Esoteric Survey

  Van Keppel Green chairs and  table at Fallingwater, outside in the snow. That just doesn't seem right.  California chairs like the sun.   Source: Kellan Most of the furniture in the house are originals by Frank Lloyd Wright.  I wonder how and when the VKG furniture ended up there?   They're too late to be original to the house. I'm thinking Kaufmann liked the VKG he had at his Neutra pad in Palm Springs and decided he wanted a little CA in the PA. Source : Wright House   Here is Frozenwater toda y. I hope th ey brought the VKG in. Source : Fallingwater

La Gardo Tackett for Freeman Lederman

California's Designing Women 1896-1986 Book Signing Event.  Join a uthor Bill Stern and designers Marilyn Austin, Renée Firestone,  April Greiman,  Judith Hendler, Gere Kavanaugh Cher Pendarvis and Deborah Sussman for this special event  WHERE: Heath Ceramics  Studio & Store  -  7525 Beverly Boulevard, LA WHEN:  Saturday, February 1, from 2 to 5 PM.  COST:  FREE More about the book can be found here and here . 

Phillip and Phyllis Schlessinger House (1954) by Rudolph Schindler in Los Feliz Here is your chance. Unique California Property  is representing the sale of the last residence designed by Schindler. More information, here . The furniture in the house is great. John Kapel for Glenn of  California cabinet, Eero Saarinen Grasshopper chair for Knoll, Knoll stool, Vista of California  VKG daybed, and that Bill Lam table! Nelson chairs / Eames DTM Nice VKG set up in the kitchen More VKG out back Source of all the photos:  Unique California Property

Craig Ellwood for Laverne, custom for the Rosen House Source: California Design, 1930--1965: "Living in a Modern Way" I.M. Pei, custom for his own apartment Alexander Girard, custom George Nelson for Herman Miller Here is the stereo cabinet above when it's open. Paul McCobb for Bell and Howell Vladimir Kagan for Kagan-Dreyfuss Inc. Source: 20C Objects Jens Risom Dieter Rams for Braun George Nelson Source:  Wright Albert Frey, custom Source: Wright Knoll Pierre Koenig and Gerald McCabe unit from Koenig's Bailey House, CSH 21  Photo by Shulman

Greta Grossman Evelyn Ackerman

Hunt Foods Library (1962) in Fullerton, CA by William Pereira       The building was a gift to the City of Fullerton from the Hunt Foods & Industries Foundation, which was headed by Norton Simon.   The City of Fullerton has decided not to fund this branch and it is now closed. There appears to be no long term plans to reopen the library. Read more about that here .  The City has struck a deal to lease the building to a church for at least two years. Why have a building full of books when you can have a bunch of people thump just one? The City Council recently voted to support an application to place the building on the National Registry of Historic Places. Hopefully this means a steeple won't be added by the new tenants. Fullerton City Hall (1963) by Smith, Powell & Morgridge They call it "New Formalism" A protest was underway next to City Hall in reaction to the acquittal of the two Fullerton police officers w

Julius Shulman's house and studio by Raphael Soriano. Count the Tackett pieces.  Photos of the house 50 years later can be seen here . Photo Julius Shulman via

On the surface, Gregory Ain's architecture is not exactly sexy, especially when compared to architects like Craig Ellwood or John Lautner.  Ain was less interested in making visual architectural statements and focused his attention on using modern architecture to solve "the common architectural problems of common people".        Ain and firm partners Joseph Johnson and Alfred Day, teamed up with  landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, and  private developer B.M. Edelman to build the Mar Vista Housing project.  Built in 1948, the goal was to build a tract of cost-efficient  housing that created a  "community in a park" atmosphere. At this time Ain got away from  building custom houses for individual clients and was focusing efforts on  housing for "common people".  He took   a problem-solving approach to   the social and functional aspects of housing.  He developed the Mar Vista tract with similar house models to promote unity, but changed the or