case study

La Tijera

Westchester | Los Angeles, ca

The project considers the history and understanding of a tight-knit community to develop a space worthy of Westchester. Not just the history of the city but the owners themselves have a history within this city. The owner's first business in this town has been open and run by the family for over 30 years; now, this establishment is part of the heart and identity of Westchester. The approach was to bridge the location's rich history while also incorporating the innovation of what it is becoming with tech companies rushing to be in the hub of Southern California. It consists of whisky bar scheme inspiration with leather seats, private booths, and warm colors but with a twist by bringing forth the exterior inside and including nature as part of the interior. Not to mention the use of exterior seating as part of the extension of the bar-restaurant to increase seating and distinguish different ambient to the location.

21 0701 La Tijera - Presentation Package Page 008.jpg

What Abbot Kinney is to Venice Beach, Fritz Burns is to Westchester - Playa del Rey

1. Westchester tracts, Los Angeles. 1942

2. Westchester tracts, Los Angeles. 1942

3. The Fritz Burns “Post-War House” and traffic, Wilshire and Highland, Los Angeles. 1945

4. Los Angeles Municipal Airport, Los Angeles. 1930

Source: 164955, Dick Whittington Studios, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Source: 15307, Dick Whittington Studios, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Source: 15306, Dick Whittington Studios, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Source: 173544, Dick Whittington Studios, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

History of Westchester

Westchester is a neighborhood that has slowly become an innovative tech hub in Southern California. This neighborhood, rich in history, has seen the rise of an urban sprawl since its inception in the early 1900s by home developer Fritz Burns. By the late 1940s and early 1950s, what was back then a factory for the war machine turned around to be a factory and town for aviation and exploration of aerospace. Yet still, most jobs were being offered in the large shopping mall of Milliron, which employed many of the residents of Westchester. This mall was the most innovative design of its time as it integrated parking space onto its roof to incorporate what LA was becoming a car-topia. The town on itself was a predominantly white residential neighborhood for workers across Los Angeles and primarily for those who worked in and around the community.

Furthermore, with the civil rights and many supreme court cases of the 60, the demographics of Westchester started to change. The town grew to over 30k residents before LAX establish as the leading creator of jobs, which created a workforce boom and saw Westchester grow tremendously as a town and become the primary residential place for middle-class America that worked in and around LAX. This town became a place for those with decent jobs to afford a home. Westchester became an area where neighbors and those that work in it got to know each other (Garner, 2017 & Gnerre, 2019)

Aerial view of LA International Airport shortly after its postwar renovations

Source: Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Collection, USC Libraries

Westchester Original Subdivision Lots

Source: University of Southern California Libraries & California Historical Society

Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation Building under construction, Westchester, November 10, 1954

Innovation booms as Laboratories for Military and Electronics Systems take off

Source: Source: University of Southern California Libraries & California Historical Society

1950 Westchester - Playa Del Rey Community Historical Maps

Source: 1950-52 USGS Topographic Map of the Venice Quadrangle

1950 - LAX Site

1972 - LAX Site

Source: 1972 USGS Topographic Map of the Venice Quadrangle

1964 - LAX Site

Source: 1964 USGS Topographic Map of the Venice Quadrangle

1981 - LAX Site

Source: 1981 USGS Topographic Map of the Venice Quadrangle

La Tijera, Westchester - Parcel Map & Land Subdivision

Parcel Map - Los Angeles Assessor Office

Initial Visits

Exterior

Existing Façade

Roof

Interior

Project Proposal

It consists of whisky bar scheme inspiration with leather seats, private booths, and warm colors but with a twist by bringing forth the exterior inside and including nature as part of the interior. Not to mention the use of exterior seating as part of the extension of the bar-restaurant to increase seating and distinguish different ambient to the location.

Inspiration