Un-renovation

Long Beach–based architect Kelly Sutherlin McLeod specializes in "historic preservation and revitalization of significant structures."

Often, this involves returning an historic building to something closer to its original form and eliminating, or at least downplaying, various unfortunate renovations and modernizations that have been carried out over the years.

A good example is this 1920s Spanish Revival house in Sierra Madre, which some previous owner had bastardized into a Mid-Century Modern.


Although she has worked on such important properties as the Gamble House in Pasadena and Harold Lloyd's former Greenacres estate in Beverly Hills (now owned, and reportedly hocked, by supermarket tycoon Ron Burkle), the architect is from being stuck on pre-WWII buildings. In fact, her offices are in an International Style building designed by Edward Killingsworth in 1955 for his own architecture firm. That's appropriate: Like Killingworth, McLeod is a graduate of the USC School of Architecture.

For more on both Sutherlin McLeod and Killingsworth, see this USC Trojan Family Magazine article.