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‘60s architecture goes under history’s microscope

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Now that buildings constructed in 1960 are about to turn 50, architectural historians and preservationists are turning their attention to new candidates for special status. Which buildings deserve to be protected? Which ones might be listed in the National Register of Historic Places?

It’s an endless discussion, but two upcoming programs will address questions and projects of particular concern to Southern Californians.

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Alan Hess, a prominent California architecture critic and writer, will lecture on “Suburban Utopia” Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Downey Historical Society. He plans to talk about Downey’s mid-century architecture, including a restaurant that has evolved from Harvey’s Broiler to Johnie’s Broiler to a Bob’s Big Boy.

“The Sixties Turn 50,” a panel discussion organized by the Los Angeles Conservancy, will take place Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Building in downtown L.A. Frances Anderton, host of KCRW’s “DnA: Design & Architecture,” will moderate. Other participants are Hess, architects Leo Marmol and David C. Martin, Christine Madrid French of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Chris Nichols, associate editor of Los Angeles magazine.

-- Suzanne Muchnic

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