Fabulous Forum reopens!

Located in Inglewood, CA, the Forum opened with great fanfare in 1967 as the home to Los Angeles’ newest sports franchises: the Lakers and the Kings. Designed by Charles Luckman in the New Formalist architectural style, the Forum immediately became a Southern California landmark and was inextricably linked to the City of Inglewood, which is known as the “City of Champions.” In 1999, both teams relocated to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, and the Forum was sold to a local church. In 2012, the property was purchased by Madison Square Garden, ending a period of uncertainty about its future. The preservation of sports arenas presents specific challenges — they are large, purpose-built facilities with limited opportunities for adaptive reuse, a limited number of potential tenants, and features that can quickly become outdated in terms of technology and visitor expectations. As a result, venues like the Forum are increasingly rare resources, and many have been demolished or significantly altered. The Forum rehabilitation project is a success story that illustrates how sports arenas can be sensitively updated to accommodate the latest technological advancements, code requirements, and visitor expectations, while maintaining a sense of history. HRG served as the preservation consultant for the project, which complied with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and utilized the federal rehabilitation tax credits.

Side: The Forum, Charles Luckman & Associates, 1967. Courtesy of Stephen Schafer.