Culver City Contemporary

With the recent completion and press coverage of Samitaur Tower by Eric Owen Moss Architects, I felt compelled to take a look at the projects he has created for Frederick and Laurie Samitaur-Smith (Samitaur Constructs) in Culver City. Looking at the web pages of the architect and client, I counted a dozen buildings and small interventions in an old industrial area south of National Boulevard on either side of Hayden Avenue, aka Hayden Tract. It is a unique and amazing assemblage of industrial reuse uniting one architect and one client.

Yet not having visited the area, and with most coverage focused on individual designs, it was hard to get an overall idea of the 25-year (and counting) project that is transforming the once-blighted area into an area with "creative work space, restaurants, grassy parks and — with the addition of Samitaur Tower I — exhibit and performance space for the many dimensions of culture." So I decided to map the various buildings and installations to get a better handle on the ongoing project. Be sure to click on the image below for a better graphic.


[Click image for larger, expanded view with thumbnails of projects | aerial source]

1. 8522 National Boulevard Complex
2. 3520 Hayden Ave
3. The Box
4. Samitaur (east of aerial)
5. 3535 Hayden Ave.
6. What Wall?
7. The Umbrella
8. Slash & Backslash
9. Stealth
10. Beehive
11. 3555 Hayden Ave
12. Samitaur Tower
13. 3585 Hayden Ave (under construction)

 The image above and accompanying larger, expanded view are based primarily on the project list on Eric Owen Moss's web page, ordered chronologically, from 1986 to present.