Palisadians Are In Overdrive at Getty

The Getty Center’s current exhibit “Overdrive: LA Constructs the Future, 1940-1990” has several connections to Pacific Palisades.
1: The photographs of Hanna-Barbera Studios by Arthur Froehlich are lent by Pacific Palisades resident Jack Laxer. Hanna-Barbera is the famous animation company behind “Scooby Doo” and “Yogi Bear”. Laxer is a photographer with over 50 years experience who was one of the first to use stereo pictures (3-D) of the iconic Googie architecture. His photographs of scenes in Southern California has been featured in many exhibits.
2: The Getty exhibit also shows a floor plan of the rebuilt, modernistic St. Matthew’s Church on Bienveneda. After the original church building was burned down during the 1978 brush fire that swept from Brentwood to Malibu, architect Charles Moore designed a new plan with two-thirds approval of the congregation. The St. Matthew’s Web site describes the building:
“The traditionally configured nave and transept intersect a large hipped roof, carved away in deference to favorite trees and to make courtyards and a cloister. Windows are minimized in the nave and located to frame views of the prayer garden, while a small adjoining chapel is made especially transparent for its connection to the outside. Energy-conscious parishioners suggested operable skylights at the ridge. These and the building volume obviate the need for air conditioning, while the climate allows for minimal heating.”
3: Included in the exhibit are interviews with Victor Newlove and drawings from the architecture firm of Armet, Davis and Newlove. They pioneered the Googie architecture style that was deployed in coffee shops all over Southern California, including Googie’s and Norms. These fast-food originals were designed with a car theme and a lowbrow attitude. Armet, Davis and Newlove is where the Palisades’ own Daedre Cottrell Berryman, while attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, got her start in architecture as an intern in 1977. She recalls doing basic working drawings and running blueprints for many Bob’s Big Boy buildings. (Daedre, my mother, still practices architecture along with graphic design.)
The exhibit runs through July 21.