Esoteric Survey

  Saturday, September 28th Symposium and Home Tour The third in a series celebrating Modern architecture in Bakersfield, Bakersfield Built: Architecture of the 1950s , will explore the most exciting decade in the city’s history. From a devastating earthquake to postwar population growth, local architects and a handful of internationally known architects transformed “America’s Newest City.”  The symposium will feature a panel of experts including: David Coffey, of the Bakersfield Built Foundation. Maristella Casciato, Senior Curator at the Getty Research Center, Frances Anderton, Author and former host of KCRW's design and architecture program, Alan Hess, noted architectural author, Sian Winship, President of the Society of Architectural Historians/Southern California Chapter, Volker M. Welter, Professor of Architectural History at UC Santa Barbara, Raymond Neutra, President of the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design, John Berley, architectural designer involved in Neu...

I was in Bakersfield a couple months back and happened upon this beiged out Streamline Modern building.  It was built in 1939 by Paul W. Gilbert, local builder, contractor, real estate, insurance and booster for the La Cresta Lomita-Verde area of north Bakersfield.  Source: Bakersfield Californian, 1941 What are the chances that this car would drive by while I was there? I'm no car guy but as far as I have been able to figure out this is a 1938 Chevy. Source: Bakersfield Californian, 1939 Source: Bakersfield Californian, 1939 Gilbert seemed like he was quite active in the build to suit arena. Source: Bakersfield Californian, 1939 It was a salon until at least the mid-1970's Prather News-Service was also a tenant. So was the Kern Neon Company.  Source: Bakersfield Californian, 1946 I don't know the date of this photo. More recently it was a Fireworks store. It has seen better days but still has so much potential. My Bakersfield buddy David Coffey  commented on it's co...

Bakersfield Built: Architecture of the 1960s Symposium and Home Tour In partnership with Kern County Museum, Society of Architectural Historians Southern California Chapter,  and the School of Arts & Humanities at CSU Bakersfield.  Saturday, September 21, 2019 8:30AM - 5:00PM Join BMoA for a symposium and guided tour in conjunction with the BMoA Fall Exhibition Bakersfield Built: Architecture of the 1960s. Enjoy the unique insight of academics, historians, and experts in the field of architecture preservation during this exclusive symposium celebrating Bakersfield’s rich architectural history. In addition to a symposium, there will be a tour of the following homes: Ablin Residence (1961, Frank Lloyd Wright)  Selby-Dabbs Residence (1962, Jack Hayslett)  Mr. and Mrs. Earl Elliott Residence (1961, Dave Cross)  Sudarsky Residence (1961, Whitney Biggar)  Robert Eddy Residence (Eddy & Paynter) More information can ...

The Ablin House in Bakersfield, CA by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1958-61 I found myself in Bakersfield again. This time I was able to tour the Ablin as the sun was setting.   It was so great to experience how the architecture changes with the light. Good times in Bakersfield. More about the house here .

1100 California Ave., Bakersfield, CA (c. 1961) Wally Beardsley - Insurance  ·  Bonds ashtray-- found in San Diego. I just had to take a detour to Bakersfield to check on this place . At some point the patterned brick screen was extended across the entire front of the building. Perhaps this was done to match the bars on the front entryway? It now serves as a "high volume" drug testing facility for law enforcement and prisons.  I wasn't able to dig up much about the building, except that in 1961 it was Bakersfield's "Newest and Modern Office Building"  Update: The building is by Whitney Biggar (Thanks David!) Source:  Bakersfield Californian, February 18, 1961

Bakersfield Built: Architecture in the 1930s  Exhibition, Symposium and Tour Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th, 2014     This fall, Bakersfield's leading academic and cultural institutions are coming together to celebrate an overlooked aspect of the city's legacy: its architectural heritage. 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of John Steinbeck's 1939 classic, "The Grapes of Wrath." As part of that celebration, "Bakersfield Built: Architecture of the 1930s" will mount the first exhibition, symposium, and architecture tour of its kind in Bakersfield.   The cornerstone of the project is an exhibition of architectural drawings, photographs and other archival materials about Bakersfield architecture during the 1930s. The exhibit will be augmented by a symposium on Saturday, October 25th featuring SAH/SCC Members, Sian Winship, Barbara Lamprecht and Ken Breisch. That same afternoon, symposium participants will be in...

Norwalk Service Station (1947) by Richard Neutra in Bakersfield, California.  The client was Frank Davis, who commissioned Neutra to build a house for him in Bakersfield a decade earlier. See that here and here . Source:  Neutra. Complete Works  by Barbara Lamprecht, Peter Gössel The outline of the original building is still there, sort of. Source:  Arts & Architecture  That Jiffy Lube sign doesn't quite cut it compared to that jetting Norwalk sign. I wonder why they didn't go with the classic Neutra "spider legs" that were shown in the original rendering? Source:  Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture: A Biography and History  By Thomas S. Hines Source:  Arts & Architecture  What a shame

  Sill Building by Charles Franklin Henry and Ernest Joseph Kump Jr ., 19 39   Clock and directory in the lobby. The Sill family still owns and manages the bu ilding . T hey take amazing care of it .     O n e of the best floor markers I v ' e ever seen.  Hans Sumpf Sculpted ceramic wall, most likely designed by John Bennett.  This was an unexpected find.   It's located downtown, on the City of Bakersfield Community Development De partment building.   Hans Sumpf  pots     Bakersfield also has some fine examples of mid-century architecture designed by local folks, but that will have to wait for the next trip.     I'd like to tha nk David Coffey for taking the time to show me his Neutra house and for schooling me on what Bakersfield has to offer.  For my lesson, h e didn't actually make me sit at the  Raymond Loewy desk he has o...

The Ablin House in Bakersfield, CA by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1958-61 Neurosurgeon Dr. George Ablin and his wife, Mildred (a registered Nurse), worked with Wright on the design of their house, but the construction wasn't finished until 1961, after the architect's death in April of 1959. The house remained in the Ablin family until 2009 and is in near pristine original condition.  It's described as an "upscale" Usonian based on a triangular module.  The large windows seen here, off the living room, are put into good use.  The site overlooks the greens of an adjacent country club and the Sierra Nevada Mountains  can be seen off in the distance.  The Ablins considered it a long shot that Wright would actually take on their small project. Recessed triangular ceiling lighting. The fireplace is opposite the large windows.  That means FLW always has a nice view. The triangular ...