Tour de Force – Architecture Tours L.A. is No Crash Course

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Story and photos by Nikki Pedersen

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Out of a Brentwood hillside, at 449 Skyewiay Road, cantilevers a Lloyd Wright masterpiece whose supervising architect was John Lautner. Even Laura Massino, architectural historian and owner of Architecture Tours L.A, has to pause in reverence. “If I could choose any house to live in, it’d be that one,” Massino declares. That day, the only Sturges House occupant to show any interest in our longing is four-legged Woosh; we’re off in a black ’62 Caddy before his bark hits our tail fins.

For $50 each, you too can have the next-best thing to time travel, cruising the decades with up to four other passengers, riding in style from Victorian to Postmodern and everything in between. There’s Hollywood, Silver Lake, Hancock/Miracle Mile, West Hollywood/Beverly Hills and Pasadena tours to get you started. And then there’s the ones you can custom-order. “I get a lot of people from out of town,” says Massino: “they get to see all this great architecture without getting lost!”

Pedal to the metal, it’s the best ride in town–for visitors and us locals.