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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Everything Flies Round in Circles

CSA Architects has come full circle in its 20 years in business. Founded by Daniel H. Clinger and Richard Spina, the first office opened in October 1993 in Woodland Hills but growth prompted a move to Westwood just one year later and to Santa Monica in 2008. But this past July, the partners moved back to Woodland Hills to a workspace attached to Clinger’s home. Clinger said it was a financial decision and that “lots of architecture firms were impacted by the economy.” But the firm is far from fading away. One of its signature works, the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, remains popular. In 2005, the Pavilion’s first year as an exhibit, the library attracted more than half a million visitors. After declining amid the recession, this past federal fiscal year ended Sept. 30, attendance rose to about 400,000 from an average of about 350,000, helped along by the plane and an Abraham Lincoln exhibit. CSA was chosen for the prestigious Air Force One Pavilion project after beating out more than a half dozen competitors – despite an auspicious start. “Our first interview at the Reagan Library was actually on Sept. 11,” recalled Clinger. The commission earned the firm a reputation in aviation work. Among its other Valley projects was the Mercury Aviation building at the Burbank Bob Hope Airport, which includes both hangar and office space. Business has recently picked up, including a commission to renovate the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach. CSA will celebrate its business anniversary with a small gathering of employees and clients. – Rosie Downey

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