LOS ANGELES, CA | April 7, 2025 – Friends of Residential Treasures Los Angeles (FORT: LA) is proud to present the Healing the Heart of LA Design Competition, an initiative dedicated to reimagining Los Angeles’ architectural treasures lost to the devastating 2025 LA Fires. The competition celebrates innovative and forward-thinking designs that honor the city’s rich architectural heritage while envisioning a more resilient and sustainable future.
The competition’s top entries will be revealed to the public at a special event sponsored by ACLA and hosted by AIA|LA, taking place on Friday, April 25th, at the Center for Communities in West Adams, and will remain on display through May 1st. Additionally, the entries will be exhibited at 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica from April 28th through May 2nd, further expanding the reach and impact of the initiative, and then online at FORT: LA starting May 2nd.
Competition Overview
FORT: LA invited architects and designers to reimagine one or more of Los Angeles’ historically, culturally, and beloved public or semi-public sites that were lost, including Altadena’s Bunny Museum, Scripps Hall and Park Planned Homes by Gregory Ain, Pacific Palisades’ Will Rogers Ranch House, Business Block and Corpus Christi Church, and Malibu’s Reel Inn, Moonshadows and Feed Bin, among others. Participants were then asked to select a specific site and envision a new “residential treasure” for the city, guided by the three pillars of Memory, Resilience, and Recovery. Selected designs will honor the site’s historical and cultural character, reflect the surrounding community’s values, and incorporate sustainable methods to address contemporary challenges.
Entirely conceptual, the competition aims to inspire creative dialogue on how history and innovation can converge to honor Los Angeles’ dynamic legacy. The winning submission will be announced during the April 25th event and will be awarded a $3000 prize. While not intended for construction, the competition celebrates the opportunity to reimagine lost spaces as visionary designs that heal the heart of LA.
The competition jury comprises esteemed leaders in architecture, preservation, and design criticism, including Frances Anderton, Adrian Scott Fine, Sharon Johnston, Sam Lubell, Siddhartha Majumdar, Rochelle Mills, and Christina Morris. Their expertise has helped shape the competition’s vision and selection process.
Center for Communities Exhibition
Join FORT: LA, ACLA and AIA|LA in celebrating the Healing the Heart of LA Design Competition entrants and winners! Enjoy an evening of inspiring design, featuring unique competition submissions, light bites, and specialty cocktails.
When: April 25, 6:00–8:00 PM Opening Reception | April 25-May 1 Exhibition Dates
Where: Center for Communities, 4450 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016
Cost: $25. Ticket purchase here: Healing the Heart of LA. Proceeds support FORT: LA.
Esteemed Jurors in Attendance:
Frances Anderton – Architecture & design writer, broadcaster
Adrian Scott Fine – President & CEO, The Los Angeles Conservancy
Sam Lubell – Architecture editor, author
Sharon Johnston – Founder & Partner, Johnston Marklee
Siddhartha Majumdar – Principal, Wyota Workshop; Board Member, FORT: LA
Christina Morris – Senior Field Director, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Rochelle Mills – President & CEO, Innovative Housing Opportunities
18th Street Arts Center Exhibition
When: April 28 – May 2 | 10AM – 4PM
Where: 18th Street Arts Center, 1639 18th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Cost: Free
About FORT: LA | fortla.org | @fort.losangeles
Friends Of Residential Treasures: LA (FORT: LA) is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to energizing, educating and connecting Angelenos through the dynamic stories of our homes, neighborhoods, and architecture. The organization has developed four interlocking programs in pursuit of its mission: An online mapping system for self-guided tours of the exteriors of architecturally significant homes developed by experts in the field (FORT Trails); a fellowship to foster new knowledge (FORT Fellowship); a series of virtual experiences to provide interior access and understanding (FORT Frames); and an ongoing series of live and virtual educational events (FORT Gatherings). FORT: LA is a recipient of an LA Conservancy Preservation award, a California Preservation Foundation Design award, and will be featured in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. FORT: LA’s newsletter announcing its free monthly content reaches over 10,000 subscribers.
About ACLA + AIA|LA | ac-la.org | aialosangeles.org
The mission of Architecture for Communities, Los Angeles (ACLA) is to inspire people to value architecture, empowering all to create a better Los Angeles: one student, one building, one community at a time. Conceived as a hub for the LA design community, the organization’s Center for Communities space, which is located in a Neo-Classical bank building from 1927, houses the AIA|LA and ACLA’s offices and provides programming that celebrates architecture and educates communities about the value of design and its positive impact on the development of our city.
About 18th Street Arts Center | 18thstreet.org
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, 18th Street Arts Center is the largest residency program in Southern California. Conceived as a radical think tank in the shape of an artist community, 18th Street supports artists from around the globe to imagine, research, and develop significant, meaningful new artworks and share them with the public. The organization strives to provide artists the space and time to take risks, to foster the ideal environment for artists and the public to directly engage, and to create experiences and partnerships that foster positive social change.
