Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style by three regionally acclaimed architects and built in 1924, the Los Angeles headquarters of The Automobile Club of Southern California had become well-known for impressive interior and exterior spaces and beautiful landscaping. Nevertheless, the once-distinguished neighborhood had declined, prompting management to consider relocating. Of course, renovation afforded an option to remain in the building synonymous with the institution's identity and to reaffirm its commitment to the city, but their decision to stay or go was contingent on whether successful restoration was even possible in the city's urban core.

Troller Mayer Associates' design to revitalize the historic courtyard, patios, and gardens played a pivotal role in their decision to stay. One critical solution transformed the large interior compound, a hot, uninviting space used for automobile parking, into an automobile-pedestrian courtyard whose garden environment delights the senses and is comfortable for employee and visitor gatherings. Likewise, enhancing an unfriendly, existing streetscape with the striking foliage of palms and ferns was an important design choice to increase business activity, by revising the elegant, but neglected, facade and inviting motorists and pedestrians to enter the compound.

Plants traditionally associated with the region during the early twentieth century -- citrus trees, a variety of palms, and flowering perennials -- remind visitors of the region's romantic past. Most dramatically, a majestic ficus tree at the entrance to the courtyard -- having been thoroughly cleaned to reveal the intricate character of its massive trunk and roots -- displays its stunning root structure atop a bed of moss planting. Refurbished historic fountains and patios are formally connected by a central line of Valencia orange trees whose scent fills the courtyard in spring, while king palms and a colorful profusion of Balkan geraniums provide shade and atmosphere. Even a cactus and succulent garden reinforces the symbolic association of the institution with its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Caption: Troller Mayer Associates' successful restoration design for the historic gardens at the Los Angeles headquarters of The Southern California Automobile Club is a triumphant testimonial to Landscape Architects' ability to turn an urban neighborhood in decline into a showplace, to strengthen the movement to preserve -- rather than abandon or destroy -- important cultural landmarks, and to foster the tradition of grace and beauty in the city.

Caption: Troller Mayer Associates' design for restoration of the historic gardens at The Southern California Automobile Club's Los Angeles headquarters reinforced the institution's pride and positive image associated with the landmark, provided a sense of place for the employees, and encouraged increased business activity.