The '70s Are Turning 50 and LA Conservancy Is Here for It

Throwing a huge 50th birthday party or an anniversary celebration for a couple's half-century milestone is never a simple task.

There are caterers to call and event spaces to book and invite lists to compile, and a thousand other details beyond those.

How, though, would you approach throwing a 50th-big festivity for a series of massive structures? The kind of buildings that have stood tall for five decades in an ever-changing architectural landscape?

Look to the LA Conservancy for that answer. For the preservation organization has organized a multi-event initiative built around those Southern California landmarks that are all turning 50 years old in the coming years.

"The '70s Turn 50" is the catchy catch-all name for the series, which will involve a host of informative tours and culture-rich talks.

Coming up in February? "Don't Call Me Ugly! A Fresh Look at Modernism" will visit some of "LA's toughest-to-love buildings" during an "interactive walking tour." If you've ever struggled to find the charm in certain places you pass often, this could be the tour you've longed for.

There's also a night devoted to the topic at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites on Jan. 23. Do you consider the cylindrical downtown wonder one of our city's most spectacular '70s-strong destinations?

Many people do, and many of those people will be there.

And an event called "Malls, Shag, and Sunken Living Rooms: Locating '70s Pop Culture" is sure to be popular (it happens in May).

Why should the kitschy mid-century touchstones of the '50s and '60s get all the love when the '70s absolutely flourished with gloriously gaudy elements?

Take a gander at the full LA Conservancy schedule and find your '70s-era architectural bliss now.