Architecture Friends
I’ve been thinking about friendship lately, the making and maintaining of them and how you make new friends as adults. Last year, I had the good fortune to meet Rika Kikura and Mira Lehtimaki through our instagram feeds and in real life, too!
We each live in different cities - at the time Rika in Berkeley, myself in Pasadena and Mira in Santa Barbara. Though we are of different cultures and life experience, we all share an interest and love of architecture.
Rika and Carol
Rika and I connected on Instagram at the beginning of summer in 2021. I learned that she was studying at UC Berkeley on an exchange program and working on her master’s thesis about pre-war modern houses in Southern CA. Most of her photos were taken in the bay area, but she took other architecture related trips to the Pacific Northwest, Chicago and LA.
She reached out early in November to let me know that she would be in San Diego, then LA again and follwiing that in Santa Barbara to spend time at UCSB which has an excellent architectural archive. Would I have time to meet? My answer: Of course!
I was interested to hear how Rika planned to get around as southern CA is not known for being transportation friendly. Throughout her travels, she was an intrepid user of inexpensive rapid bus service, metro service and Amtrak.
I spent some time putting together an ambitious architecture itinerary, knowing that she wanted to visit Miltmore House by Irving Gill and other modernist architecture in the area.
We met at the metro station in Pasadena and walked to Agnes, my favorite neighborhood restaurant where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch getting to know each other. Afterwards we headed to the Norton Simon musuem, then on to visit some residences and finally the campus of Caltech. Note: The excellent Caltech images at top of post are couresy of Rika.
Before dropping Rika off at the metro station, I asked if she was going to get in touch with Mira while in Santa Barbara. Rika let me know later that weekend that she and Mira arranged a meetup for coffee on Sunday.
Rika and Mira
Rika and Mira met at Dart Coffee which has a great outdoor garden space where you can sit and linger. Afterwards they headed to UC Santa Barbara, The images above are courtesy of Mira.
Mira and Carol
I have the great good fortune to accompany J. on regular trips to Santa Barbara though they are spur of the moment and of short duration. Mira and I met in December during one of those trips and we got to know each other over brunch. We managed to fit in a musuem visit and stop at the main post office designed by Pasadena architect Reginald Davis Johnson in the mid-1930s, and completed in 1937.
What’s Next
Mira and I are in the planning stages for a mid-century modern tour around Pasadena and Claremont. We had another meet up this week where we exchanged design books/magazines. I predict a fun collaboration in the future :-)
Rika has since returned to her home country of Japan. Perhaps in a couple years the 3 of us will manage to meet together in a mutual city of architecture interest.
You can follow our architecture adventures on Instagram: @kuralilon @designexplores @carolynadventuretours