Esoteric Survey

This was my first weekend back out shopping.  It was good! Jack Boyd Jackson Woolley David Cressey bowl and a couple of book stands. This was pretty major. Henry Takemoto Here is my nephew for scale.

Lucia Rodriguez opened Mitla Cafe in 1937, on the heels of the great depression. The San Bernardino restaurant is located on a segment of former Route 66.   Segregation was in full effect at this point and west San Bernardino was where Mexicans were restricted to living. Mitla Cafe is where they gathered. It was also where the community organized. Politicians and civic leaders made frequent stops at the restaurant.   In fact, Cesar Chavez was a known regular when he was in town.  They also had their own baseball team. Source: San Bernardino County Sun Source: Route 66 Women 1945 Source: San Bernardino County Sun Besides the signage, it still looks the same.  They also did some redecorating in 1954. Source: San Bernardino County Sun In this photo of Route 66 from the mid 1950s, Mitla is on the left. In addition to being a landmark restaurant and cultural institution, Mitla Cafe is also responsib...

It's been a while.  George Nelson/Irving Harper/Arthur Umanoff for Howard Miller clocks and desk by Umanoff 

I met my mom for a walk on Mother's Day. She wanted to go to downtown Chula Vista, where we both grew up. There is a surprising amount of good architecture left in the old commercial area. One of the sweetest is this 1939 Streamline Moderne doctor's office.  Apparently this was my doctor's office when I was a baby. McCausland-Robinson Clinic. The office was started by Dr. William McCausland, his son John and Dr. Frank Robinson.  Source: Chula Vista Star The Vogue opened in 1945. Frank Hope Jr. was the architect It closed in 2006 and it seems like every year there is a new plan to bring it back to life. 

I've been interested in doing posts on collectors for quite some time. Since I miss seeing friends, it seemed like the perfect time to start it.  A few months ago I visited my friends Sheila and David ( Studio One 11 in Palm Springs) at their mid-century home in Malibu. David is a longtime modern dealer and Sheila collects art. As you can see, David also collects cacti and succulents. There's Shebird. David was probably yelling at me to not take his photo. He comes off as a little gruff but you should see him light up when he talks about his cacti.

Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe  This exhibition, organized by Vitra Design Museum, was on display at the Palm Springs Art Museum during Modernism Week.  It included more than 400 pieces and was so rich and deep. I feel bad for anyone who wasn't able to see it so I'm going to post a ton of images.  When Girard was about 10 years old he created The Republic of Fife, which was part of a larger empire called Celestia. It included urban design layout, maps, flags, costumes, documents and even currency. This imaginary country was created when he was at boarding school in England.  One of the documents he created for Celestia.  In addition to how incredible this project was, the fact that it still exists is remarkable. Girard was obviously a collector, but he kept everything! Terrazzo planters he designed in the 1930s. 1940s furniture and mobile He designed the chair in 1944 Detrola radi...