L.A. Conservancy Honors Waterworks Preservers

Four organizations were cited by the Los Angeles Conservancy at its seventh annual preservation awards program for efforts that led to preservation of the monumental Beverly Hills Waterworks.

The building will be renovated and reused as the library and archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Those recognized at the program with Preservation Awards are the academy, the Friends of the Beverly Hills Waterworks, the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and the Beverly Hills City Council.

Other Preservation Awards went to: Engine Company No. 28 Ltd. for its creativity in creating offices and a restaurant from a landmark downtown Los Angeles fire station; the St. James’s Club for restoration and adaptive reuse of the Sunset Tower building on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

Also, W.I. Simonson Inc. for reconstructing a landmark Santa Monica auto dealership, and the architectural firm of Woodford Parkinson Wynn & Partners for its restoration of the exterior of the Montecito Apartments in Hollywood.

President’s Awards went to architectural historian Esther McCoy and architectural photographer Julius Shulman. A special award was presented to the Getty Grants Program for establishing its new Architectural Conservation Grants Program.

Four projects received certificates of merit. The Feola/Deenihan Partnership, Architects, was cited for renovating 818 West Seventh Street, the Barker Bros. building in downtown Los Angeles.

Paramount Pictures Corp. was recognized for preserving and renovating the Paramount Studios lot. Steven Stockwell was cited for adaptive reuse of a Santa Monica house as the law offices of Garrity & Colden. Eddie Blake, owner of the Tail of the Pup hot dog stand, was honored for preserving this bit of Southland architectural whimsy.

With 4,700 members, the 10-year-old Los Angeles Conservancy is the largest historic preservation society in the western United States.