Acoustic Consultant Specializes in Making It Sound Right

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Jerry P. Christoff recently celebrated his 50-year anniversary with Veneklasen Associates, an acoustics, audio-visual systems and environmental noise consulting firm in Santa Monica.

It was his first job out of college and he’s now president and principal of the firm.


He first got interested in acoustics so he decided to study applied physics at UCLA, where a lab partner introduced him to Paul Veneklasen, founder and principal of the company.


“That was way back in 1956,” Christoff said. “Right after graduation I started working for him.”


In the beginning of his career, Christoff focused on government contracts in hearing protection, speech communication and noise. He worked on his first architectural acoustics job in 1959, assisting Veneklasen on the Union Oil headquarters building in downtown Los Angeles. Then followed a string of iconic local and national projects from the Getty Center, Los Angeles City Hall + Project Restore, the original terminal buildings at LAX, CBS Headquarters in New York and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.


“There was conflict whether carpet should be used in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. We decided it should only be used in the aisles due to sound absorption. There was a meeting for the design committee and I was given the dubious distinction of justifying why it shouldn’t be used. The tide was against us because it’d be ugly to have a hard surface under the seats. All of a sudden Mrs. Chandler got up and said, ‘Gentlemen, I’ve heard both sides. There will be no carpet except in the Founders Circle.’ It was an incredible event to be a part of.”


Over the years, Christoff has borne witness to many changes in the audio-visual arena from the early days where the designers set the schedule, to the present Internet age where the words “hurry up” are intrinsic to the process.


He sees his current role as 25 percent business development, 70 percent on projects, and 5 percent on administrative. He also teaches a class at USC titled, “The Sonic Environment in Architecture over the Centuries from the Greeks to Geeks.”


Christoff lives in San Marino with his wife. He enjoys photography, cooking, gardening, and attending performances, where his work is never far from his mind: “I always clap my hands or clear my throat when we go to a new hall or venue.”



Jade Takahashi

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