Joseph Young & His Work: Triforium and Topographic Map of Water Sources

The Triforium's 40th birthday was December 11. Belated best wishes.

Originally installed in 1975, the work is by the late Joseph Young--I've blogged about his mosaic work before, but the Triforium is unique. Not a mosaic but a six story-high sculpture sitting at Temple and Main, fitted out with a carillon of glass bells. Nearly 1500 glass prisms--actually, hand-blown bits of glass from Murano, Venice--give a nod to mosaics (at least in my mind). In 2006 the Trirforium was cleaned up and the burned-out light bulbs replaced--but no effort to update it was made.

Now, both LACurbed and the LADowntownnews blog (also the source of this photo) report on fundraising efforts to refurbish the Triforium so that it functions even beyond the hopes of its creator.

A website called TheTriforiumProject that explains the push to update a piece of art that was, enthusiasts say, far ahead of its time.

Improvements would include replacing the light bulbs (largely burned out again) with long-lasting LEDs and creating a new computer to synchronize the music and lights. Not hard to imagine that the original 1975 software failed to do that consistently. But what sort of computer did you work on in 1975? (ummm, none. I'm not even sure that whatever was installed in the Triforium in 1975 can be called a computer.)

You can see many pictures and links to press coverage of the December 11th birthday party on the Joseph Young Fan page on Facebook.

The picture at left, clearly not the Triforium, is nearby at the County Hall of Records on Temple Street. It's also public art by Joseph Young; it it is a mosaic, and I'll switch gears and talk about it soon--promise.

The best pictures I've found of the Triforium are with an article from the California Historical Society--it even has an early rendering showing lasers shooting out of the tops of the pillars! That proposed feature was cut early on--not just because of soaring costs, but I suspect also due to technology constraints.

That well-researched article by Jessica Hough includes a biography of Joseph Young, color photos of the Triforium under construction, and Young's own words about the project.

Young envisioned his "kinetic color-music sculpture" as interacting with the people that passed by. Today, plans might include an app. Seriously. Triforium.la proposes an app that would allow "people to send "polyphonoptic" compositions for the Triforium to play." That sounds perfectly reasonable to me, but five years ago I would have laughed at the idea.

AND . . . because it is, after all, Mosaic Monday, I couldn't help but notice that Ms. Hough's article for the California Historical Society also includes this beautiful photo of one of Joseph Young's other works, the one I referenced a few paragraphs ago: the 1962 mosaic fountain titled "Topographic Map of Water Sources in County of Los Angeles" which is located at the Hall of Records on Temple Street. Beautiful, yes, because it shows that this work of art also needs some TLC.

According to Jessica Hough (who also took or owns this picture), "Young worked with architect Richard Neutra on the design that includes a topographic map of the city."

This photo and the pictures below, showing the mosaic in better and non-drought years, come from the LA County Arts Page. There I learned that:

Artist Joseph Young worked closely with the building’s architects, including Richard Neutra, to achieve a design for the wall. Young first designed the mural to portray only geological features and later added water sources to tie the mural together with the reflecting pool Neutra placed at the wall’s base. The mosaic’s map imagery was inspired by the records and maps kept within the Hall of Records.

The mosaic was cleaned and refurbished in 2007-8 by Donna Williams, and that when she was done, "for the first time in 20 years, water flowed through the mural."\

Joseph Young Mosaic and Art

Today's mosaic by Joseph Young stands in  the lobby of Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills, on Burton Way.

Young's mosaic, along with other artwork for the temple, was commissioned by Sidney Eisenshtat, the original architect. It was Eisenshtat's first major design, but it was followed by many more, like the Friar's Club and Temple Sinai. Eisenshtat lived to be 90, and passed away in 2005. Here's a link to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, which lists many of his works.

Temple Emanuel opened in 1953 without the mosaic (it came along in 1955) and was refurbished lately by Rios Clementi Hale Studios. Here's a great article in the Los Angeles Times Magazine about the renovation and its deeper meaning.

The Times online piece includes a pictorial of old and new pictures of the temple, showing the black and white 1950's and 1960's photos alongside shots of the renovated site. I borrowed this picture of the mosaic from them, but to see the whole enchilada, go here.

The photo below, showing the entire mosaic, came from the Joseph L. Young Facebook fan page. The temple has a Facebook page too.

The LA Is My Beat Blog posted a wonderful 1955 newspaper photo of Young working on the mosaic, here.

There's actually a reason that I feature more of Joseph Young's work today as opposed to, say, a month hence. I have blogged about him before--his UCLA History of Mathematics mosaic, for example. . . I'm too lazy to go searching for them. Just put "Joseph Young" into the search box if you're interested.

Anyway--

Today is the 36th anniversary of the installation of the Triforium in Los Angeles, in the Civic Center area at Temple and Main. I learned that by becoming a fan of the Joseph L. Young Facebook page.

So it seems appropriate to feature a mosaic by Young, the Triforium's creator. This picture of the Triforium in 2011 is from Wikipedia, as is the link.

Family by Joseph Young

The elegant and sparkling family at right are facing the same problem that so many of our neighbors have gone through--they lost their home and are looking for another.

That's actually true; I am not being sarcastic.

This lovely mosaic, surrounded by many smaller images, was created by Joseph L. Young in 1964 for the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center in Sherman Oaks.

That Center (and several others, like the Silverlake JCC) closed after a long fight to stay open, in 2009.  Everything in it was auctioned off.

The artist--who created many other works, including the mosaics on the Math Building at UCLA, and the Trifonium downtown, died in 2007.

If you'd like to see more of his work, here is his Facebook page, maintained by his daughters. That's where these pictures came from, as well as the pictures from an earlier post I did on the mosaics at the Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills.

Some photos are in black and white, with members of his family, and others show installations over past decades.

Young's family was able to reacquire the mosaics from the JCC and they're now looking for an appropriate venue. This main mosaic of the nuclear family stands 7 feet high and 3 feet wide.

In the picture below--part of the Los Angeles Public Library collection--the artist is on the left, identified as Dr. Joseph L. Young.

The man second from the right is actor Herschel Bernardi.

The photographer was Bob Martin and the picture ran in the Valley Times, I think. The event was the dedication of the mosaic in the community center lobby on January 23, 1964.  Right above Joseph Young's head you can just see one of the smaller mosaics, Music, that surround the main picture. Others represent different facets of life. But the Music piece is at right.

The other folks are Mrs. Kenneth Shore, Bert Gold, Mrs. Arthur Becker, and to the right of Bernardi, Milton Malkin.

Boys and girls, once upon a time, ladies didn't have names of their own. They were known as appendages of their husbands, except among very good friends.

That's one silly custom I was glad to see the end of!

Joseph Young at Belmont High School

Since the schools are closed today, let's post a tribute to artwork therein!

Belmont High School is home to a mosaic by Joseph Young (it's also the alma mater of Ricardo Montalban, Jack Webb, Anthony Quinn, Mort Sahl, and other luminaries).

This particular picture and the signature photo of comes from R. L. Swihart's Blog, Without Lifting a Finger. Since I'm lifting it from him (hope he doesn't mind) I guess I'm actually the one lifting a finger-the one poised over the keyboard.

To learn more about Joseph Young, let me point you to both his FB fan page and some previous posts:

• The Temple Emanuel mosaic in Beverly Hills

• The Family Mosaic, installed in the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center

• The Police Dept's Architectural History of Los Angeles Mosaic

• Eden Memorial Park Mosaics in Mission Hills

• UCLA's History of Mathematics Mosaic, here and here

• Links to his obituary and other artwork

Obituary: Joseph Young

A small collection of sites where Joseph Young's public art can be seen:

At left is the Triforium, his most notorious piece—2 pictures including an aerial view are on the Public Art in LA site, as well as background information on the "poly-phonoptic kinetic tower" (which is what he called it).

The Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles lists the following works and their addresses, but little other info:

• Architectural History of Los Angeles (a mosaic in Parker Center)
  

• Belmont Hight School Mural (Untitled)



• Bernardette at Lourdes (Untitled) (at Our Lady of Lourdes, on 3rd Street)


• Don Bosco Mural (Untitled) (at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead) (photo at right)


• History of Mathematics (at UCLA, see below)
  
• Map of the Neighborhood (Untitled) (inside the Hollenbeck Police Station)


• Prayer, Study & Assembly (entrance of Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills)


• Twelve Tribes of Ancient Israel (the Court Mausoleum at Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills)
  
• Water Sources in L.A. County (Hall of Records)

That last item (Water Sources in L.A. County) is outside the Hall of Records on Temple Street. Pictures of it, under the name Topographical Map, are on Public Art in LA along with background information. The Los Angeles County Arts Commission also has a page on this mosaic and granite mural, done in 1962.

His last work, finished in 1992, was the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum Monument, pictured at right. Information about this is on the Public Art in LA site, but the Monument has its own website as well.

Below is a picture showing part of the mosaic mural that decorates the exterior of the Mathematical Science Building at UCLA.

Young's obituary in the Los Angeles Times is here. Read another memorial at the Mosaic Art and Glass Art blog.

Architectural History of Los Angeles

In 2004, Los Angeles Magazine called this piece "a 6 by 36 foot postcard of undulating ocean waves, swirling on-ramps, and city landmarks from Griffith Observatory to Angel's Flight." At that time, the mosaic was on the edge of its 50th birthday, having been installed at Parker Center in 1955 by Joseph Young.

That year, tours of the new Parker Center were in such high demand that a policewoman worked full time leading groups through the building. 8000 folks from September through December, 1955.

Yound died in August 2007 if you want to look up his obituary on the Los Angeles Times. I blogged then, but the link is no longer good. Here's a copy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is where Young was born.

The above picture of the mosaic came from the Joseph Young fan page on Facebook, and there are more photos there.  And here's an interesting b&w image on radaris.com--no idea where they got it.

I am actually on hold with the LAPD as I write this, trying to learn if the mosaic has been moved to the new police headquarters. Their hold music includes Beethovan's Fifth Symphony...quite nice.

Nope--the mosaic is still at the old Parker Center, and there are no plans to move it.

Mission Hills Mosaics

Joseph Young--whom I've blogged about before (here and here)--designed and made twelve separate mosaics representing the "Twelve Tribes of Ancient Israel," which is the name of the artwork as a whole. The mosaics sit in Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills on the exterior of the Court Mausoleum--one of three mausoleums in the park.

Lenny Bruce, Sam Jaffe, and Groucho Marx are buried at Eden, according to FindAGrave. (Wasn't Groucho married and divorced from a woman named Eden? Ironic.)

Levi is at top. Dan is the lion, and Judah the scales.

Gerald Fecht, president of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley, took the pictures in 2008. I use them with his permission.

As far as I could find, these are the only photos on the web, showing three of the twelve mosaics. Check out his blog at MSFV.blogspot.com for other listing and information on the history of the San Fernando Valley.

According to Jerry, the mosaics are badly in need of repair.
Eden Memorial Park acknowledges that tiles are missing, but they are trying maintain the mosaics in best possible condition. 
Since Joseph Young is a well-known artist, I wonder if his heirs or co-workers or suppliers have replacement tiles?

Just a thought. I know in the case of Millard Sheets and Home Savings, many of those who worked with him--as well as his son Tony Sheets--do have tiles and actively participate in keeping his artwork in good condition.

UCLA's Mosaics--Modern and Not

Over two years ago I blogged about Joseph Young's History of Mathematics mosaic panels (16 in all) on the Math Building at UCLA. Here's a link, with a great close-up picture. This photo is not so close up, but I did stand on a wall to get it, risking life and limb (well, risking my dignity). The mosaics were installed in 1968.

And rather than repeat what I have said before about Joseph Young's work (although I have, a little), I'd like to exhibit other, completely different mosaics from a nearby building, Moore Hall.

Moore Hall was designed by George W. Kelham (who also designed Powell Library) and raised in 1930--the 5th building at the school. Everyone knows UCLA started with 4 buildings around a quad, right?

Here's a close-up of the stonework. I believe that can be legitimately called mosaic, right?

Moore Hall been refurbished twice--first in the 1950s by Kemper Nomland (a USC grad...hmph), and then again in 1993, but I don't think this stonework has been changed at all. The building is named after Ernest Moore, provost of the school when it was still the State Normal School on Vermont, and during its move to Westwood.

And that's it, that's all I can find. The style is Italian Romanesque, but I see nothing on the stonework, ornamentation, or decoration, all of which I call mosaic.

If anyone can add to paltry information here, I'll thank you profusely.

BTW, since this is Mosaic Monday and the post is about Westwood, here's another little mystery: I came across a mention in the Times in June of 1967--that on the 21st floor of a building at 1100 Glendon, the Westwood Tower Club boasted a mosaic by Millard Sheets. Never read anything else about that, and the current resident of that address and floor did not answer my call for information. Would be nice to find another unknown mosaic, huh?

UCLA History of Mathematics Mosaic

In 1968, artist Joseph Louis Young installed a 16-panel mosaic illustrating the History of Mathematics at UCLA. This pictures shows a small portion of that on the Math Science Building.

Young died in 2007. Much of his work was done back east, though he and his wife lived in LA and West Hollywood for decades. He lectured in Europe, and his murals adorn buildings in Chicago, Boston, and his hometown, Pittsburgh. Here's a tribute to Young from the Mosaic and Glass Art blog.

This picture--which really shows the work up close--is from the Los Angeles Murals Project website. I hope they don't mind me using it as more of a tease than a real representation of the work. To see more of the Mural Projects' pictures of Young's work, click here.