a legacy of art & architecture

1 : artist and designer (1907-1989) Exhibitions at the County Fair in Pomona. Sheets curated exhibitions that promoted the work of artists and also brought art from other parts of the world to Los Angeles. The gallery is now known as the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts. During the 1930s, Millard Sheets began to experiment further with mural and fresco painting and was offered several commercial mural commissions. These led to interior design jobs, and as his reputation as a designer grew, so did his commis- sions. Sheets eventually transitioned to designing new construction, and significant architectural commissions followed. As he was not a licensed architect, the process for his commissions was always collaborative, with Sheets creating the design scheme and a registered archi- tect or contractor overseeing rtist and designer Millard in many of his later architec- the Los Angeles County Art the construction process. ASheets created the tural projects. Institute, which later became Sheets strongly believed in designs for some of the most He graduated from Otis Art Institute. the idea of architects and art- recognizable and popular Chouinard in 1929 as part From 1931 to 1956, Sheets ists working together toward a commercial buildings in the of a group of young artists was Director of the Fine Arts common goal, which included Los Angeles area. Trained as a whose work became known painter rather than an archi- as the California Style of Millard Sheet s photo s courte s y of tect, Sheets took an approach watercolor painting because of incorporating artwork by of its bold new look and in- regional artists into the design novative approaches. In 1932 of buildings, which defined his he was appointed assistant architectural work. head of the art department at Born and raised in Scripps College in Claremont, Pomona, California, Millard California. He was named Sheets displayed a talent for head of the department art at a very young age. He in 1936. Early on, Sheets enrolled at the Chouinard Art was intent on exploring the Institute after graduating from relationship between various high school in 1927. While at facets of art education, includ- T ony Sheet s Chouinard, Sheets began to ing art, architecture, dance, experiment in a number of and music. He promoted this different mediums and tech- type of integrated curriculum niques, which figured largely at both Scripps College and The Word of Life tile-paneled mosaic, nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus,” (1964), South Bend, Indiana

2 Former Masonic Temple (1961), 4357 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles

planning for art during the His use of artwork in his design process rather than commercial projects attracted placing artwork on the build- the attention of financier ing as an afterthought. He felt Howard Ahmanson, head of that integrating visual arts into the Home Savings and Loan the design of a building would Association. Ahmanson hired create an exciting presence Sheets in 1954 to design the and personality not found in new Beverly Hills branch that commissioned out-of-work work is in . other commercial structures. of Home Savings and Loan. artists to create artwork for Aside from the examples Sheets also worked to create With its colorful mosaics public buildings. Sheets later in Claremont and Pomona, buildings that connected with and stained glass windows, served on juries for numerous notable buildings by Sheets the public on an emotional the building proved so art festivals, including the Los include numerous Home level, often using artwork popular with customers that Angeles County Fair. At the Savings branches, as well as to depict local or historical Ahmanson hired Sheets to fair, he arranged for winning Los Angeles’ Scottish Rite themes that were significant to design over forty additional artworks to be exhibited Masonic Temple (1961) on the surrounding community. Home Savings branch offices in public buildings around Wilshire Boulevard. In order to incorporate a as part of the company’s Southern California, including While Sheets’s architec- diverse collection of artwork expansion plan. This project Home Savings branches. tural projects received some from a variety of mediums, would be the most important Millard Sheets’s buildings mixed reviews from archi- Sheets put his philosophy and wide-ranging architectural are generally recognized by tecture critics, his innovative of the integrated arts into commission of Sheets’s career. their rectilinear forms and approach to design proved practice and called upon other In addition to incorporat- flat planes of natural stone popular with the general artists he knew to either ing artwork into many of the that serve as a backdrop for public, who continues to be execute his designs or con- Home Savings branch offices, bold integrated artwork. Only drawn to the colorful murals tribute their own work. Many Sheets worked throughout his some of his buildings can be and bold sculptures that of his colleagues at Scripps life to bring awareness to the classified as New Formalism, distinguish his buildings. This College became frequent integrated arts, developing yet in general, his architec- integration of art and archi- collaborators on his design many programs that promoted ture shares New Formalism’s tecture is a defining feature projects, including former stu- the relationship between art reinterpretation of tradi- of Sheets’s buildings—which dent Susan Lautmann Hertel and architecture. During the tional forms and styles with underscores the importance and fellow instructors such as Great Depression, Sheets modern aesthetics. Though of protecting both structure ceramic and textile artist Jean served on the local com- he did receive commissions and site-specific art together, Goodwin Ames and sculptor mittee of the Public Works in other parts of the country, in situ, as part of Millard Albert Stewart. Administration, where he his greatest concentration of Sheets’s unique legacy. helped coordinate projects

by larry underhill; lower left photo by regina o’brien by regina left photo underhill; lower s by larry right photo and lower top Former Home Savings and Loan (1956), Former Home Savings and Loan (1968), 1500 Vine St. 9245 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills (at Sunset Blvd.), Hollywood

3 vintage photo s courte s y of po m ona public library; color photo by larry underhill a blueprint for second street between park avenue urban revitalization. and linden street Five years in the planning, the mall Millard Sheets was just one part of 1962 a massive plan of civic improvements that were originally eauty in the downtown part envisioned to en- “Bof a city is a necessity, not compass nearly all a luxury. People will always of Pomona. respond to beauty if we make Sheets’s design it intimate and personal and for the shopping related to the charter and center was simple: close patron Howard Ahmanson to of vacancies in the retail integrity of the city.” This was off nine blocks of an exist- locate a new Home Savings stores. In 1977, five of the how Millard Sheets summed ing shopping district; add and Loan branch on the mall, nine blocks were reopened up his philosophy for the trees, benches, artwork, and resulting in the impressive to automobiles in an effort design of the Pomona Mall fountains; and include plenty tower designed by Sheets to lure shoppers back. The shortly after it opened in 1962. of nearby parking. Many (see page 5). The east end east end of the mall remained The Pomona Mall was hailed of these elements remain of the mall was anchored by closed to traffic, and it has as one of the first pedestrian today, including mosaics and upscale department store since been integrated into malls in the and sculptures by Sheets and Buffum’s (1962), with a sleek the campus for the Western nationally recognized as fellow artists Arthur and modern design by Welton University of Health Sciences. Jean Ames, Betty Davenport Becket & Associates. The west end of the mall is Ford, and John Svenson. The mall was initially now the center of a growing To enhance the potential vibrant and popular, but as arts colony, with galleries, for the project’s success, early as 1969 local newspapers studios, and restaurants. Sheets asked friend and noted an alarming number

4 chase tower (formerly home savings and loan)

rather than using the tradi- Like many of Sheets’s 100 west second street, tional concept of different architectural designs, the pomona treatments for the front and tower integrates site-specific Millard Sheets with rear. The double-height band artwork. A mosaic depicting Langdon & Wilson of travertine on the second a family scene is set within 1963 floor references Sheets’s the travertine band above the typical Home Savings designs. main entrance. On the interior, Yet for this project, he created the banking floor contains a uilt to house the new a texturally rich tower that large painted mural by Sheets BPomona branch of Home goes beyond the aesthetic of along with collaborator Susan Savings and Loan, this six- the other branches. Panels Hertel. Square columns clad story office tower is among of exposed aggregate con- in polished marble punctuate Sheets’s largest and most crete alternate with panels of the open space. unique architectural designs. sculptural grillwork (featur- Chase now owns the build- The building was developed ing an interlocking “H” and ing and announced a proposal as an anchor for the adjacent “S” design), emphasizing the in 2011 to demolish it. The Los pedestrian mall that Sheets verticality of the building. Angeles Conservancy and its designed, and both the Despite its solid appearance, Modern Committee are work- tower and mall are closely the building is almost entirely ing with local preservation and tied to the postwar urban glass on the ground floor and community groups to seek a revitalization efforts surround- third floor (above the traver- preservation solution. This ing downtown Pomona. tine band). The alternating threat underscores the vulner- The building features strict windows and grilles at the top ability of Sheets’s architecture symmetry and treats all four floor create a delicate cap for and the need for greater façades with equal emphasis, the structure. awareness and understanding of his work.

Vintage photo courtesy of Scripps College Archives, Ella Strong Denison Library; photo of “HS” detail by Alan Hess; other photos by Larry Underhill

5 American Museum of Ceramic Art (formerly pomona first federal savings and loan)

399 North garey avenue, he architect of the former Pomona First Federal The community grew very pomona Theadquarters of Pomona (PFF) commissioned Millard concerned over the fate of the First Federal Savings and Sheets to paint a massive mural after PFF was seized B. H. (Benjamin Hall) Loan is B. H. Anderson, who mural for the main banking by the FDIC in 2009 and its Anderson worked on the design of area, which was executed in branches sold to U.S. Bank. 1956 Sheets’s studio (also in 1956; his mural studio (see page The Garey Avenue location see page 9). The bank build- 9). Seventy-eight feet long, was closed, and the mural was ing is a two-story steel-frame “Panorama of the Pomona in danger of being sold and structure in the International Valley” depicts one hundred removed from the building. Style, defined by its flat roof, years of history in the valley When David Armstrong, grid-like arrangement of before the incorporation of founder and president of the steel-and-glass panels, and Pomona in 1888, from the time American Museum of Ceramic V intage photo courte s y of P o m ona P ublic L ibrary; smooth exterior, portions of Native American settle- Art, became interested in pur- of which are finished with a ments to the arrival of the chasing the building in 2010 grey terra-cotta veneer. As railroad. Sheets’s assistant as a new, much larger location part of its design, a display (and co-signer) on the mural for his museum, he insisted window was incorporated was his former student, Susan that the mural remain. It now into the Garey Avenue façade Lautmann (later Hertel), who provides a dynamic backdrop to showcase ceramic art. was one of his primary assis- to the museum’s main gallery. tants for many years. A ll other photo s by L arryU nderhill

6 u.s. bank (formerly pomona first federal savings and loan)

flight of steps, is a mosaic brightly colored painting of 393 west foothill of Native Americans on Native American villagers and boulevard, claremont horses surrounded by their horses is set on a curved Millard Sheets flowering yucca plants. wall facing the entry doors, 1969 This PFF building shares serving as the focal point of many design elements with the room. the iconic Home Savings Although the building has ited prominently at the branches that Sheets had seen changes over the years, Sintersection of two major been designing since 1954. the reconfigurations have streets, the former Claremont Its stone cladding, exte- been sensitive to the original branch of Pomona First rior mosaic, and simple, design, maintaining the promi- Federal (PFF), now U.S. Bank, monumental form link it nence of the mural inside the has a commanding presence thematically to the other bank bank and the classical simplic- on the street. project. What sets it apart ity of the exterior design. The structure has the from Sheets’s Home Savings In 1982, a drive-thru bank- classicism and symmetry of designs are the tall, slender ing station was added to the New Formalism, with huge columns that form a colon- east side of the parking lot. expanses of stone walls nade around the building, The small structure echoes surrounded by an arcade of emphasizing its classical form. the design of the bank, with Egyptian-style lotus columns. Inside, a mezzanine its travertine cladding and Popularized in the 1960s, New configuration provides mosaic decoration. Denis Formalism combines classical second-floor office space and O’Connor, who worked with forms and elements, such as a double-height banking area. Sheets on dozens of projects, columns and colonnades, with The additional height lends designed the small mosaic modernist aesthetics. spaciousness to the relatively to continue the theme of the Centered on the south small room and accom- larger original. wall, at the top of a small modates a large mural. The arry U nderhill s by L arry P hoto

7 garrison 231 east tenth street, claremont theater Millard Sheets with scripps college S. David Underwood 1963

arrison Theater was Gcommissioned by the Claremont University Consortium, an umbrella organization for the various Claremont Colleges. The venue, featuring a 630-seat au- ditorium, was built for use by the colleges as well as outside performance groups. Millard Sheets designed the building with architect S. David Underwood, a member of his design studio. The two collaborated on a number and Cleopatra, Romeo and of projects, including many the venue the centerpiece of Juliet, and King Lear. Home Savings branches. a new performing arts center. Inside, the theater has a The elegant and monumen- Although the stage area and wide yet shallow curved lobby, tal style of Garrison Theater auditorium were significantly dominated by three enormous exemplifies New Formalism. altered, the lobby and exterior and colorful tapestries by Set on a raised podium and remain in near-original condi- artists Arthur and Jean Ames. framed by white concrete col- tion, with the exception of The lobby’s floors are terrazzo umns, the massive three-story replacing the original bronze (cast and polished marble façade features an expanse of doors with glass. aggregate), which is typical of polished red granite flanked The new buildings that sur- the period. by patterned brickwork. Set round the theater were added In 1999, Scripps College as- into the granite are three in 2003. They are sensitive sumed ownership of Garrison monumental mosaics, thirty in scale and materials to the Theater and began a renova- feet high, depicting scenes original building. tion and expansion that made from Shakespeare’s Antony P hoto s by L arry U nderhill

8 claremont eye associates (formerly millard sheets studio)

expanses of white walls, deco- mosaic toucan. The double- 655 East Foothill rated with small mosaics. wide panel containing the boulevard, claremont On the southeast corner entry door is surrounded Millard Sheets with of the property stands what by a unique lattice made of B. H. Anderson and was originally the studio used stacked bands and cylinders of S. David Underwood for constructing murals. The travertine. A corrugated metal 1956-1959 studio’s windowless street fascia caps the building, giving façade is dotted with mosaics visual emphasis. of falconers and their birds While the building now illard Sheets’s former cavorting under the serves as Mdesign studio is an sun, moon, and medical offices, unassuming complex, a pair a scattering of the interior of buildings nestled in a stars. Gold tiles remains courtyard-like garden sur- embedded in the remarkably rounded by exotic plants and design glint in intact. The stone pathways. The original the sun. While owners travertine sign announc- the back of the bought the ing Millard Sheets building is property from Designs Inc. and one story, Millard Sheets, Millard Sheets the front portion retaining original design Murals Inc. still was designed elements where possible. stands at the with extra height Sheets’s own office (now front corner of to accommodate used for administration) still the property. large projects. A has its custom-made built-in Like Sheets’s two-story rolling furniture, including Sheets’s other designs, his scaffold built to facilitate huge desk and a bench for studio was a departure the work remains inside. visitors. The original cork still from the transparent boxes The main office and covers the walls, and favored by other modernists. design building is an unusual set of Unusual for an office and at the rear of the small shelves still studio, all the windows are garden. Its marble holds art pieces, on the rear or sides of the façade is divided as they did in buildings; no windows face the into vertical panels, Sheets’s time. street. In their place are solid each decorated with a charming arry U nderhill s by L arry P hoto

9 claremont united church of christ

The nave’s simple design is accentuated by the build- ing’s structural system of 233 west harrison tapered arches visible on both avenue, claremont the interior and exterior. Six large stained-glass windows, Millard Sheets with fabricated by Wallis-Wiley Theodore Criley, Jr. Studio of Pasadena, form a 1955 (Sanctuary) continuous wall of colored 1963 (Kingman Chapel) glass that illuminates the south aisle. Sheets designed the panels depicting the New n the mid-1950s, the United and Old Testaments, while IChurch of Christ sought to build a new and impres- sive church. Pastor Harold Jones turned to Millard Sheets, a member of the congregation, to spearhead the project. Working with local architect Theodore Criley, Jr., Sheets created an elegant design filled with art pieces that showcase the talents of the others depicting church The Henry Kingman McIntosh. Stained-glass win- Claremont-area artists. history were designed by Jos Chapel, located on the south dows by Douglas McClellan Framed by local river Maes of Wallis-Wiley. Custom- side of the main church and and a reredos (screen-like ele- rocks, the sanctuary’s main designed liturgical furnishings connected to the sanctuary by ment) behind the altar by Paul façade features a large ce- include the pulpit and lectern a breezeway, was completed Darrow complete the chapel ramic cross by Sheets and a with wood carvings by Albert in 1963. Artist Phil Dike design. The south wall of the New Testament quote with let- Stewart, an altar mosaic by created a mosaic above the adjoining enclosed garden tering by Malcolm Cameron. Arthur and Jean Ames, and chapel doors depicting the features a ceramic and mosaic Albert Stewart carved the benches by furniture maker Good Shepherd, while the panel by Betty Davenport wood panels flanking the . south exterior wall contains Ford depicting doves in flight. entrance doors. a ceramic cross by Harrison P hoto s by A nne L a s key

10 Millard Sheets was a highly acclaimed artist and a strong proponent of the integration of art and architecture. He incorporated all forms of art, be it mural, mosaic, sculpture, stained glass, or ceramic, into his architectural designs. He developed strong friendships and working artists partnerships with a number of artists associated with the rich cultural life in the . of the pomona Master mosaicist Denis O’Connor (1933-2007) valley immigrated to California from England at age 26 after receiving a fine arts degree in London. Millard Sheets discovered his work at a Scripps College exhibit in Arthur and Jean 1960. O’Connor participated Goodwin Ames (Arthur: in the production of many 1906-1975, Jean: 1903-1986) mosaics for the Sheets studio, were multidisciplinary artists including more than eighty for known especially for their Home Savings and Loan. work with enamel, tapestry, ceramics, and tile mosaic murals. The husband-and-wife team worked as teachers as Renowned sculptor Betty well as artists. Jean taught Davenport Ford (1924-) at Scripps College and has worked with a variety of Claremont Graduate School, mediums but is best known and Arthur taught at Otis for her ceramics, which were Art Institute. often of animals. Millard Sculptor John Edward Sheets served as an early Svenson (1923-) is a Los mentor and instructor, encour- Angeles native who attended aging Ford’s development as Scripps College, where he was an artist. In addition to her Sculptor Albert Stewart mentored by Millard Sheets career as a fine artist, she has (1900-1965) was born in and Albert Stewart. Svenson taught ceramics privately and England and grew up in New completed many sculptures as at several institutions. York. He eventually settled in part of architectural commis- Claremont and in 1939 became sions, including pieces for head of the Scripps College twenty-two Home Savings and sculpture department. An Loan branches. influential artist and respected teacher, he received commissions throughout the United States, includ- ing a number Susan Lautmann Hertel for Home (1930-1993) was an Illinois- Savings born painter who studied at and Loan Scripps College under Millard branches. Sheets and Jean Ames. She began assisting Sheets with mural installations in the early 1950s, and she went on to design other works for his studio in what would become a long and fruitful working re- arry U nderhill and L arry A nne L a s key lationship. She and Sheets also shared a passionate interest in horses, a recurring motif in

s by P hoto their art.

11 claremont N

MILLS CLAREMONT

AVE EYE ASSOCIATES on service U.S. BANK FOOTHILL BLVD road N INDIAN HILL BLVD HILL INDIAN N

A LEGACY OF ART & ARCHITECTURE BLVD CLAREMONT N MONTE VISTA AVE VISTA MONTE W 12TH ST AVE COLLEGE N PLATT BLVD is part of AVE HARVARD N

GARRISON W 10TH THEATER

W 8TH This booklet was produced in conjunction with a tour held on March 18, 2012. W 6TH ST ARROW RTE Tour research and booklet/script development W 5TH CLAREMONT UNITED by Adam Arenson, Jason Foo, Laurene Harding CHURCH OF CHRIST Rivas, Regina O’Brien, and Cheryll Dudley Roberts with Los Angeles Conservancy staff. TO 10 FWY ▼ TO 10 FWY ▼ Tour booklet introduction by Heather Goers. Tour materials designed by Chris Green.

N N TOWNE AVE See detail N INDIAN HILL BLVD above FOOTHILL BLVD

Tour booklet printed by Jano Graphics. GAREY AVE E ARROW H Cover photographs by Alan Hess, Anne Laskey, WY Regina O’Brien, and Larry Underhill. CLAREMONT

N WHITE AVE

Special thanks to Ray Fowler; Alan Hess; Christy BLVD CLAREMONT N Johnson, American Museum of Ceramic Art; Leea McDermott, Claremont Eye Associates; David

MONTE VISTA AVE

Shearer, Claremont Heritage; Belle Newman, ▼ Claremont Planning Division; Jonah Swick, Claremont TO LOS ANGELES United Church of Christ; Kirk Delman, Mary MacNaughton, Dennis Welch, and Kate Porter, HOLT BLVD Scripps College; and Daunn LoMonaco, U.S. Bank. POMONA See detail About the Los Angeles Conservancy below MISSION BLVD The Los Angeles Conservancy is a mem- bership-based nonprofit organization that

works through advocacy and education POMONA

to recognize, preserve, and revitalize GIBBS ST ▲ the historic architectural and cultural TO 10 FWY resources of Los Angeles County. The Conservancy was formed in 1978 as part of the community-based HOLT BLVD

effort to prevent demolition of the Los Angeles Central N PARK AVE GAREY AVE

N WHITE AVE AMOCA Library. It is now the largest local historic preservation E MONTEREY AVE organization in the U.S., with over 6,500 members and N TOWNE AVE hundreds of volunteers. For more information, visit laconservancy.org. 1ST ST About the Modern Committee POMONA MALL 2ND ST The Conservancy’s Modern CHASE 3RD ST Committee (ModCom) is a TOWER volunteer group formed in 1984 MISSION BLVD in response to the rapid destruction of a generation of postwar buildings. ModCom’s focus is twentieth- century architecture and related fields that reflect the heritage of modernism and popular culture. ModCom holds events, researches and nominates buildings for inside page landmark designation, and serves as an advocate for about millard sheets ...... 2 authentic mid-century modern design. ModCom holds pomona mall ...... 4 monthly meetings at interesting locations throughout chase tower (formerly home savings and loan)...... 5 L.A. County. For more information, visit modcom.org. amoca (formerly pomona first federal)...... 6 Los Angeles Conservancy u.s. bank (formerly pomona first federal)...... 7 523 W. 6th Street, Suite 826 Los Angeles, CA 90014 garrison theater ...... 8 213.623.2489 claremont eye associates (formerly sheets studio) ...... 9 ©2012 Los Angeles Conservancy. All rights reserved. claremont united church of christ...... 10 artists of the pomona valley...... 11 12