Architecture Group Honors Local Designs

Long thought of among outsiders as a bland landscape of homogeneous single-family tract homes, the San Fernando Valley is actually home to a number of architecturally unique structures.

Some of those structures were recognized recently by the San Fernando Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects in an effort to encourage more quality architecture in the Valley.

“The Valley is viewed as an endless sprawl, which indeed much of it is, and it is hard for the community to feel that sense of attachment and value,” said Michael Webb, an architectural writer based in West Los Angeles and one of the AIA judges. “But all of us on the jury were impressed with the quality of work here.”

Webb said he chose an Encino home for the 20-plus-year award for its timeless quality.

“The open, transparent light of the home made it very much the ideal of what a California house would be,” Webb said.

The home, built in 1973 for Dr. Melvin Schapiro and his family, opens into three pavilions, for living, sleeping and guests. The pavilions meet in the glass and wood entryway with a view of a huge oak tree that stands in the middle of the street.

Insulated from neighbors with lush shrubs, the glass walls of the living area are hidden from view, yet open for space and light.

“It is pure quality,” Webb said of the house. “It hadn’t dated stylistically and is an extraordinary piece of art.”

Martin Gelber, the architect who designed the house, said the 4,000-square-foot structure was built to make the most use of its small lot. “I wanted to build an intelligent house that just wasn’t a big box,” said Gelber, who used yard space to expand the living area and natural light to make the rooms look larger. “And it stood the test of time.”

Also recognized by AIA was the Warner Park Stage Pavilion in Woodland Hills designed by Jeffrey M. Kalban & Associates of Los Angeles.

The $1-million, pale-yellow structure was completed last August and marks a milestone for the park, which for the past 18 years had been holding its Concert in the Park series on a temporary stage made of two trailers bolted together.

The newly built stage curves and gently slopes onto the grassy park area so there are no barriers between the performers and audience.

“We didn’t want to build something that would kill the informality of it all,” said Jeffrey Kalban. “What makes any project successful is a resolution of the clients’ needs and attention paid to the surroundings.”

A Sherman Oaks home restored by Robbins & Bown Inc. also won a citation, and a Woodland Hills home designed by Kalban & Associates won a merit award.