UCLA

In August of 1970, a brief was drafted and contracts were signed to construct a new building for The Getty Museum. The object of the architects’, consultants’, advisors’, and specialists’ labor was imagined by all to be a significant contribution to the public, to museums, and to the architectural record. It is their efforts, their respective ambitions, and their elaborate methods of execution that preoccupy this thesis, leaving the building aside for another day. Successful or not, it was preceded by a vast body of printed matter. First, the breadth of media spanning historical consultant Norman Neuerburg’s collection exhibit two concepts: the construction of historical authenticity, and the peculiarity of his work as a consultant. Second, a narrow focus on the reports written by architectural advisor Stephen Garrett contextualizes issues of historical accuracy within a larger set of managerial procedures essential to the fulfillment of both the client and the brief. A trained architect, Garrett managed the entire project to the best of his abilities and, as a result, manifested a uniquely clarified case of architect as manager.