LAGUNA BEACH : Architectural Work on View at Museum

Residents whose houses burned down or were seriously damaged in the recent fire can see a possible vision of their new home at a collection of architectural drawings at the Laguna Art Museum.

About 50 Southern California architectural firms are represented at the museum, which is granting free admission to the show.

Museum officials said they wanted to give fire survivors a stress-free environment to look over samples of architectural work.

“When people have lost their homes, they wonder, ‘Where do I start looking for an architect?’ ” said Karen Drum, a spokeswoman for the museum. “This collection gives them a place to come and see what’s available without any pressure from someone trying to sell their services.”

Each architect has put a collection of photos and drawings of homes into books. Some architects have put together a slide show that can be viewed at the museum.

“This gives people a really large pool of options to choose from,” Drum said. “It can give them a lot of good ideas to use for rebuilding their home.”

The display has been open for a week, and museum officials say the architectural samples will be on view for at least another month.

“We’re kind of a natural place to have something like this,” Drum said. “Architecture is a very well-known art form.”

Attendance has been steady, but Drum expects more people to visit the collection “now that things have settled down and people are getting their insurance sorted out.”

The museum is at 307 Cliff Drive. For more information, call (714) 494-8971.