Julius Shulman, October 10, 1910 - July 15, 2009

If you follow our blog at all, you know that KCMODERN loves the work of LA photographer, Julius Shulman. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Shulman twice last year and he was a warm and wonderful soul. You will be missed Julius!

Julius Shulman, October 10, 1910-July 15, 2009

Renowned architectural photographer Julius Shulman died in his home last night at the age of 98. In January, editor Mary Melton profiled Shulman, who defined L.A. in images and exported the city’s mythology to the rest of the world. Read her profile—and see a slideshow of photographs from his 73-year career—here http://lamag.com/featuredarticle.aspx?id=11972

Martini Modern Recap - The House - Kemper Residence

Kemper Residence

The residence that Architect, William S. Beckett designed for his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James and Mildred Kemper, in Kansas City used much of the same design vocabulary as the Raymond Evans Residence in Beverly Hills. The exterior materials were redwood, brick, glass and stucco. Like the Evans house, the Kemper Residence uses curved walls for architectural effect, with the entry door falling between the curved wall and the orthogonal house.

In true California fashion, many of the exterior materials were used on the interior to blur the inside-outside relationships of the house. The interiors were done with a fireplace and some exterior walls in brick, juxtaposed against plaster and redwood walls and ceilings. The house also featured some of Beckett’s signature built-in millwork room dividers.

Mildred decided to add on to the house after the birth of their fourth child in 1956. The Kempers hired local KC Architect, Ward Haylett and an addition was completed somewhere around 1960. The resulting addition on the back of the house allowed every child to have their own bedroom and bath. As part of the addition, a covered exterior space was enclosed to add a new large dining area.

As with many Beckett designed Houses, the Kemper home was photographed by Julius Shulman, but the photographs that remain were test shots of the late construction phases of the house taken on 10/20/1952. One can assume that Shulman photographed the home while here shooting photos of one of the other Beckett designed projects, either one of two Commerce Banks, or the Cricket West shop on the Country Club Plaza. These Kansas City projects were photographed by Shulman and are published in his three volume tome, Julius Shulman Modernism Rediscovered. No Shulman photos were found of the finished Kemper home.

Front Terrace

Back of House

Addition Circa 1960

Side Terrace between the House and Garage

Tree Circle in Back Terrace

Back Sidewalk

Back Terrace

Siding and Window Detail

Side Yard

Liriope and Pavers

Clarence Kivett, Architect- "What's the Story on that House"-The Cumonow House

Many of us have driven by this house for years...This is a rare residential design by the prominent Kansas City firm Kivett and Myers (there is only one other residential design the firm did that we know of; Ralph Myers designed two of his own homes).
A true ranch house, stretching across its site, it features a superb play of light and ventilation. It has been said that Clarence Kivett was closely and personally involved in the design of this house. The roof was originally a heavy wood shingle... This house is a prime example of a truly lavish ranch house design.
Looking at the plans I found these interesting interior perspectives... you have a "before", what the architect envisioned and an "after", the way it looks today...



The sun-shade below may have been inspired by the Cliff May designed home next door (1948- recently demolished) which had movable canvas sun "controllers".
The house is lovingly and sensitively maintained by it's owners.
Photography by Bob Greenspan

Lloyd Roark, Architect- "What's the Story on That House?"

Lloyd Roark, architect, owned seven lots between Roe and Nall on 66th Terrace and 67th Street in Prairie Village, KS. His requirement to purchase a lot was you must build soon and you must build an architect-designed modern house, subject to his approval. On 66th Terr. he had four smaller lots and on 67th St, he had 3 larger lots. Lloyd, who was an enthusiastic anti-J.C. Nichols voice because of his stance against modernism, built his own house on one of the smaller lots in 1954 and built a reversed plan, next door, to speculate in the housing market. The houses were slab on grade with floor heating(Natco Radiant Tile with a forced air furnace, the "channeled" tiles actually acting as ductwork), three bedrooms and two bathrooms, multiple outdoor living areas and combination carport-garages. Two other "moderns" were built on the lots on 66th Ter. The three larger lots on 67th Street feature houses by Falkenberg, Hollis and Miller (noted for designing many schools and fire stations in the area) and the Hyde house by Bruce Goff, organic architect extraordiaire. The Hydes told me Roark required a one foot height reduction on their house because he was concerned it would be too tall near the surrounding ranches. The photo below shows the two Roark designed houses as they look today. Both have been through a contractor remodel. The Roark house remodel is perhaps more sensitive, at least there were no shutters added, though both have changed the front window arrangement which was very private. The photo below shows the two houses as they appear now.

The following photos show the house as it appeared with the second owner, who lived there until recently...I apologize for the dark interior shots...


The photo below shows the house in late winter...note the new windows in front, removing the "introverted" look of the house, which featured a private front facade (with cross-ventilation) and lots of glass overlooking the outdoor spaces to the side...

Roark and his wife lived in their house until 1969 when they moved to California. (Mackie and Roark did some notable work in Kansas City, more to follow...)

Martini Modern-William S. Beckett, Architect

Great reviews came in on our Martini Modern House Tour and Party hosted June 14. The house built for Mr. and Mrs. James B. Kemper in 1953 was designed by case-study era architect William S. Beckett. (See William Sutherland Beckett) Ironically, the tour and party occurred on his birthday, so we dubbed our signature martini, the "Beckettini." Approximately 75-80 people enjoyed the wonderfully maintained home, the great weather, and being with others who appreciate great architecture.
After extensive research, Robert created a home guide full of history. Carrie and Bob prepared tasty nibblings and we hope a good time was had by all. A sincere thank you to our special host, Scott Francis. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Historic Kansas City Foundation. . .All photos by Annie Lane.
Preparing for the party. . .

Louis S. Curtiss or Victor Buetner-"What's the Story on That House?"

At risk is this once fabulous home with pergola gardens. (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Collection) We did a post on this house and with some studied responses like Nate's, it's led us on an adventure of "architectology", just kidding, but seriously trying to get to the root of how this house came about, who designed it, who built it and for whom was it built. Simple enough but it has not turned out that way..."Stalking Louis Curtiss" perhaps the best resource on Curtiss, did not have this house in the book, the author Wilda Sandy, did note that a project for a residence was located at 39th St. and Manheim, KCMO. We have approached numerous people whom we consider scholars on Curtiss about this specific house, also Nate and Anne have kept us informed on their extensive efforts to hopefully prove that this was a Curtiss design. We look forward to having a thorough analysis posted soon, we still can't quite believe that Curtiss was not somehow involved in the design of the house.

Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright - Textile Block Masterpiece For Sale in LA

We have spoke about Frank Lloyd Wright's textile block, Ennis House before when we discussed the Best Houses of all time in LA. Well it seems that the not-for-profit foundation that owns the house thinks that the restoration project before them is just too big and that the house, built in 1924, would be better served by a wealthy patron owner. The house has been listed for sale at a measly $15 million and it is estimated that it will only take another $5 or $6 million to get it into livable shape. This on top of the 6.5 million that the foundation has already put into repairs to the house. This irreplaceable house has been heavily damaged by earthquakes and soil erosion, not to mention the crumbling concrete blocks that were cast on site.

Scott is going to write some more about this house and in the mean time I will look for my photos from a visit to the house a few years ago.

Photographed by Robert McLaughlin

Last call for the KCMODERN Martini Modern Party and Tour: William S. Beckett, Architect

Name: James Kemper Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1951-52
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1953
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent

Last call for the KCMODERN Martini Modern Party and Tour: William S. Beckett, Architect. You can safely RSVP and pay in advance at:

http://www.acteva.com/go/kcmodern

Online ticket sales end at noon on Sunday, June 14, 2009. The remaining tickets will be available at the door on June 14 at 4:00 PM, the day of the event.

William S. Beckett, Architect - Shoor Residence

Name: Shoor Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: 1951
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1952
Size: 1000 sq.ft. (2 bedrooms and1 bathroom)
Location: 12336 Deerbrook Lane in Brentwood, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Standing in unknown condition
Photographer: Julius Shulman

Beckett did a low budget house of 1000 square feet for $11,800 in 1951-52 at 12336 Deerbrook Lane in Brentwood, California. The flat roofed Shoor Residence was a very small two bedroom, one bath home on a steep lot. The exterior of the home featured a forty foot long glass wall looking out at a private terrace and the canyon below. That juxtaposed nicely with the much more solid stucco wall facing the street. The most prominent features of the interior were a freestanding triangular plan fireplace that tapered as it rose to the ceiling and built-in cabinetwork which divided the open plan. This house was featured with photos done by Shulman in the book Quality Budget Houses by Katherine Morrow Ford and Thomas H. Creighton. This is also the only William Becket House listed in the most recent version of An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles by David Gebhard and Robert Winter.

Offices of William S. Beckett, Architect - Case Study House Era Architect - Mid-Century Modern Architecture

Name: Offices of William S. Beckett, Architect
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1949-50
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1950
Size: Unknown
Location: 9026 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Type: Office
Style: Modern
Status: Standing in unknown condition
Photographer: Julius Shulman

William S. Beckett began his professional career as chief designer for Sumner Spaulding, the architect of Case Study House #2 for Arts + Architecture magazine. Around that time he was also on the faculty at the University of California.

By 1949, William S. Beckett had opened his own architectural practice in Los Angeles. In 1951, he designed his own architectural offices located at 9026 Melrose Avenue. The magical black and white Julius Shulman photographs of this building were widely published in the architectural press. The building garnered him an AIA National Honor Award, First Award in 1952, one of only three given nationwide that year. This prestigious award made his reputation as one of the architects of the stars and Beckett set off on a career designing many celebrity homes in Beverly Hills and other exclusive neighborhoods in LA. The new posh international style modernism of the office set the tone for his designs for his A-list clients. This small modern office building is still standing today.

William Sutherland Beckett, Architect - Raymond Evans Residence

Name: Raymond Evans Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1951
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1952
Size: Unknown sq.ft. (4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms)
Location: 1255 Angelo Road, Beverly Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent
Photographer: Unknown

Another Early success for William S. Beckett was a house design for Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Evans at 1255 Angelo Drive in Beverly Hills. Evans was known for writing Oscar winning musical masterpieces such as Doris Day's Que Sera Sera, Dinah Shore's Buttons and Bows, and Nat King Cole's Mona Lisa. Completed in 1952 it was built of redwood, brick, glass and stucco on the exterior. The interior was done in plaster and cork walls and asphalt tile flooring over a radiant heated concrete slab. In plan the most dominant feature was a pair of solid curving walls-- one curve facing the front entry court and the other facing a private terrace at the rear of the house. A signature triangular fireplace was included here as well. The house which had an enclosed bridge connecting the main living areas to the sleeping pavilion was well documented in Architectural Record, Record Houses 1956. Mr. Evans lived in the house for 55 years until his death in 2007. The rather small house recently sold and the asking price was 9.995 million.

Please join us for a tour of Kansas City's only Beckett designed house this Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at 6612 Wyoming, Kansas City, Missouri. Admission is $20 in advance with reservations made at www.acteva.com/go/kcmodern. A featured Martini and other beverages will be served. A portion of your admission will go to the Historic Kansas City Foundation.