Raising Roof Over Tent

It was amusing to read Nicolai Ouroussoff’s critique of the new Petersen Automotive Museum’s planned redesign as being bland, after his excited praise of the new Los Angeles County Museum of Art design (“Petersen Renovation Plan Is No Lamborghini,” May 11). The Petersen’s design does not excite Ouroussoff, but why does LACMA’s? This is really a case of bland and blander.

Almost the sole design idea driving the entire LACMA project is the tented roof. Once we’re over the rather slight novelty of this design, what is left but space under a tent? What do we have from the outside, except a semi-permanent big tent?

In fact, the biggest fault of the LACMA design will be precisely the overwhelming blandness of a sea of white tenting, gradually going gray and dirty over the years.

JAMES A. GORTON

Pasadena