From Visions, Memories

The modern urbanscape of Southern California has been primarily designed by a handful of architects and planners, all of whom were in residence here, some of whom were dedicated to the discovery of human scale in a region raveled by concrete freeways--only a couple using human history and natural history in plotting the new present.

One of those architects who drew on history died last week at age 76. William L. Pereira designed whole campuses of higher learning--Pepperdine, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara--and facilities for higher learning at USC, UCLA, Occidental and UC San Diego. He designed facilities for culture (Los Angles County Art Museum), headquarters for entertainment (CBS Television City, a building recognized by a jury of architects as one of the most important local landmarks to be built after World War II) and centers of commerce (Robinson’s, Pasadena).

Perhaps more important than any single complex or structure, Pereira did the master planning for the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, a proposal for urban life that included residences, office buildings, commerce, a campus and natural preserves. His firm took a look at what might become of 93,000 essentially empty acres and worked up a plan for what has turned out to be one of the most desirable locations in the Western world. In less than a quarter-century, those plans now frame whole communities containing 127,000 residents, along with landscaped industrial complexes and regional shopping malls.

Architects are fortunate people, part artists and part businessmen, who leave a tangible mark on their world. From the controversial Transamerica office building pyramid in San Francisco to the delightful library, an inverted pyramid, at UC San Diego, Pereira’s visions leave permanent memories on the California skyline.

A rolling retrospective should be in order, one bringing people to those buildings and green spaces. Perhaps one of the campuses designed by William L. Pereira Associates, together with the Southern California chapter of the American Institute of Architects, can sponsor a tour of the sites that he designed during more than 40 years of local practice. The one-time USC professor leaves valuable lessons in steel and glass--habitable lessons that millions of us continue to occupy.