Quote:
Originally Posted by JDRCRASH
Regarding Hollywood Bowl:
If I remember correctly, that theater has a long history of renovations.
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Yes, and nearly all of it has been due to trying to get the acoustics just right.
The Hollywood Bowl was a dell that had naturally amazing acoustics. It wasn't until they built a permanent bandshell that the acoustics were compromised (because of regrading the land for the permanent stage and shell and also because of the gradual deterioration of the shell) and with each successive shell that was built, they still didn't get the acoustics just right. The current shell that was built in the early part of the present decade was controversial because many preservationists didn't want the previous shell demolished, being that it was the longest in use, from the late 1920s until the early part of this decade; it wasn't even the best shell acoustically. I wonder if those same preservationists knew that the two previous shells to that one were designed by Lloyd Wright and the new, current shell's design incorporated elements from both the 2nd Wright design and the previous shell. But whatever; sometimes I think this idea of preserving things just because they're old goes too far. Does this mean that we'll NEVER knock down or remodel buildings once they're built? Will people start wanting to preserve old strip malls because some time in the future they'll represent a bygone era? Don't get me wrong, I'm totally for the preservation of historic buildings, but only buildings that are worth saving-- but I guess that can be totally subjective.
And on that note, here's what is now the Pegasus Lofts, from 1951:
From the USC Archive