La Brea Tar Pits; Cinderella Homes; General Hospital

The La Brea Tar Pits has a new design team that won’t uproot the mammoth family from its lake of tar. DnA talks to architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi about how they plan to maintain the “thereness” and “spectacle” of the prehistoric site while making it more open and attractive to visitors. Once upon a time, tract homes were seen as bland and boring, and then came Cinderella Homes. We’ll hear how a 1950s fantasy trend in suburban design made Southern California homeowners’ wishes come true. Could the “Great Stone Mother” become home for the destitute? LA County is looking to transform some of the properties it owns into affordable and supportive housing. One possible site is the old General Hospital at LAC+USC Medical Center.