5 pm: Architecture

In a demonstration of how tight spaces can foster a sense of openness, the 2,300-square-foot Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House II will be open to the public Sunday, offering a rare opportunity for viewing the Modernist residence. Given landmark status by Los Angeles’ Cultural Heritage Commission in 1997, the home features an arresting mix of reflecting pools, mirrors, glass and steel that will be the backdrop for an evening focusing on the restoration of the cultural landmark.

* Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House II Open House, 2300 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake. 5 to 8 p.m. $15. (323) 666-1806.

11 am: Museums

Charting the legacy of architecture’s grand influence on the urban landscape and domestic life, the large-scale survey “At the End of the Century: One Hundred Years of Architecture” opens Sunday at the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Geffen Contemporary. Featuring more than 1,000 objects, and divided into 21 thematic sections, the exhibition will include models, photographs, drawings, historical film and video footage, furniture and artifacts.

* “At the End of the Century: One Hundred Years of Architecture,” MOCA at the Geffen Contemporary, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles. Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ends Sept. 24. Co-curator Elizabeth Smith will present an Art Talk at 3 p.m. Sunday. Adults, $6; students and seniors, $4; children younger than 12, free. (213) 626-6222.

2 pm: Theater

Uta Hagen, Jonathan Pryce, Mia Farrow and Peter Gallagher will perform a special staged reading of Edward Albee’s landmark drama “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” as a benefit for the HB Playwrights Foundation & Theatre Endowment and Center Theater Group’s Programs for Youth. The legendary Hagen won critical acclaim as Martha in the original 1962 Broadway production.

* “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. 2 p.m. $50 to $75. (213) 628-2772; $125 for preferred seating and $250 with post-show reception, (213) 972-7690.

2 pm: Museum

You think it’s tough to find jeans that fit? Try finding attire appropriate for the Addams family. That’s why costume designers are the most serious of clothes shoppers. Two designers, Barbara Inglehart and Pamela Shaw, will come to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum to talk about costume design and the new edition of their book, “Shopping L.A.: The Insiders’ Sourcebook for Film and Fashion.” Designer Robert Turturice will join them to discuss the ins and outs of costuming.

* Barbara Inglehart, Pamela Shaw and Robert Turturice, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Part of the monthly Literary Hollywood series. Seating limited. Free with museum admission: $7.50; students and seniors, $4.50; ages 5 to 12, $4; children younger than 5, free. (323) 960-4809.

2 & 3:30 pm: Music

The young Magellan String Quartet--winner of the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award--makes its Los Angeles debut in the “space age,” John Lautner-designed Harvey Aluminum House (1949) in the hills of Los Feliz as part of the Chamber Music in Historic Sites series. The ensemble will play Schubert’s “Quartettsatz,” Tan Dun’s “Eight Colors for String Quartet” and the Quartet in F by Ravel.

* Magellan String Quartet, Chamber Music in Historic Sites series, Harvey Aluminum House, Los Feliz. 2 and 3:30 p.m. $45 to $73. (310) 954-4300.

3 pm: Swing Music

When trombonist-bandleader Glenn Miller disappeared on a flight from London to Paris in 1944, the world lost one of its most popular musical entertainers. The Miller legacy lives on with “The Music of Glenn Miller.” Miller band veteran Beryl Davis, the Modernaires, Paula Kelly Jr. and the Big Band Alumni Orchestra under the direction of Joe Graydon will perform “Moonlight Serenade,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000” and other hits of the Miller era.

* “The Music of Glenn Miller,” San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, 320 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, 3 p.m. $20 to $35. (626) 308-2868.

8 pm: Pop Music

The first single from the soundtrack of the new Jimmy Smits movie “Price of Glory” is “Be a Star” by Pastilla, and the Los Angeles band will be the headliner of a rock en espanol bash celebrating the release of the album. Also on tap: the rock of Cabula, the kitsch of Los Super Elegantes and the drum-and-bass of Ensenada’s Nino Astronauta.

* Pastilla, Cabula, Los Super Elegantes, Nino Astronauta, the Whisky, 8901 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. $12.50 in advance; $15 at door. (310) 652-4202.

*

FREEBIES: Hundreds of dogs and cats will be up for adoption from 30 Los Angeles humane organizations at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Pet Adoption Festival, George C. Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (818) 377-9777.

*

As part of his project for “Departures: 11 Artists at the Getty,” artist Ruben Ortiz Torres’ dancing 1960 Chevrolet Impala lowrider gives three-minute performances in the Museum Plaza of the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. 2 p.m. Parking reservations required. (310) 440-7300.