You can find beauty in the strangest of places, even in the tainted odor of this popular second street tunnel in DTLA.  Today, this famous tunnel is considered a recognizable landmark that can be seen in car commercials and movies. The tunnel stretches at a total of 1,500 feet giving it a unique hue of light desirable to anyone who enters what many call, “one big light box.” The textures from the white glazed tile that surround the tunnel provide a glossy finish that appeals to anyone who enjoys taking photos. To me, it’s pure ecstasy when I’m able to capture the beauty and light of something so simple, yet so fascinating to the unaided eye.

Take note of the small things. It makes life that much more beautiful.

Renowned architect Pierre Koenig is famed for his steel-framed houses, most famously the Stahl House (Case Study House #22), which overlooks all of Los Angeles from the Hollywood Hills. Less well known but no less admired is Koenig’s earlier Bailey House (Case Study House #21), which is tucked into those same Hollywood Hills on a small, nondescript lot. He designed it for psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary, a contemporary-minded couple who wanted a small house in the Mid-Century Modern style. Unlike many other homeowners, the Baileys were open to the idea of a steel-framed house, and Koenig was able to realize his vision of an open plan design that was both affordable and beautiful. Completed in 1959, the Bailey House was envisioned as a prototype for modern housing that could be produced on a large scale, perfectly in keeping with the goals of Arts + Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program. It is a simple one-story box with a flat roof, built mostly of steel and glass.

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