The city’s hilly landscape offered a perfect, picturesque backdrop for pared down modern forms. And, as the book’s title suggests, the fabled white light of the city, which falls softly and evenly across all surfaces, suited broad stucco and glass facades beautifully.
     There’s also something deeper, something about the very spirit of Los Angeles that reshaped modernist thinking. The buildings have a unique glamor that’s more concerned with the image of a care-free, contemporary lifestyle than the rigor of modern forms. This is modernism stripped of its dogma, an architecture of good looks and good life that’s perfectly suited to the sprawling, drive-by city. Spotting a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Hollywood Hills, or driving by the Cinerama Dome along Sunset Boulevard, gives great pleasure. These buildings still look modern and they still look great. And they are right at home in Los Angeles.