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After wrangling with the project's powers-that-be, Dion was able to move forward with the project, and in April of 1975, a dedication ceremony was held for the new building—a dramatic and infinitely practical structure complete with vast reflecting pools, a web of interior staircases that connect to reading decks, and a concrete spiral ramp swirling around rushing water features. Today, the library remains every bit the skillfully designed retreat it was designed to be 40 years ago. At an all-day commemorative event in November honoring Dion, locals came forward to tell the architect how much the library has meant to them over the years. Afterwards, when the sun has set, the building stands aglow with darkness surrounding it. Illuminated inside are the many people, young and old, students and families, who have come to this peaceful place to sit, study, congregate and learn. P R OT É G É A N D P R OT E C TO R It's this timelessness that is the measure of superb design, and among the attributes that elevate a Neutra structure to a masterwork. "The Lovell Health House, which Dad did in 1929," points out Dion, "well, he was very proud of the fact that people would say to him later, 'Oh, that looks so '50s.' And no, it was done in the '20s! But it was so far ahead of its time that it could have been done in the '50s." Or, in 2015. Though a Neutra structure might be a forever design, a work of art, those who acquire one might have other plans. That's where Dion the architect becomes Dion the steward, working tirelessly to preserve existing Neutra projects. "So many of our sites are beautiful and wonderful, but the building is under-built for today's sensibilities, so that makes them subject to being torn down and replaced with McMansions," says Neutra. "It's a real problem." He points to the Livingston House in Chattanooga, the only Neutra in Tennessee, which was recently demolished by new owners. Then there's the Connell House, a 1958 Neutra of glass and concrete that Richard nestled seamlessly in the dunes of Pebble Beach, that is currently the focus of a tug of war between its present-day owner, who wants it gone, and preservationists. "It's really a tragedy, and I have to live through it," says Neutra. "My dad, fortunately for him, never lived that long. He only experienced two projects that he worked on in his life that were messed up." (The Laemmle Office Building, which was heavily remodeled beginning in 1940, and the California Military Academy, built in 1935 and sold in 1964, then razed not long after.) "I remember his telling me, 'You know, we're designing for the amortization period. It's only for 30 years, and then it's going to be changed.' That was his philosophy at that time. But now these are art pieces and you can't replicate them. It's a completely different situation." True. And though some Neutra projects may succumb to a bulldozer's ripper, many others will live on, lovingly appreciated for the sublime sculptural quality and ease of living that their maker produced with his unprecedented design approach—an approach fearlessly and abundantly sown into our city nearly 100 years ago. CO CO T R E E C A F É e popular Coco Tree Café, corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, 1930s. Designed by Richard Neutra, commissioned by Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle. Photographer, Unidentied. Permissions courtesy Dion Neutra, Architect © and Richard and Dion Neutra Papers, Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. A R C H I T E C T U R A L P R O F I L E O N N E U T R A