‘Embrace’ L.A.’s Architectural ‘Gems’

So now we are to lose the elegantly unpretentious Gilmore Bank (“Final Withdrawal,” So SoCal, by Mary Melton, July 16). After living in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, I have witnessed the wholesale erasure of a staggering number of commercial and residential structures. Many were key postwar buildings that typified the L.A. experience of enthusiasm, experimentation, optimism and exuberance. More often than not, these buildings have been replaced with disappointing square-footage-maximizing mini malls, or they’ve been left vacant for years. Isn’t it time for L.A. to grow up and embrace the gems of our architectural past as building blocks for a more resonant, more authentic urban culture?

Will Foster

Los Angeles