A recurring concern of those working in conservation in Los Angeles has been the perceived lack of clarity and limitations of the city's building codes. In an effort to increase understanding of the true extent of the problem, the GCI organized a one-day roundtable discussion in July 1999, during which experts from the public sector, private development, and academia discussed building codes as they relate to conservation practice in the City of Los Angeles.

A GCI objective in organizing the meeting was to determine whether the participants could achieve consensus concerning the nature and identity of the issues surrounding the impact of building codes on the preservation and reuse of historic structures. The discussions raised the need for more education, training, conservation awareness, and dissemination of information concerning codes related to historic preservation. There was general concurrence that while many of the tools necessary to meet these needs already exist, more can be done to clarify information already available.

In the wake of the meeting, the GCI will continue to study ways that it can contribute to the efforts to preserve historic structures in Los Angeles.

Meeting Participants Kenneth Bernstein, Director of Preservation Issues, Los Angeles Conservancy Richard Conrad, Executive Director, State Historical Building Safety Board Steade Craigo, Senior Restoration Architect, Office of Historic Preservation Melvyn Green, Structural Engineer, Melvyn Green and Associates, Inc. Peyton Hall, Architect, Historic Preservation Group Brenda Levin, Architect, Levin and Associates Jeff McIntyre, Zoning Engineer, Building and Safety Department Daniel Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President, LaSalle Partners Don Spivack, Deputy Administrator, Community Redevelopment Agency Rand Eppich, Research Fellow, Getty Conservation Institute Christopher Gray, Senior Project Specialist, Getty Conservation Institute Carol Jeffries, Information Management Consultant, Getty Conservation Institute Randy Mason, Senior Project Specialist, Getty Conservation Institute Ron Romo, Manager, General Maintenance, J. Paul Getty Trust Chris Seki, Project Management Assistant, Getty Conservation Institute Giora Solar, Group Director, Conservation, Getty Conservation Institute Tim Whalen, Director, Getty Conservation Institute