Watch, Read, Listen

Following an international search, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens announced today the appointment of University of Michigan history professor Susan Juster to the position of W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research.

If a blueprint can help reveal the biography of a building then “a biography of modern Los Angeles” might be a good way to describe the John and Donald Parkinson collection recently acquired by The Huntington.

The little-known cache contains more than 20,000 items, including drawings, blueprints, office records, photographs, and ephemera. Adding dramatically to The Huntington’s growing strength in Southern California architectural history, this acquisition was made possible by the donation of Wm. Scott Field, a restoration architect who took great care in stewarding the archive for decades.

The firm’s landmark buildings in LA include Bullocks Wilshire; Braly Block, the city’s first skyscraper; the Homer Laughlin Building (now Grand Central Market); Los Angeles City Hall; the Memorial Coliseum; and Union Station, in addition to the campus master plan for USC. These buildings were either designed by John Parkinson and his partner Edwin Bergstrom (Parkinson and Bergstrom, 1905–1915) or by John and his son, Donald Parkinson (Parkinson and Parkinson, 1920–1935). The archive spans from 1894 to 1994, during which John Parkinson and his successors developed more than 400 structures. The wealth of materials from the early 1900s to the 1930s demonstrate the rapid growth of Los Angeles at that time.

Famed British novelist Hilary Mantel died on Sept. 22. Mary Robertson, The Huntington’s former William A. Moffett Curator of British Historical Manuscripts, remembers Mantel’s extraordinary talent and their special friendship.

The exhibition of works by the Los Angeles–based artist is the last in a trilogy of shows on contemporary female artists curated by The New Yorker magazine critic Hilton Als.

The two paintings will go on view in the Huntington Art Gallery starting Feb. 15, 2023.

One of the joys of a garden is that it is a living laboratory, full of opportunities for discovery. Most home gardeners have experimented with plants, learning through trial and error which ones will thrive in their local conditions.

From handmade jewelry and a curated book selection to cool apparel, toys, and home decor, these items are in tune with The Huntington’s remarkable library, art, and botanical collections.

The renovation project includes the restoration of the front of the original 1911 building and a new pavilion opening onto the Shakespeare Garden.