Sidney D. Gamble Lecture Series: Esther McCoy: Piecing Together L.A.

In the 1950s, no one
was writing about California (much less Los Angeles) architecture. Critics
didn’t take California architecture seriously and thought nothing of value
would come from the Golden State.

But then Esther McCoy
proved them all wrong.

For “Esther McCoy:
Piecing Together L.A.” on April 29, 2014, writer Susan Morgan presents a
discussion on the life, times and work of McCoy and her groundbreaking (and now
classic book) Five California Architects which changed the world’s
impression of the West Coast.

“McCoy’s book and her
writings made everyone sit up and take notice of what was happening in
California and Los Angeles,” says Morgan “She put West Coast Modern
architecture on the map.”

Through her 60-year
career, McCoy wore many hats: she was author, lecturer, screenwriter,
architectural preservationist and exhibition curator. Morgan points out that
McCoy’s life parallels the changing times; her life charted the progressive
edge of American idealism from the utopian spirit of Jazz Age Greenwich Village
through the radical evolution of post-war architecture. In addition, McCoy was
also an authority on Mexican and Italian architecture of the period as well.

A companion tour of
the Ester McCoy Collection at the Greene and Greene Archives is slated for May
3, 2014. Visitors will be able to view McCoy’s library that includes more than
500 books, periodicals and rare and unusual examples of architectural
publications of the times. Highlights of this collection are the many personal
autographs and author dedications to McCoy which illustrates her numerous
friendships and influence in the architectural world.

 “Esther McCoy:
Piecing Together L.A.”
takes place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at the Neighborhood Church,
301 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena CA 91103. Lecture tickets are $30 per
person, $25 for FOGH members. Because of the limited seating, reservations are
recommended.

 “The Esther
McCoy Collection” is
on May 3, 2014 with tour times at 10 and 11:30 am. Tour details will be announced
to ticketholders only. $25, $20 for FOGH members. To purchase tickets for
lecture and/or tour, visit www.gamblehouse.org.

About Susan Morgan

Susan
has written extensively about art, design and cultural biography. Her book Piecing
Together Los Angeles: An Esther McCoy Reader published in 2012 was the
first anthology about McCoy. With support from the Graham Foundation, the
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, Morgan
is currently researching the life and work of McCoy. She’s a contributing
editor for Aperture and www.eastofboreneo.org, a collective online
art journal and archive.

About the Friends of
the Gamble House (FOGH)

A support group of
the University of Southern California, the FOGH is composed of individuals,
corporations and organizations dedicated to the financial support of the Gamble
House. Membership fees and Friends-sponsored events help fund the
education and restoration programs of the Gamble House.

About the Gamble
House

Built in 1908, the
Gamble House is the most complete and best-preserved example of the work of
renowned Pasadena architects Charles and Henry Greene. The Gamble House is an
internationally recognized National Historic Landmark, in the style of the
American Arts and Crafts movement. The Gamble House is owned by the City of
Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California School of
Architecture.

The Gamble House is
open for public, docent-led, one-hour tours Thursday through Sunday, noon –
3:00 p.m. and for specialty tours and programs, closed on national holidays.
For more information please visit www.gamblehouse.org.)