Esoteric Survey

Kimpson House, Long Beach, California, 1939-1940 by Raphael Soriano Photo: Julius Shulman,  Getty Research Institute Today Art Center College of Design (Hillside Campus), Pasadena, California, 1970-1976 by Craig Ellwood Source: Art Center Art Center College of Design (Hillside Campus), Pasadena, California, 1970-1976 by Craig Ellwood Source:  Art Center Today Don Kubly, Art Center College President from 1969-1985,  with the Ellwood model. Source:  Art Center Don Kubly also lived in an Ellwood house, just down the hill from campus.  It was built between 1964-65.  That doesn't seen like a bad gig, living and working in an Ellwood.  

St. Basil church, A.C. Martin architectural firm, 1969.  Wilshire Blvd,  Los Angeles   Windows and architectural details by Claire Falkenstein The Cardinal [McIntire] asked me, "Are you religious?," when I presented my idea to him for the windows and the doors.  And I said, "Oh yes. I'm very religious." But he didn't ask me what religion.  If he had asked me, I would have said nature, because through nature I came to the never-ending screen. - Claire Falkenstein  Source:  Oral history interview with Claire Falkenstein, 1995 Mar. 2-21, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. I can see how this could make someone want to pray. I don't know who did this, but it's really cool. The confessional Claire with the St. Basil stained glass windows Source:  Claire Falkenstein,  The Falkenstein Foundation Photo: Wayne Thom, 1969 via waynethom

The Strathmore Apartments, Richard Neutra, 1937 The Strathmore is where Charles and Ray Eames lived when they first came to Los Angeles in 1941. It was number 11013 1/2,  the upstairs unit  shown here. Arts and Architecture owner and editor, John Entenza,  introduced the Eames to  Neutra and the Strathmore.  They would call it home until 1949, when they moved into  Case Study House #8 , (The Eames House)--total westsiders.  Neutra and Luise Rainer on the balcony of what would be the Eames's apartment.   Photo: Julius Shulman. Personal Collection, Dr. Thomas S. Hines Via National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Charles, in his car, in front of the 8-unit apartment complex. The Neutras owned half of the development and the  other half was built for  Adele Friedman. Image:   The Story of Eames Furniture The Eames at home. Living in the Neutra-designed apartment is said to have in...

Design Line Bookends and Tranquilite

A. Quincy Jones: Building for Better Living, at The Hammer Museum     Architecture exhibits are a hard thing to pull off.  There are only so many plans, models and photographs you can look at,  but the  Hammer did a good job with this one.    There were a few areas where they set up large photo walls, like here with t he "Eichler experience".   They also had  a Billy Haines vignette for the "fussy-modern" set. Too bad they didn't have the Eichler wallpaper  for  sale in the gift shop. This is the point of the exhibit where security busted me for taking pictures. In my defense, I didn't see a sign. The one thing I really wanted to get a photo of was the original Mutual Housing Association certificate they had on display.  That's  one of my favorite Jones projects. Anyway, if you're an architecture fan, you should check out the exhibit. While I was at the Hammer, President Obama and China's...