While Googie architecture is considered “ esthetically unrestrained” and at first seemingly incompatible with Williams’ style, the talented architect successfully created a drive-up motel replete with neon signs that did in fact grab the attention of tourists with its bright and bold features, yet still retains the architect’s elegant architectural DNA. While Googie-inspired buildings originated in Southern California in the late 1940s, their popularity would expand through the ‘60s, when Williams was commissioned to design a motel that could compete with the hotel-casinos planted on Las Vegas’ famous strip. Neon Museum, formerly the La Concha Motel | Julian Dunn/Flickr/ CC BY 2.0 La Concha Motel, The Neon Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada Three years later, the hotel’s remaining structures were demolished and replaced with the headquarters of the Banco de la República. On April 9, 1948, however, the hotel was badly damaged during the Bogotazo riots that followed the assassination of presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. Several apartment buildings, two night clubs, twenty shops, and 310 guest rooms resided in the newly renovated space. He added a “ bit of California glitz and glamour with a decided South American flair,” which produced a commanding complex that covered an entire city block. Williams’ illustrious career and global reputation prompted the owners of the Hotel Granada in Bogotá, Colombia to commission the architect to add onto the popular luxury hotel in the 1940s Williams was tasked with adding a 14-story addition to the 1920s building. Parker, 1940 The Huntington Library, San Marino, California Rendering: Robert Lockwood Hotel Granada, Bogota, Colombia, architectural drawing | Maynard L. Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California Despite the discriminatory racial practices that Williams encountered during his career, he exceeded in a field where he was often “the first” or “the only one.” Here are seven of Williams’ outstanding architectural feats, among the more than 2,000 projects. The honor is a testament to the endurance of his work, which will be heralded for generations to come. In 2017, the American Institute of Architects posthumously awarded Williams its Gold Medal, the highest honor for an American architect. While he is often celebrated for the exquisite homes he designed for Hollywood’s elite, his other projects showcased the diversity of his design interests and his architectural acuteness. In an era where architects typically majored in one style, he excelled in every architectural style, making him one of the most renowned architects, not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the world. Williams would design some of Los Angeles’ most celebrated homes and structures. Born in downtown Los Angeles on February 18, 1894, architect Paul R.
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