JANET BENNETT 50 WEST 96th ST.

9D NEW YORK, NY 10025

February 3, 2015

Nicci Solomons
Executive Director
American Institute of Architects
3780 Wilshire Boulevard #800
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Dear Ms. Solomons:
The obituary of Charles D. Kratka from 2007 has just been brought to my attention. In it,
he is credited with the design of the mosaic murals in the tunnels at Los Angeles
International Airport. Were I still living in Los Angeles this would not have come as such
a shock and at such a late date. I now know that he is credited and widely praised for
this work. In fact, it was I who designed the murals.
I was a designer for Pereira and Luckman Associates and was given the major part of
art and graphics assignments. Mr. Kratka was my immediate boss as head of the
Interiors Department. In that capacity, he gave me the assignment to design something
for the walls of the tunnels to distract passengers from the length of their walk. (Federal
funding had been cut back, and the moving sidewalks were eliminated.) Whether or not
I was told by Mr. Kratka that my design was to incorporate Italian mosaic tiles, I dont
recall. If so, that was the extent of his input.
At the presentation of my concept drawings I described the theme as transcontinental
with the colors representing ocean to forest to prairies to desert, with a single red stripe
marking mid-point and then the colors reversing.
I must point out that there was no one directing or helping me on this project. I did it all
except for supervising the installation of the tiles. From my concept sketches, I executed
working drawings. As the tunnels are of various lengths, it required five sets of
drawings. This was followed by a scale mock-up of one-inch-to a foot of the United
Airlines tunnel, this being the longest at over 500 feet. I used actual mosaic tiles for the
mock-up. After it was presented, the mock-up decorated my working area for a year
before ending up as baseboards for my apartment.
At the time of the opening of the airport extension in 1961, I was working on a project in
Latin America and was not present to assure my place in the project. I was a young
artist/designer and not aware of the importance of such things. I was, however, known
as the designer. In fact this led me to a commission to design tile murals for two BART
subway stations. My work subsequently took me away from Los Angeles so I was not a
presence, perhaps allowing Mr. Kratkas claim to be accepted.

In March 2008 I contacted the Public Relations person for the airport, whose name Ive
unfortunately lost. I told her that I was the designer of the mosaic murals in the tunnels
and asked if she could arrange access. She graciously arranged for my daughter and
me to accompany her together with the airport historian, Ethel Pattison, to view the one
tunnel accessible at the time. We were given some interesting facts about the life of the
tunnels, including a claim to the mosaic design by the family of Paul Williams whose firm
was part of the projects Joint Venture. As that firm had a more behind-the-scenes role,
that claim could be dismissed. And there was no mention of Charles Kratka, which
causes me to wonder when the design was first attributed to him and by whom, if not he.
At any rate, I left LAX without a hint that I had not been accepted as the designer.
It seems that Mr. Kratka has left a legacy to his family of his ownership of the tunnels. I
too have a family. His obituary has, in effect, stolen my obituary.
Is there anyone who was connected with the architectural firms of Pereira and Luckman,
Charles Luckman, Welton Becket, or William Pereira who can attest to my work? I am
now working as a painter and with no interest in financial gain. However, I am entitled to
the recognition I deserve for this important and treasured part of my history that has
been so unconscionably taken from me.
I will be very appreciative of any help you can give me in this matter. Please contact me
if you need further information.
Sincerely,

Janet Bennett
212 666-1115
janbenn4@gmail.com
cc:
Ethel Pattison, Historian, LAX
Ann Porter, Flight Path Learning Center Museum@LAX
Mary Grady, Managing Director, Media and Public Relations, LAX
Christopher Hawthorne, Architecture Critic, LA Times
Mary Melton, Editor, Los Angeles Magazine