Letters to the Editor: Relocating priceless Getty collections to downtown would not necessarily ensure their safety
To the editor: Before encouraging the Getty Center and Getty Villa to move holdings to the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles, it would be wise to remember the fire that hit the Central Library in 1986 ('Fire could have destroyed the Getty's irreplaceable art. Should the museum move?' March 13). Per the library website, '400,000 volumes — 20% of the library's holdings — were destroyed, with significant water and smoke damage done to the surviving works.'
No one knows how the fire started, but the result was closure of the library for seven years. It will take a lot of study to determine just how fire-safe a structure built in 1960 actually is or can be made to be. As art critic Christopher Knight writes, the possibility of moving the Getty collection, and, in my opinion, the collection at the Skirball Cultural Center that abuts the same wildfire-prone area, should be considered, but that consideration shouldn't turn on the availability of a particular building.
Stephanie Scher, Pasadena
..
To the editor: I take exception to Knight's view on several counts. First, there is no safer place to house these collections than where they are sitting today. To rebuild these locations would be prohibitive, even for the Getty Trust. Second, the two locations themselves are works of art and, in my opinion, are irreplaceable. Finally, the county hall site could be repurposed into homeless and low-income housing for a fraction of the cost of a new museum and be a better memorial to the late mayor and county supervisor James Hahn.
Kevin Minihan, Westchester
..
To the editor: I like Knight's idea to relocate the Getty collection downtown in the Hahn building next to Grand Park. That structure is steps away from the Civic Center Metro stop, which I already use when I go to the Music Center.
Don Shirley, Sherman Oaks
..
To the editor: The commentary on whether the Getty's buildings should move was a waste of Knight's long years of experience and practiced eye for art, neither of which were needed for that off-the-wall piece of blue-sky speculation.
Patrick Frank, Venice
..
To the editor: Both museums have incredible abilities to survive the fires that scarred our city. The vision of the villa to be above the ocean, as was the original villa near Pompeii, would be totally ruined. Instead, this critic should be lauding the beacons both museums provide. One stands bravely for the reestablishment of a community around it. The other encourages all of L.A. that such a resource exists.
Elaine Sarnoff, Manhattan Beach
..
To the editor: Let's move Los Angeles. Instead of having to deal with wildfires, earthquakes and urban unrest, moving our fair city to a spot where nothing much happens — Inyo County comes to mind — might achieve the goal of erasing every last bit of uncertainty in life and allowing us to never again have to worry that Thracian artifacts are endangered.
Jeff Schultz, Los Angeles
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Atlantic
15 hours ago
- Atlantic
After the Fires: Los Angeles Neighborhoods Start to Rebuild
Five months ago, the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and several other blazes destroyed more than 18,000 houses and buildings. June 11, 2025, 2:25 PM ET An aerial view of properties cleared of wildfire debris that were burned in the Eaton Fire on May 22, 2025, in Altadena, California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it has cleared 5,000 properties in the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire burn zones, which represents half of the eligible properties, in just three months. Hans Gutknecht / MediaNews Group / The Los Angeles Daily News / Getty A house is under construction on De Pauw Sreet in Pacific Palisades, after much of the neighborhood was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, seen on June 3, 2025. Cal/OSHA workers remove hazardous materials from a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, on April 24, 2025. Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times / Getty Temescal Canyon is being used to break down and recycle debris and material from the Palisades Fire, seen on April 17, 2025. Vehicles that were destroyed in the Eaton Fire are staged for disposal on May 22, 2025, in Altadena, California. An aerial view of rebuild work under way months after the Palisades Fire, on June 3, 2025, in Los Angeles, California Construction begins in the Palisades Fire devastation zone in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, on April 24, 2025. Flowers bloom at a home that was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, as grasses begin to grow along a burned hillside in the distance, seen on April 10, 2025, in Altadena. Following winter rains in the region, new vegetation growth is appearing in the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire burn areas. Sarah Reingewirtz / MediaNews Group / Los Angeles Daily News / Getty collects a soil-core sample from the site of a burned house in the Eaton Fire burn area in Altadena on April 24, 2025. At no charge to property owners, has been checking surface and soil-core samples in both the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire areas. A demolition crew uses excavators to tear down a business destroyed by the Palisades Fire, on May 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades. Hans Gutknecht / MediaNews Group / The Los Angeles Daily News / Getty A sign stands outside a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades on June 3, 2025. An aerial view of a mobile-home park that was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, seen on May 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades The moon rises as ocean waves wash up along the remains of properties destroyed in the Palisades Fire, seen on April 11, 2025, in Malibu. Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times / Getty Kids paint on a banner for 'Stronger Together: Community Recovery and Resilience,' an event co-hosted by the Altadena Coalition and Pali Strong for survivors of the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire, at the Santa Monica Pier, on May 6, 2025, in Santa Monica. Pacific Palisades property owner DeAnn Heline stands in front of her home, which is being rebuilt after the Palisades Fire, on April 24, 2025. A controlled fire conducted by members of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Los Angeles Fire Department is seen on top of the Temescal Ridge Trail while ATF agents investigate the Palisades Fire, on April 29, 2025, in Pacific Palisades. Workers clear a lot next to a new home under construction in a neighborhood destroyed by the Palisades Fire, on May 7, 2025, in Pacific Palisades. Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times / Getty Cleared lots of several destroyed buildings, seen before reconstruction work, in Malibu, on May 28, 2025 Actor John Goodman's house, which was destroyed in the Palisades Fire, seen on April 9, 2025, in Pacific Palisades Eric Thayer / Bloomberg / Getty Construction on a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, seen on May 29, 2025 Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times / Getty Pali students stand during the opening Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem at the Palisades High graduation ceremony, held at the Hollywood Bowl, after their school's campus was heavily damaged by the fire, on June 4, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Axios
21 hours ago
- Axios
A 1915 photo of Chicago's oldest park revealed
This week's History Mystery revealed: The 1915 photo captures Chicagoans of all ages (look at the buggies!) enjoying a brisk day at Washington Square Park, also known as Bughouse Square, on the Near North Side. Context: This Getty archival photo of the oldest park in Chicago, first built in 1842, reveals few visual clues. Yes, but: The former Unity Church, now the Scottish Rite Cathedral at 935 N. Dearborn Street, offers a dead giveaway. Zoom out: The area surrounding the park includes some impressive Chicago architecture, including homes designed during the post-Fire rebuilding period right before the turn of the 19th century. The homes were mainly designed for Chicago's wealthiest. It was also around this time that the Newberry Library was built just north of the park. The intrigue: Around 1890, the park started hosting public debates, giving it the nickname "Bughouse Square." The soapbox speeches continued throughout the 20th century, featuring famous speakers like Studs Terkel, whose ashes were spread at the park after he died in 2008.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
8 Classic Gin Drinks That Go Beyond Gin & Tonics
Gin gimlets are an ideal cocktail for citrus-forward gins to shine. getty The nuances of a premium gin comes from the quality of its botanicals. Juniper may be gin's star ingredient, however, modern gins comprise a number of unique herbs, aromatics and seeds that contribute to the final flavor and texture of the spirit. The combinations can range from citrus-forward expressions, full of lemon, grapefruit or orange peel, to herbal-centric recipes, with rosemary, anise and coriander. There's also floral expressions, using the likes of lavender, rose and violet flowers. Gin's botanicals can most often be appreciated in the spirit's simplest drinks like a gin and tonic or a martini but sometimes the complexity of a gin isn't realized until you layer it in a cocktail with other spirits – for example a gin with more floral than herbal qualities can completely change the taste of a negroni. For this reason, it can be fun to explore mixing one of your preferred gins for a gin and tonic in one of gin's other tried and true cocktails, from a French 75 to a White Lady. With World Gin Day approaching on June 14, there's no better time to start experimenting with one of the eight classic gin drink recipes below. Tart yet refreshing, freshly squeezed lime juice perfectly mingles with gin in this simple, three ingredient cocktail. This cocktail is an ideal example of how gin's complexities can affect the final flavor; opt for a London dry gin with citrus notes over an herbal gin. Ingredients: 2 oz gin, ½ oz fresh lime juice, ¼ oz simple syrup Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel. For another citrus-forward, potent gin drink, a Bee's Knees is a prohibition-era cocktail that's still beloved by modern gin drinkers. The lemon and honey combine with the gin for a sweet, bright sip that can be made to taste more earthy with a juniper-forward gin or refreshing with a citrus-inspired gin. Make the honey syrup ahead of time and keep it in your fridge for up to a month. Ingredients: 2 oz gin, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz honey syrup (boil equal parts honey to water until it dissolves, let cool). Method: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. 50/50 martini. getty As its name suggests, this is an equal-parts cocktail that can make for a really entertaining, and simultaneously upskilling, recipe to sample different gins with. Bartenders also have fun adding their unique twist on this recipe by adding a dash or two of flavored bitters which can complement the chosen gin. Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin, 1.5 oz dry vermouth Method: Add the gin and vermouth to a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until well-chilled. Strain into a pre-chilled martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Raw egg cocktails aren't for everyone (especially in an egg-flation economy) but if you can stomach it, the White Lady is an underrated, iconic gin cocktail that's more likely to be found on a British menu than it is stateside. The texture of the egg white topping the gin sour-like base makes for a rich mouthfeel. Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin, 0.75 oz orange liqueur (like Triple Sec), 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, one egg white Method: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain out the ice then add the ingredients back to the shaker for a vigorous dry shake to help build a rich foam. Strain again, this time into a coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Sparkling, sweet and tart, this gin and Champagne cocktail is equally perfect as an aperitivo as it is with brunch. If you're in the mood for a more evident gin profile, try playing with the ratio of the spirit to the bubbles. Ingredients: 1 oz gin, 3 oz, Champagne 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup; lemon twist for garnish Method: Combine the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice; shake until chilled then strain into a Champagne flute. Float in the Champagne to the top of the glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Ramos gin fizz. getty This drink may require a little extra preparation, but it's worth it for the velvety, flavorful result. It's a New Orleans favorite and some bartenders have even been quoted to say that it outsells the Sazerac. Give it a try for yourself, but be warned, it may take some time to perfect. Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin, 0.75 oz simple syrup, 0.5 oz heavy cream, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 3 dashes orange flower water, 1 egg white, club soda Method: Combine all ingredients, except the club soda, to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds. Strain out the ice and add ingredients back to the shaker for a dry round of shaking for 15 seconds. Strain into a highball glass, while simultaneously adding the club soda together in one slow stream to achieve the fluffy, towering fizz. As previously mentioned, a more complex gin can really change the profile of a negroni. Personally, I love more of an herbal quality in my negronis, so I tend to reach for a gin that showcases this on its own, but is even more prominent when mixed with an herb-forward sweet vermouth. Ingredients: 1.5 oz gin, 1.5 oz Campari, 1.5 oz sweet vermouth Method: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail glass with ice; stir until well-chilled. Strain into a low ball glass with one large cube. Garnish with a rosemary sprig or olive. A name as fun as it sounds, this gin-based cocktail combines the brambly notes of crème de mûre (a blackberry liqueur) for an elegant take on summer fruit. If you don't have pebbled or crushed ice on hand, add some cubes to a ziplock bag and use a heavy object to break up the larger pieces as crushed ice definitely adds to the draw of this drink. Ingredients: 2 oz gin, 0.6 oz lemon juice, 1/4 oz simple syrup, 0.6 oz crème de mûre Method: Add the first four ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Pour in the crème de mûre over the ice; garnish with a cocktail pick of fresh blackberries.
