The J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles, California.
Delusions of Grandeur
I decided to check out the Getty Center not too long ago, and found it to be incredible. After parking, I took the little tram up the side of the mountain to the top. The tram gives one a nice view while slowly ascending the hillside.
The Getty sits on top of a mountain overlooking the I-405 freeway, right off of Sepulveda Boulevard. Ocean views complement the structural equilibrium played by the shapes of the buildings, the foundation, and the stairs. Designed by Architect Richard Meier, the J Paul Getty Center is an ode to the visual arts and architecture.
Back when the land was purchased, it had nothing but an old house on it. Richard Meier stayed in this house for months designing what would become a miracle of modern architecture. He kept journals and observations during his stay. The guide told me that in the planning stages, Meier just about drove himself crazy making sure everything was perfect. His vision was pretty simple: Keep the architecture in harmony with its surroundings.
Unlike many places in Los Angeles that seem to contribute to urban sprawl, this place mimics its surroundings to some degree, which makes it so appealing in my opinion. Meiers used a lot of mathematical calculations along with his approach to the design . If you remember those boring Algebra classes we all suffered through in High School and College, you will see how the X and Y coordinates on a graph play a huge part here.
Here we see the buildings with the unique hedge sculpture in the foreground. Notice how the landscape also conforms to the harmonious balance of the surroundings.
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The flora was really diverse as well. So many beautiful flowers, including some that I had never even seen before.
Even the steel trusses are unique in their color and presentation. Here we see purple steel trusses with actual vines growing around them. I can say without any hesitation that this place is a photographer’s dream.
The shapes and contours of the buildings were so unique its hard to believe they are even architecturally and structurally possible. Everything is built on 30 foot squares or some derivative thereof. If you look closely at the steel truss picture up above, take notice of the flooring.
Now look at this next picture and you will see the same concept here: 30 inch squares. Oh and get this, all those lines in between the squares, correspond to the the floor, the walls, ceilings and bracing. You can follow a line and see that everything is equal and square to every line around it. I want to think Meiers thought long and hard about the concept of harmony and how it would make the structures appear more natural to the surrounding landcape.
The Getty Center is free, but parking is not. Its worth the 8 dollar fee. The Getty is open year round and there are many museums inside. I was unable to take photos inside and actually had to surrender my equipment to security as I strolled into the galleries.
Its impossible to see everything in a day. Each time I go, I discover something else I missed from the last visit. A truly amazing palce and worth more than one trip for sure.
If you go:
Be sure and bring sun protection and sunglasses. It can get very bright up here and the fair skinned types will get burned easily. (remember, you are on top of a mountain) There are cafe’s, coffee shops, and gift shops, so no need to bring any food or drink. Be sure and sign up for one of the guided tours. Tours are about 45 minutes long to one hour.
3 responses so far ↓
1 JACOBSON // Mar 20, 2008 at 2:48 pm
i guess you could get away with saying the architecture of richard meier’s buildings coincide with the landscape, but only because the landscape is engineered as well. trees, bushes, grass, flowers, etc. do not naturally grow like that. every element is planned and placed in a specific order and/or shape, which is quite the opposite of nature. and if you want to talk about the getty following the precise order and shape of the urban planning and landscape of los angeles, which is on a GRID of the downtown epicenter with more grids expanding out, attached as population grew, then i’m not sure you’d have a very convincing case for that one either.
this is not an extension of los angeles–this is a colossal, white, strictly coordinated, monument, peering down at an INTRINSICALLY diverse city below. the getty is set apart in its own little bubble of a dream world.
i am not denying that the site is not BEAUTIFUL. but you must remember that just because a building has curves does not automatically mean it blends in with the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape; and in turn, simply because a landscape is engineered to exhibit a symmetrical or mathematical layout does not make it equal to the city’s urban planning.
2 Hubert // Mar 20, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I think you missed the point of the article here and its obvious you have never been to the Getty. The buildings and structures are built according to the ridges n the mountain tops. Do yourself a favor and humor us with a trip to the Getty so you can educate yourself instead of sticking your foot in your mouth..A wise man once said, if you can’t improve the silence then keep your mouth shut or in this case, move away from your keyboard…
3 JACOBSON // Mar 24, 2008 at 1:43 pm
i have been to the getty 3 times (2 of which were to sketch the buildings and gardens as part of drawing classes). in my previous comment i wasn’t trying to be mean, nor am i attacking anyone. i’m just a little girl who tries to form her own opinions, so please take it with a grain of salt.
the authors of these articles write beautifully and provide great information for the people of los angeles. but i believe they are also open to the opinions and criticisms of others–why else would they be publishing their thoughts in a medium that allows for reader comments. believe it or not, there are many other people like myself who enjoy hearing different facets on a subject. in fact, this is my favourite article! but that does mean i am going to believe something simply because someone told me it’s true.
to Gary, the author, i think you wrote a great and extensive article that worked really well at combining the aesthetics, theoretical, and logistics of your experience at the getty!
to Hubert and all the other cool kids that live in silverlake and hate my comments, i’m so sawy i hurt your feelings! haha.
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