Sawtelle Neighborhood minute. There's a lot of development in the West LA area near the stores. Some of it is nutty, and some of it is / will be historical. Let's go on a tour!

This house or duplex is looking like the ship the Jawas rode in. Before this was being built, it was the home of this guy named Lou who was an ass. He often stood outside of his house at the gate so he could try and talk to Japanese kids (girls) as they walked by. He's passed away now. I remember the minute we heard of the news of his death, my cousin Mike said, "I'm not going to say anything bad," which meant he had a lot of thoughts of this dude, but was being respectful. Me on the otherhand, I didn't care, and gladly said he was a dick (because he was). I'm not glad he died or anything, but he was a dick. This new building might end up looking cool. It's a behemoth for sure.


Architect David Ming Li Lowe designed and works out of this spot. He owns the front and back, and the red is "Forbidden City" red. It's a big studio and it's a building that you either like or not. I've grown to like it.

A detail of the dragon that's near the back entrance.
David Ming Li Lowe also designed this building/house/studio for a private party. It looks rather simple, but this runs the length of the lot. So it's a long, long house. I think it's broken in two, the artist studio is in front. Now next door to his "Forbidden City" red house, he's building another home for his brother. There's one in the front and one in the back. 3 green roofs in a tight area. It's crazy. David once said he wants to develop this area, and he's definitely doing it.

I don't know why this pic is in, but look at the roof! It's very similar and I'm 99% sure it's not by David.

David also designed these homes. There's two of them, one up front and one in back, and they're a local landmark. They're built on springs or something, and can withstand earthquakes.
The trees have grown to almost cover the facade of the homes. It's like they're on an island to themselves. David lives in the back unit.

This is next door and it's an unfamous Frank Gehry home.

This home is on 2 lots. It's a behemoth. The guy who owns it supposedly once lived in the front of the two David Ming Li Lowe home. It has a crazy yard around it with trees, plants, and design. Inside from what I can see has huge roll up doors, and actually seems sort of small, although you can tell it's massive. No expense was spared here.

So this leaves this spot. You can see the arched roof David project in the background. Is David going to make more? Will this be a "small" behemoth? The lot isn't huge, but with these new buildings, my house slowly becomes the shittiest on the block! Tour's over, don't forget your things and be careful on the way home.