First House: The Valley’s dominant architecture may...

First House: The Valley’s dominant architecture may be postwar tract homes, but the oldest residence dates back to 1834. The Andres Pico Adobe is the Valley’s second-oldest structure. Speculation is that Andres Pico never actually lived there but instead stayed at the nearby San Fernando Mission, built in 1797. The adobe is now home to the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, but is closed for earthquake repairs.

No More Mini-Malls: Architect Tom Layman has been called the father of the mini-mall because his Encino firm has designed about 400 of the corner shopping centers. But with rents low and vacancies high, little new construction is going on. Layman says he’s now doing “an awful lot of recycling,” updating retail strips built in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Pros’ Faves: The American Institute of Architects’ Valley chapter bestows annual awards on local buildings and architects. A 1994 winner, the Kaiser Medical Laboratory in North Hollywood, remains a favorite of President Robin Jaffe, an Encino architect. Another is the new Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library in North Hills (above). It’s fast-paced but welcoming at the same time, Jaffe says. “There’s nothing to block you from going in there at all.”

Studio Challenge: The most innovative architecture of the last decade has been done at the studios, says Louis Naidorf, dean of architecture and design at Woodbury University. The Team Disney building in Burbank (in which the Seven Dwarves act as pillars) and the whimsical animation building represent a “throwing down of the gauntlet” to the rest of the Valley, he says. “The great body of the Valley has somehow not . . . had the design quality that it deserves.”