Jeffrey Kalban

"You've seen my paintings right? So you know I like color." That's architect Jeffrey Kalban talking, and as any visitor who's seen his geometric abstract canvases in his West Los Angeles office can attest, Kalban doesn't simply like color. He adores it. The brighter the better. Those who haven't seen Kalban's paintings will get a chance to check out the wiry 55-year-old architect's visual flair via two new projects.

SOLITUDE may not be the first word that comes to mind for visitors arriving at the front door of Gerald and Merle Measer's newly renovated home in Malibu. Dwellings on this shoreline block seem to elbow one another for a coveted ocean view. Houses to the left and right stand only 5 feet away from the stucco walls of the Measers' home. Across the street, houses and condominiums stand on higher ground, peering over their roof like sports fans at a stadium looking over the heads of people in front.

As a sign company, we ordinarily spend a lot of time sparring with project architects, who either want signs to be decorative rather than readable, or who want them to be invisible. We sent architect Jeffrey Kalban designs for the Pan Pacific Recreation Center that echoed the Streamline Moderne style but followed all accessibility standards both in letter and spirit ("Built for Body and Soul," by Hugh Hart, March 24). Rather than an argument from Mr. Kalban, we got an unexpected call congratulating us. As a member of the new Advisory Committee for Universal Design to the State Architect, I congratulate Mr. Kalban on his vision.

As a sign company, we ordinarily spend a lot of time sparring with project architects, who either want signs to be decorative rather than readable, or who want them to be invisible. We sent architect Jeffrey Kalban designs for the Pan Pacific Recreation Center that echoed the Streamline Moderne style but followed all accessibility standards both in letter and spirit ("Built for Body and Soul," by Hugh Hart, March 24). Rather than an argument from Mr. Kalban, we got an unexpected call congratulating us. As a member of the new Advisory Committee for Universal Design to the State Architect, I congratulate Mr. Kalban on his vision.

SOLITUDE may not be the first word that comes to mind for visitors arriving at the front door of Gerald and Merle Measer's newly renovated home in Malibu. Dwellings on this shoreline block seem to elbow one another for a coveted ocean view. Houses to the left and right stand only 5 feet away from the stucco walls of the Measers' home. Across the street, houses and condominiums stand on higher ground, peering over their roof like sports fans at a stadium looking over the heads of people in front.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jeffrey M. Kalban for creating a residence that is distinctive and appropriate for the Malibu coast ["The Ultimate Sea Change," May 10]. He joins a handful of architects who have achieved success in that endeavor. Somewhere in the party that is his success, I must inject an obituary for the ranch-style house that was the donor for this project. The ranch style is a native California modern design that embodies the modesty and honesty that were key to the success of America.

O'Leary Terasawa Partners has won an honor award from the San Fernando Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the renovation and expansion of the 44-year-old St. Martin of Tours Church in Brentwood. The chapter presented one honor award--the AIA's highest citation--two merit awards and six certificates of distinction at its annual installation and awards banquet at the MountainGate Country Club in Brentwood. Judging the contest entries were William R.

A good architect designs a building that will stand the test of time, whether it be a cultural center that will be visited by millions or an ordinary public library. At a special ceremony today, the San Fernando Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects will honor some of those good architects who call the Valley home.

Long thought of among outsiders as a bland landscape of homogeneous single-family tract homes, the San Fernando Valley is actually home to a number of architecturally unique structures. Some of those structures were recognized recently by the San Fernando Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects in an effort to encourage more quality architecture in the Valley.

More than 10 years after fire destroyed the Pan Pacific Auditorium, a new building on the Park La Brea site will pay homage to the landmark theater's distinctive architecture. The new Pan Pacific Park Recreation Center's 45-foot-high spire recalls the auditorium's fin-shaped towers, a noted example of Streamline Moderne design. The 1930s style, defined by curving shapes that hint at motion and the machine age, is also integrated into the new center's gymnasiums, stage and classroom space.

"You've seen my paintings right? So you know I like color." That's architect Jeffrey Kalban talking, and as any visitor who's seen his geometric abstract canvases in his West Los Angeles office can attest, Kalban doesn't simply like color. He adores it. The brighter the better. Those who haven't seen Kalban's paintings will get a chance to check out the wiry 55-year-old architect's visual flair via two new projects.

After years of debate over a controversial plan to tame unruly growth, ease traffic and enhance Ventura Boulevard, a team of architects has unveiled its vision of what the 17-mile road might look like in the year 2000 and beyond. In an effort to make the boulevard's communities distinctive, tree-lined jogging trails, public sculpture and parking lots that double as public plazas characterize the designs that will be presented to the public sometime this summer.

The creation of a main street for Sherman Oaks is the goal of an ad hoc citizens committee looking at local urban-design issues, architect Jeffrey M. Kalban reported at a meeting of the Sherman Oaks Town Council this week. "The important thing is that we realize the opportunity we have to try to make things better," said Kalban, who has drafted architectural drawings based on the committee's ideas.