A studio project addressing the cultural and political tensions surrounding the so-called “Persian Palaces” of Beverly Hills—modernist interpretations of Achaemenid architecture built by Iranian immigrants after the 1979 Revolution. These homes, once expressions of cultural identity and adaptation, were eventually banned for being “too different,” revealing underlying issues of exclusion and cultural misunderstanding.

The proposal introduces a public garden along Santa Monica Boulevard that reinterprets the spatial logic of the Persian Palace as a civic landscape. Domestic elements—facade, foyer, kitchen, dining room, and living room—are abstracted and reimagined within a park setting. The design offers a space that both honors Persian cultural heritage and invites inclusive public engagement, acting as an informal cultural center for the broader Beverly Hills community.