{"id":271664,"date":"2026-01-05T13:39:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=271664"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:39:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:39:50","slug":"chu-gooding-aids-la-louver-transition","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/chu-gooding-aids-la-louver-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Art History: Chu-Gooding Aids L.A. Louver\u2019s Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"exterior
Chu-Gooding re-paved the patio, painted the flagstone-patterned concrete wall charcoal, and created a new aperture for the entry. At times the custom steel trellis casts shadows reminiscent of a Sol LeWitt work. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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January 5, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Edie\u00a0Cohen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Nils Timm<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Art History: Chu-Gooding Aids L.A. Louver\u2019s Transition<\/h1>\n\n\n

Although change is the new constant, the pivoting of a longstanding institution is always a surprise. That would be the L.A. Louver. The beachfront Venice gallery, founded in 1975 by ex-pat Brits Peter and Elizabeth Goulds and designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners<\/a>, grew to be a local community hub and cornerstone of the Los Angeles contemporary art scene its sphere of influence extending internationally given the status of affiliated artists: David Hockey, Alison Saar, Tony Belant, Richard Deacon, Mark di Suvero, and Gajin Fujita to name a few. After a half century, in which the gallery mounted more than 660 exhibitions and shown work by more than 430 artists, the site shuttered to the public last autumn. Its owners opted for a new model focusing on consulting, a digital operation, and the occasional show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for its vast archive and library? L.A. Louver is gifting it to the Huntington, a museum, library, and botanical garden in San Marino, about a 35-minute drive away. That\u2019s just part of the story. Preceding the decision, the gallery needed more warehouse space and opted to transform a vacant 13,730-square-foot, bowstring truss building in L.A.\u2019s mid-city to a multi-phased, hybrid facility. Enter Chu-Gooding<\/a>, helmed by married architects Annie Chu and Rick Gooding. \u201cWe got the call based on the Autry Resource Center,\u201d says Chu of their comprehensive storage, display, and conservation project for the Burbank museum. \u201cWe\u2019re the museum closet experts,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chu-Gooding Restores The L.A. Louver Collections Facility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"exterior
Chu-Gooding re-paved the patio, painted the flagstone-patterned concrete wall charcoal, and created a new aperture for the entry. At times the custom steel trellis casts shadows reminiscent of a Sol LeWitt work. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the L.A. Louver warehouse, the architects first effected some exterior alterations. They closed up most windows and filled in others with glass block. \u201cThe building is intended to be visually anonymous from the street,\u201d notes Gooding. \u201cThere is no signage.\u201d Its only signal is a street-fronting entry off a newly created patio shaded by a custom steel trellis that simultaneously masks the adjacent metro running overhead. Inside, they refurbished the concrete floor to dead level, built a 12-foot-high drywall surround within the 15-foot-high volume, and initially focused strictly on storage systems. Cardboard cases for paintings; crates for large works or assemblages; pallets for large irregular works; boxes and tubes for multiples; flat files for drawings. Aisles had to be wide enough for a forklift given the size of some sculpture. \u201cCollection storage was a 3D puzzle, not just in plan,\u201d Gooding comments. \u201cKnowing that you can use the \u2018air space\u2019 between the large trusses as storage was not something they had initially considered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor had the Goulds initially considered the range of possibilities open to the art world\u2019s changing landscape. Over the years, more than a decade in fact, Chu, Gooding, and the clients expanded the scope of operations, hypothesizing varying scenarios and designing prospective solutions for each case. Thus, the L.A. Louver Archive & Collections Facility, as it came to be called, was a continuous work in progress. Ultimately, it ended up with spaces dedicated to:\u00a0a gallery, collection storage, library archive, loading and crating. Work stations entered the picture as folks from the Venice gallery transitioned to a new workplace. A kitchen cum lobby zone addressed entertaining-event needs and client welcome. The patio was another nod to hospitality. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at how many functions are necessary for a gallery or museum,\u201d Chu cites the chief takeaway. Add workplace into the mix, and we realize that \u201chospitality and conviviality are necessary and all are joined at the hip.\u201d In other words, embrace the fluidity and evolving nature characteristic of all design genres today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside The L.A. Louver Archive & Collections Facility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"reception
A Jens Risom sofa from Knoll and Noguchi coffee table define the reception area, which adjoins a kitchenette with custom walnut cabinetry. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"kitchen
La Palma\u2019s Lem Piston bar stools hug the solid surfacing counter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"walnut
Just inside the patio a walnut reception stand greets visitors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"room
The concrete floor is refurbished and leveled to for easy motion of rolling storage units.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"storage
Open shelving creates a partition between gallery and storage areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"warehouse
Looking into the warehouse with gallery to the left and palette plus dolly storage options to the right. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n