hired a feng shui expert who recommended that the main street should not be straight but feature curves. The result is a highly energized space, not as laid back as Disneyland's Main Street but not as chaotic as CityWalk. The result is what the Los Angeles Times described as a "wildly popular amusement park-like shopping center."

By 2001, the integration of housing within an entertainment retail center would be realize with the opening of the Paseo Colorado in Pasadena designed by Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut and Kuhn Architects. Paseo Colorado was meant to compliment the Beaux Arts-style Civic Center. Caruso would take this concept one step further with The Americana at Brand in Glendale in 2008. Americana at Brand is based on 1940s Charleston, South Carolina.

For decades, many tourists and local residents have asked themselves the same question; when you want to visit Hollywood, the movie capital of the world, where do you go? Walt Disney would capture a bit of that spirit in Anaheim with Disneyland. Universal Studios successfully opened up the front door and invited guests to peak behind the curtain. In both cases, you had to pay an admission for the experience. What if somebody built a gathering place that celebrated Hollywood that was actually in Hollywood and did not have a front gate admission? That is a question that David Malmuth kept asking himself while he worked for the development arm of The Walt Disney Company.

Malmuth had worked on the rehabilitation of the New Amsterdam Theater in New York City and he saw first hand how this investment became a catalyst in the revitalization of Times Square. Could Disney do the same thing for the heart of Hollywood - Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue?

For many, the center of Hollywood is the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theater, famous for world premieres and the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day. Disney did have a vested interest in this particular block. In 1989, they acquired the El Capitan Theater as a showcase for their new entertainment offerings and reopened the facility in 1991 after an exhaustive restoration. The El Capitan Theater is only steps away from the Chinese Theater.

After Malmuth surveyed the neighborhood, he did not like what he saw. The failing Hollywood Galaxy entertainment complex was a couple of blocks to the east of the El Capitan. Across the street was the rundown Hollywood Hotel owned by Mel Simon. Much of Hollywood Boulevard was feeling the pain caused by the construction of the METRO Red Line subway. The neighborhood was in much need of help. Visitors who embraced the bigger then life myth of Hollywood would constantly walk away disappointed when they visited the actual place.

In an interview, Malmuth said, "Visitors had money, they had interest, they were looking for something special, and their expectations were not being met. He felt that the positive changes he witnessed at 42nd Street in New York could happen in Hollywood.

Malmuth's original concept for Hollywood and Highland was to have each of the major movie studios "adopt a block" of storefronts where guests could interact with the products much the same way they do at Disneyland and Universal Studios. Each studio would have a complete floor. The storefronts would include studio themed retail stores, restaurants, and opportunities to preview upcoming films. Many of the studios such as MGM, Paramount, Warner, and Sony had already experimented with place-based entertainment venues, so he thought this would be a natural fit.

Malmuth proposed that Disney "create a place that was rooted in the soil and could not be duplicated anywhere else." Hollywood and Highland would not be a suburban shopping mall planted in city. Instead, it would celebrate its urban presence yet become the safe, clean, gathering place for those seeking the "Hollywood" experience.

The property across the street from the El Capitan was perfect. Warner Brothers owned fifty percent of the Chinese Theater. The rest of the property was owned by the MTA as well as the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA). The CRA was trying to consolidate the remaining properties. A subway station was planned for this location. In 1995, Malmuth began working with recently elected Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg to bring the pieces together.

Confident that he was on to something big, in March 1996 Malmuth made a presentation to Disney CEO, Michael Eisner and company president, Michael Ovitz. Eisner told Malmuth that Disney only did real estate deals if it served the entertainment arm and that need was already being served with the theater. Disney passed on the deal. Soon, the other studios would loose interest and the concept would transition into a more traditional shopping mall.

In June 1996, Malmuth left Disney and brought the concept to Lou Wagman at TrizacHahn. The City of Los Angeles released an RFP for the redevelopment of the block adjacent to the Chinese Theater in April 1997. TrizacHahn partnered with Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects and won the contract. An agreement was reached in April 1998 for a project with an estimated cost of $615 million. The CRA would contribute $90 million with $30 million set aside for the Kodak Theater. The Kodak Theater was a critical piece of the project.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was looking for a new home for the Oscars. The Pantages Theater as well as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was considered but it was decided to build a state-of-the-art facility. The City would retain ownership of the theater. Malmuth said, "What we talk about in describing our ambition here for Hollywood Boulevard is to create a place that's authentic." The Kodak Theater would add instant credibility.

The architectural centerpiece of the five-story entertainment retail complex is a massive interior courtyard inspired by the Babylon set from D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance. The movie set was one of the largest ever built in Hollywood. The entire sculpture frames the Hollywood sign. Architect Vaughan Davies, who worked on the project, commented that this view is the most compelling part of the project. Tying everything together internally is a series of mosaics called "The Road to Hollywood" by Erika Rothenberg.

The exterior is laminated with billboards, which have been granted exempt status from city standards until 2022. The billboards hide the lack of quality architecture. This is a money making machine with none of the flash expected in Hollywood. Like a movie set, there is one side that is to be filmed (the interior) and another that just holds up the façade (the exterior).

However, the center is filled with compromises. The original plan to be a showcase for the studios is reflected in the confusing circulation pattern. Along with the METRO subway station in the basement, the complex has a bowling alley, nightclubs, a broadcast studio, and a 65,000 square foot ballroom.

Although critics have slammed the project, Hollywood and Highland has attracted considerable new development in the surrounding area fulfilling one of the original project goals. Today, the stars out front along the Hollywood Walk of Fame are considered the most desirable along Hollywood Boulevard.

What is the next step in the evolution of the entertainment retail center? With constant pressure to reinvent the genre, it may not be long before we find out.