Pasadena Art Museum (Norton Simon Museum), 1969
1969
Ladd & Kelsey Architects
Thornton Ladd and John Kesley’s 85,000 square foot Pasadena Art Museum opened in 1969. The museum was meant to showcase modern art in a modern setting and, after falling into some hardship, was taken over by Norton Simon and renamed the Norton Simon Institute in 1974. USC alumni and Pasadena-based Ladd & Kelsey designed the museum as a pivot point between the area’s residential and commercial areas.
Wayne Thom photographed the building in 1970s, soon after its opening. An establishing image taken by helicopter provides a clear reading of the building’s H-shaped form punctuated by cylindrical skylights. Inside, Thom’s photographs show how large circlar openings illuminate the highly polished floors, shimmering surfaces that appear like slick oil on an expanse of water. Outside, he beautifully captured the building throughout the day showing it almost morphing into different shapes with the changing light. Ladd & Kelsey’s curvilinear exteriors, clad with deep red mottled tile, recall the redwood siding on nearby bungalows. Thom’s photographs give visual credence to Los Angeles Times reporter Valerie Nelson’s observation that the building’s surfaces “appeared to change color with the sun.” His use of subdued tones at sunset paints the surfaces a rich bronze, while under the warm Pasadena sun they appear dark brown and in high contrast with white roof lines and green lawns.
References:
Valerie J. Nelson, “Architect John Kelsey dies at 86; designer of Pasadena Museum”.
Norton Simon Museum, Museum History, web.