Brenda Levin

{{short description|American architect}}

Brenda A. Levin is a Los Angeles-based architect and advocate for historic preservation. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA),{{cite web|title=Brenda Levin MArch '76|url=http://www.groundedvisionaries.org/alumni_members/brenda-levin-march-76/|website=Grounded Visionaries|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015125/http://www.groundedvisionaries.org/alumni_members/brenda-levin-march-76/|url-status=dead}} her major projects include the restoration of iconic L.A. landmarks like the Bradbury Building, the Griffith Observatory, the Wiltern Theatre, City Hall, Grand Central Market, and Dodger Stadium.{{cite web|title=From Lautner to Curbed LA, Brenda Levin, FAIA, Responds to the (Semi-Official) 2015 AIA LA Presidential Awards Questionnaire|url=http://www.aialosangeles.org/home-page-latest-news/from-lautner-to-curbed-la-brenda-levin-faia-responds-to-the-semi-official-2015-aia-la-presidential-a#.VkeDQ4T_vfM|website=AIA Los Angeles|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313155338/http://www.aialosangeles.org/home-page-latest-news/from-lautner-to-curbed-la-brenda-levin-faia-responds-to-the-semi-official-2015-aia-la-presidential-a#.VkeDQ4T_vfM|archive-date=13 March 2018|url-status=dead}}

Levin was born in New Jersey. She studied graphic design at Carnegie Mellon and New York University, and architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.{{cite web|last=Ridgway|first=Suzanne|title=Profiles of Success: Brenda Levin|url=http://www.workingworld.com/articles/Brenda-Levin-Levin-Associates-Architects|access-date=15 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215040719/http://www.workingworld.com/articles/Brenda-Levin-Levin-Associates-Architects|archive-date=15 December 2013}} She moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and worked for architect John Lautner for two years. Her first project in Los Angeles, through the firm Group Arcon, was the renovation of the James Oviatt Building on Olive Street after it was purchased by developer Wayne Ratkovich.{{cite news|last=Vincent|first=Roger|title=A friend to L.A.'s best old buildings|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi2-2009aug02,0,1796859.story|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 2, 2009}} This was the first of many projects with Ratkovich that included the Wiltern theater, the Chapman Market, the Fine Arts Building, and the Hercules Campus.{{cite web|title=AIA LA Announces 2015 Design Award Winners|url=http://www.aialosangeles.org/home-page-latest-news/aia-la-announces-2015-design-award-winners#.VkeGF4T_vfO|website=AIA Los Angeles|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313155013/http://www.aialosangeles.org/home-page-latest-news/aia-la-announces-2015-design-award-winners#.VkeGF4T_vfO|archive-date=13 March 2018|url-status=dead}} She opened her firm, Levin & Associates, in 1980.{{cite web|last=Jao|first=Carren|title=Q & A: Brenda Levin Talks Preservation|url=http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5274|publisher=Design Observer|access-date=14 December 2013|archive-date=14 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214235109/http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5274|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url = http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0311-morrison-ratkovich-20150311-column.html|title = Developer Wayne Ratkovich on revitalizing L.A.'s historic buildings|last = Morrison|first = Patt|date = March 10, 2015|work = Los Angeles Times}}