Architect Corner - Neptune and Thomas
Neptune and Thomas, Architects originated in Pasadena, CA by Donald Neptune and Joseph Thomas in 1953. The firm later grew into a large practice headquartered in San Diego, CA.
This post contains a selection of projects by the architects, mostly educational buildings with a performing arts center thrown in. I appreciate the modern style of these buildings, some more brutalist than others.
York Hall, Revelle College at UCSD,1964
York Hall is a favorite for many to photograph at UCSD. I like the building’s low profile, the eucalyptus grove in front and walking under the graceful concrete canopy.
Blair High School Sports Complex,1965
The Blair High School Sports Complex is a circular building that always makes me smile when I see it.
George W. Downs Laboratory of Physics and Charles C. Lauritsen Laboratory of High Energy Physics, 1969
Other than the students taking class in the George W. Downs Laboratory of Physics and Charles C. Lauritsen Laboratory of High Energy Physics building, not many notice this Caltech building. Still, there is much to appreciate in the pattern on the concrete and the horizontal bands of windows framed in concrete.
West Covina City Hall, 1969 1444 W. Garvey Ave. West Covina
From the Los Angeles Conservancy website: It is lightened by its shape, which is narrower at the base and wider at the top to decrease the structure's ground mass and open the first floor up to the public plaza outside. Horizontal bands of windows serve to further lighten the large building, and a series of open balconies and decks around the perimeter make the effect much more open and welcoming than that of most Brutalist designs. Whimsical globe light fixtures hang from freestanding poles around the courtyard and building entries. West Covina's City Hall is a success by both public service and architectural standards.
Shown below, another building that I have seen attributed to Neptune and Thomas - the West Covina Police Department Building located at the Civic Center complex. This is the side elevation of the police department.
Haugh Performing Arts Center, 1971 1000 W. Foothill Blvd.,Glendora
From the Los Angeles Conservancy website: The sprawling building is Late Modern in style with some hints of Brutalism; it is faced with plain gray concrete block accented by smooth white concrete and stucco elements. Its front façade curves invitingly, featuring a simple canopy supported by stocky concrete blocks and topped by two large cylinders announcing the entrance. Whimsical globe light fixtures illuminate the way to the auditorium, where performances of all kinds take place, up to 200 times a year.