Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House to reopen to tours, CicLAvia goes to Hollywood, and more

On Sunday, August 21, from 9 am to 4 pm, the cities of Los Angeles and West Hollywood will close 6.6 miles of streets to automobile traffic for the latest edition of CicLAvia.'

The second CicLAvia event of 2022, dubbed "Meet the Hollywoods" will include segments of Santa Monica Boulevard, Highland Avenue, and Hollywood Boulevard between San Vicente Boulevard to the west and Virgil Avenue to the east.

As is always the case with these events, only people-powered vehicles allowed. That means no electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, unicycles, motorcycles and other non-people-powered vehicles are permitted. However, Class 1 e-bike pedal-assist is allowed, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed when throttle is powered off, and Class 3 e-bikes are allowed when pedal-assist is powered down. Motorized wheelchairs are allowed.

Additional CicLAvia events planned for 2022 include October 9, CicLAvia-Heart of LA and CicLAvia-South LA on December 4.

More information on the August 21 event here: https://www.ciclavia.org/local_gems_hollywood22

CicLAvia attendees at the eastern end of the route will be passing by a beloved L.A. landmark which will soon be revived following a long renovation (and a pandemic-induced closure). The Department of Cultural Affairs and City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell announced this week that the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House will reopen for public tours at a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 18.

“The Department of Cultural Affairs is thrilled to reopen our City’s one-and-only UNESCO World Heritage site,” said DCA Interim General Manager Daniel Tarica in a statement. “Visitors will once again be able to appreciate this historic site in-person, including expanded access through our self-guided tour program. Through the pandemic closure, staff have undertaken critical restoration projects and enhanced interpretation of the site – visitors will now see these significant transformations at Hollyhock House and Residence A.”

The reopening ceremony will coincide with the Hollyhock House's centennial anniversary. Built as the home of Aline Barnsdall, the house was Wright's first Los Angeles building, and now stands as the centerpiece of Barnsdall Art Park. It is a National Historic Landmark, and was recently named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tours will be made available from Thursday through Saturday between 11 am and 4 pm. Advanced ticket purchase at hollyhockhouse.org is required.

Here's what we're reading this week:

6th Street bridge: A civic wonder that reflects L.A.'s promise and its simmering problems "In its short life, the 6th Street Viaduct has turned into so many competing things to so many people: Soaring civic landmark or roadway to gentrification. Altar to the city’s car culture or TikTok playground for general mayhem and lawlessness. Panoramic promenade for Boyle Heights abuelitos or glaring reminder of the lack of public space there and in so much of the city. Basically, is it an architectural and cultural wonder or a symbol of so much that is wrong with Los Angeles? The more-than-half-mile, $588-million span connecting the Arts District to the historic Eastside and Whittier Boulevard has become a new totem for the city’s fissures over transit, policing, housing, equity, culture and land use." (LA Times)

LA Expands Homeless Encampment Ban Near Schools at Rowdy City Hall Meeting "The ordinance approved after an hour-long interruption expands a ban on homeless encampments within 500 feet of all schools and daycare centers." (NBC 4)

Vin Scully bridged the generations in L.A. ‘It’s like your childhood ... is now really over’ "For nearly 60 years, Scully enthralled Angelenos with stories from Dodger Stadium and from the road, but his reach into their lives is measured less by the strength of that broadcast signal than by four generations who found themselves mesmerized by the cadence of his voice and his impromptu lyricism." (LA Times)

Why the Broadway Trade Center Isn’t Turning into a ‘Tech Hub’ After All "The building is now headed towards foreclosure after the owner defaulted on a $221 million loan to retrofit it. This means we likely won’t see the 'Emcee Studio,' a proposed multi-use space including a hotel, members-only rooftop pool, restaurant and coworking offices in the near future. The space will be boarded up and sold at a bankruptcy auction." (dot LA)

Eyes on the Street: Culver City’s Renovated Culver Blvd Bikeway "The half-mile long refurbished portion of the facility extends along the east side of Culver from Sepulveda Boulevard to Elenda Street. The northeast end connects with the Elenda protected bikeway that opened in 2021. The path, located on a former Pacific Electric streetcar right of way, continues southwest along Culver Boulevard another mile and a half to McConnell Street in the L.A. City neighborhood of Del Rey." (Streetsblog LA)

Senator Announces Funding for North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project "The 18-mile project was approved April 28 by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors, connecting the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys." (Pasadena Now)