The La Brea Tar Pits property soon will undergo a major overhaul. Design firms are competing for the job and eventually the public conversation will turn to the mammoths. Should they stay or should they go?

If you tour the Gamble House in Pasadena, a lovingly preserved specimen of Craftsman architectural design, the guide eventually will lead you up the main staircase, pause to admire the exposed interlocking joinery, and recite a monologue about how good it was to be Aunt Julia.