The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) recently announced the winners of its 54th Architecture Awards, celebrating designs that preserve and advance the city’s legacy as a creative capital and foster vibrant, inclusive community life. About four dozen innovative projects were recognized, with the Grand Prize going to the Egyptian Netflix Theater, the Economic Community Impact Award going to companies that are building and modernizing sound stages, and the Chairman’s Award going to new parks throughout the county.
“This year the LABC is honoring projects whose inspired designs build on LA’s heritage and lead the city toward a dynamic future,” said Mary Leslie, president of the Los Angeles Business Council. “From renovating entertainment venues and creative workspaces to reimagining parks, schools and housing, our honorees exemplify the power of architecture to serve the public good, drive progress and build community.”
Over 450 architects, designers, building owners, developers and city and state officials attended the awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Winners from a pool of hundreds were selected by a judging panel of industry experts, including architects, construction firms, owners and developers.
Keynote speaker Annie Chu, founding principal and partner of award-winning architecture and interiors firm Chu-Goding received the Legacy Award. In her four decades in practice, Chu has worked extensively with world-renowned museums and cultural and educational institutions. She supports interior architecture as a distinct and evolving discipline, advancing design excellence through teaching, public speaking, and civic leadership, including serving on the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission and the Mayor’s Design Advisory Panel of the Municipality.
“I am deeply grateful and humbled by this great honor,” said Annie Chu. “Throughout my career, I have been motivated not only by the pursuit of architectural excellence as art and service, but also by architecture’s highest calling to create spaces that lift our spirits and resonate with our values.”
Netflix’s Grand Prize-winning Egyptian Theater in Hollywood does just that thanks to a painstaking restoration that married technology, history and art. It was opened in 1922, Egyptian hosted the world’s first film premiere, introduced the red carpet and became an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Later declared a historic landmark, the site fell into disrepair until the American Cinematheque renovated and reopened it in 1998.
In 2020, Netflix purchased the Egyptian and partnered with the American Cinematheque to rehabilitate it again, this time to restore the theater’s original design and grandeur, renovate the building’s structure, and install the latest projection and audio technology. Studio 440 Architecture and Gensler led the design and contracted EverGreene Architectural Arts for the two-year project, which included the restoration of historic color palettes and decorative motifs. The Egyptian reopened in late 2023.
“The restored Netflix Egyptian Theater brilliantly evokes the origins and history of Hollywood, as well as the great creativity and innovation that will expand LA’s global leadership in entertainment,” said Ross Brennan of Studio 440. “We are honored to accept This year’s LABC Grand Awards for architecture and we look forward to more and more moviegoers experiencing this world-class venue for themselves.”
The LABC similarly recognized the importance of entertainment in the long-term growth of Los Angeles by awarding the Economic Community Impact Award to eight projects that invest in sound phases throughout greater L.A. About 155 new and improved facilities are in the pipeline of development, potentially increasing the scope of local production. by 35 percent and supporting tens of thousands of jobs, including the skilled writers, actors, set designers and marketers who form the backbone of the creative content market.
Three urban parks won the prestigious Mayor’s Award, underscoring the importance of reclaiming and delineating vacant land for community benefit. The 8.5-acre Wishing Tree Park in West Carson, designed by MIG Landscape Architects, opened in May after more than 30 years of advocacy to transform a former superfund site into the underserved area’s first park. The Port of Los Angeles Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, designed by Sasaki and Studio MLA, is a historic park amid the industrial landscape of San Pedro Bay’s busy ports. And George Wolfberg Park in Potrero Canyon stabilized and restored natural habitat on 46 acres in the Pacific Palisades. The City of LA’s architectural and geotechnical engineering divisions collaborated with Marrs Services to design the park.
“These exemplary projects,” said LABC Chairman David Nahai, “reflect the bold vision and determined teamwork of residents, civic organizations and government leaders to improve their communities by creating vibrant green spaces.”
For a complete list of winners and photos of this year’s winning projects, please visit Los Angeles Business Council website at labusinesscouncil.org.