Modern House Tour - Cindy Epping's Eichler Home

Photos by Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Well, it seems like we have been looking to the LA Times a lot lately, but I could not resist adding Cindy Epping's Eichler Home, which has recently been in a both Apartment Therapy and the LA Times. KCMODERN loves seeing these original kitchen designs still being used. It appears that Cindy's dog, Ruby is the star of the Times photo shoot.

Joseph Eichler was a California home builder who built Modern homes and who's career closely paralleled Kansas City builder, Don Drummond's. Both builders used the same architect and sometimes even the same plans. But more on that later.

Click Here for the LA Times Home Section Tour

Click Here for the Apartment Therapy Tour

Click Here for the Apartment Therapy Article

"Modern" Photo of the Week - Gamble House

Name: Gamble House
Architect: Greene and Greene (Brothers, Charles and Henry Greene)
Year Designed: 1907-1908
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1909 (custom furniture completed 1910)
Size: Unknown
Location: Pasadena, California
Type: Residential
Style: Bungalow
Status: Recently Restored
Photographer: Unknown

For the official website, photos and tour info about the Gamble House Click Here

For a Behind the Velvet Ropes Tour of the Gamble House by the LA Times Click Here

OK, so it may not be a "Modern" house with a capital M, but it is number six of the The Best Houses of All Time in L.A. mentioned earlier. I consider myself a modernist, but this Greene and Greene house really influenced me in my early career. And while it's plan is not Modern it does represent a movement towards a new architecture and away from the traditional styles of the day. It has been labeled as, The Ultimate Bungalow by recent authors. Movie buffs may also recognize this house and its garage from the Back to the Future Movies.

Bartlesville Christmas-Wright and Goff: Then and Now

There are great buildings in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. You can drive around and see some very interesting architecture. I can't mention architecture in this town without mentioning the Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's "Prairie Skyscraper", very artistic and great scale...They now have a hotel and restaurant on the top floors and a very cool museum on the first two floors.
Nearby is the Bartlesville Community Center designed by Taliesin Architects, notably Wes Peters, Wright's son-in-law.Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff is ever present in the town, whether it's work by them or architects influenced by them at the University of Oklahoma or other schools nearby.
I had heard Goff's Motsenbocker house had sold recently and went by to check it out... Very interesting house and plan...at the rear of the house, on the second floor which is ground level, it has a pool... now real estate beige, the original was redwood stain and a turquoise trim with beautiful masonry...
Just north of Bartlesville is a town called Dewey. That is where Goff's Comer house is located, it is in nearly vintage condition. These two homes were designed one after the other...Comer and Motsenbacker, in 1957, which is interesting to compare how Goff reacted to different programs, budgets and sites.Two doors down the street from the Motsenbocker house is a David Runnels(architect from Kansas City) designed house that was remodeled by Bruce Goff in 1959. From the front, it's all Goff in this extensive remodel, from clear glass ashtrays in the doors and wood panels to strong geometric elements in the overall fabric of the design. (click on images to enlarge)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Do You Remember...the first time you saw the movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still"? I sure do...I watched it on our black and white television, in the living room of our house in Tulsa, OK, the winter of 1960. "We have come to visit you in peace and goodwill", said Michael Renne, as Klaatu the alien, in this 1951 science-fiction thriller. It was scary in a strange way, somehow the aliens were more reassuring than the humans... We went to the Leawood Theatre, in Ranchmart Shopping Center, the other day to see "Marley and Me".(Don't go see this movie unless you love to cry. As a pet owner, I thought "Old Yeller" was bad, this movie takes the cake)
Inside the refreshment area of the theatre was the owner, Wade Williams' collection of memorabilia from the movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", and standing behind velvet ropes was Gort himself... ...The alien's huge, silent but deadly robot He hardly did anything the whole movie but stand like a sentinel, and it still scared the heck out of me. I must say it was cool when he melted the soldiers' weapons with his ray-beam.
I grabbed the camera and here is a shot of Gort and one original of many posters used for marketing the show. The poster is mounted in a wall frame and some of the frame obscures the edges. Interestingly, on the poster the studio depicted Gort like King Kong, carrying away Patricia Neal who was conveniently attired in lingerie...there is no scene like that in the movie...
Gort! Klaatu Barada Nikto!

Modern Photo of the Week - Stahl Residence - Case Study House 22

Name: Stahl Residence - Case Study House #22
Architect: Pierre Koening
Year Designed: Unknown
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1960
Size: Unknown
Location: 1635 Woods Drive, Hollywood Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Good and still owned by the original owner
Photographer: Julius Shulman

I was inspired by the previous post about The Best Houses of All Time in L.A. and decided to include a photo of number five from that list. This is one project that I have not visited yet, so I will rely once again on "Uncle" Julius Shulman to provide the wonderful eye candy for this house. I specifically did not use a certain famous photo of that house. Can anyone tell me what photo I am talking about?

Via Shorpy

The Best Houses of All Time in L.A.

It seems customary these days for newspapers and blogs to present all of their top ten lists at the end of the calendar year. Here is one list that I could not help but post here.

The Best Houses of All Time in L.A.
According to the Los Angeles Times panel of experts
Click here for the LA Times Article

What intrigued me most was that all of the houses were Modern or near Modern (ala Gamble House). I also could not help but notice that most of these houses were on my list of must sees when I have been in LA. So I have included one of my photographs of each of the houses that I have visited along with the list.

1: Kings Road House, Rudolph Schindler, West Hollywood, 1921-22

2. Kaufmann House, Richard Neutra, Palm Springs, 1946

3. Ennis House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Los Feliz, 1924

4. Eames House (Case Study House No. 8), Charles and Ray Eames, Pacific Palisades, 1949

5. Stahl House (Case Study House No. 22), Pierre Koenig, Hollywood Hills, 1960
I have not been here yet, but will definitely see this on my next trip to LA. More on that later.

6. Gamble House, Charles and Henry Greene, Pasadena, 1908
I love the work of Greene & Greene, but I have not made it to Pasadena yet.

7. Chemosphere, John Lautner, Hollywood Hills, 1960
Believe me I will find this one soon too, but I hear it is very hard to see.

8. Kappe House; Ray Kappe, Pacific Palisades, 1968

9. Dodge House, Irving Gill, West Hollywood, 1916 (demolished 1970)

Well, since it was demolished when I was seven, I will just have to enjoy the photos of others.

10. Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hollywood, 1921

To see all of the LA Times photos in a great slide show click here.

To see more of my photos from Southern California click here.

Found Via Prairie Mod and Lotta Living.

Bartlesville Christmas

We gathered for Christmas at my wife's parents house. My In-Laws own a fantastic house on a cliff. It was designed by Jim K. Lorenson, architect, and built by the most respected homebuilder in the area at the time. According to The Oklahoman Magazine, who first published a story on the house, Lorenson had Bruce Goff as a mentor, eventually finding his way to San Francisco. There he focused on "seismic" architecture. It's a great tri-level house, or should I say "tree-level" on one of the highest vantage points in town...the more I'm there, the more I appreciate the views, the "light play" and the detailed finishes.The photo from one of the many decks gives a pretty good indication of why the original owners hired Lorenson...look at that rock shelf! (Click on images to enlarge)

THEN & NOW -- Bartlesville Christmas

It seems like yesterday, when again we were going to enjoy the beauty of a Bruce Goff jewel over our Christmas holiday in 1997. Waiting for a call to go over to Shin'enKan, the most "fantastic" piece of architecture built, we received a call that it was on fire and "it was bad." As you can see, it certainly was. We got as close as we could to take pictures of the fire and the aftermath. It was a very sad experience for my family. I think they all understood something very important had been lost. At least we were fortunate to have had a "relationship" with this work of art.
Needless to say and to make a long story short, the Price family sought out the best architects of the time. Bruce Goff was hired by Joe Price to design his home, and subsequent additions, ultimately becoming his Opus... Harold Price Sr., his father, had hired Cliff May to design the family home at Starview Farms, and at Goff's insistence hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design an office building, the Price Tower. Harold Jr. hired Wright to design his home, essentially creating an architectural theme park. The May designed house was in bad condition and razed by developers. The only remaining house is the Wright designed house called "Hillside".
The loss of Shin'enKan, by arson, was a major loss for students and enthusiasts of architecture throughout the world.
I visited the site, over the holidays, which had been cleared and the foundations filled in. Nothing had been built there, though the area has been subdivided and the affluent are building traditional houses nearby.

It was a melancholy moment, sad, but with wonderful memories...

Have a Very Modern Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your KCMODERN Bloggers, Bob, Robert, Scott and Jerad!

THEN & NOW -- Drummond Builds Housing for Flood Victims

In response to the housing demand caused by the disastrous flood the summer of 1951, Francie Drummond designed this house plan (there were variations, Gier Sloan, Architect may have been involved) for quickly built and inexpensive housing. (See vintage photo -- sorry photo is stained) Slab on grade foundations, flat roofs and minimalist styling helped keep costs down. Don said they had no land costs and the homes were sold for around $2,000. He said he built around forty of the houses in Kansas City, KS.
They may not exist anymore, we have been unable to locate them, but a nifty little enclave of homes near 55th and Maple, Mission, KS, resemble the flood houses. I remember some were built with flat roofs, others gabled. Now, all have gabled roofs.
Comparing the photos and disregarding the gabled roofs, vinyl siding and shutters, you can almost see the flat roof and similar window treatment. Sadly, most have lost their crisp modern styling.

Modern Photo of the Week - Cocktail Hour at the Spencer Residence in Santa Monica, 1950

California Modern: 1950
Photograph by Julius Shulman

And Now For Something Completely Different... How about leaving wintery Kansas City for a little sunny California, Mid-Century time capsule photographed by "Uncle" Julius Shulman!

As if we did not have enough distractions to waste our time on the internet, here is one more. Caution, I wasted a good hour browsing through this one.

I recently discovered Shorpy "Always something Interesting", a photo blog that continually posts interesting vintage photos and then allows it's viewers to contribute funny comments to go along with the photos. Recently Shorpy posted some great Mid-Century Modern picks, so I thought I would grab this one by my favorite architectural photographer Julius Shulman.

I particularly like browsing through comments for the photo above which include, "The guy in the suit and sandals looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Hugh Hefner." And "Is that SHAG carpeting on the chair? And why is Mr. Spencer wearing Birkenstocks with his suit?" Other comments include,"This is reminiscent of the mood of the old TV Show, Hugh Hefner's Penthouse Party. It was all so chic and stylishly sophisticated." And, "this is so totally Southern California that I can't stand it."

My favorite comment: "The future was going to be so cool, and look what we did with it."

via Lotta Living

THEN & NOW -- Conecting the Dots- Ralph Myers House

I agree with Robert, I'm a big fan of Kivett and Myers work. Though the firm did very little residential work, Ralph Myers designed his own home, as seen here in the newspaper, built by Don Drummond in Prairie Village, KS in 1947. The house featured passive solar heating through the large south windows and outdoor living on the "protected" patio. The recent photo is as close to the angle of the vintage photo as I could get. A privacy fence blocks any view of the alterations that enclosed and changed the original intent of the design. The house has additions and modifications that make it unrecognizable as originally built.

Charles Eames in St. Louis

If you are going to be in St. Louis over the Holidays, check out the “Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture of Midcentury” exhibit at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. The exhibit runs through January 5th. I saw it at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, California last year.

Charles Eames has a St. Louis connection. The exhibit has a lot of original memorabilia and furniture including many chairs by Eames, articles, history and lots of fun video snippets from this era, my favorite was I Love Lucy. The films by Charles and Ray Eames were very interesting.

The summary from the museum states:
“Birth of the Cool examines the broad cultural zeitgeist of “cool” that influenced the visual arts, graphic and decorative arts, architecture, music, and film produced in California in the 1950s and early 1960s. The widespread influences of such midcentury architects and designers as Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames, John Lautner, and Richard Neutra, have been well-documented. Less well-known, however, are the innovations of a group of Hard-Edge painters working during this period including Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson, Fredrick Hammersley, Helen Lundberg and John McLaughlin, whose work retains a freshness and relevance today. Birth of the Cool revisits this scene, providing a visual and cultural context for West Coast geometric abstract painting within the other dynamic art forms of this time.”
"The show is inevitable fun ... The exhibition also represents a small seismic tremor for the way postwar LA art history is finally coming to be understood." Los Angeles Times

"Both entertaining and thought provoking. What emerges is not just a style but a spirit and an ethos that are in many ways diametrically opposite those of East Coast Abstract Expressionism. Angst-free, not monumental, anti-grandiose: California cool is laid back yet cleanly articulated, impersonal yet intimate, strict yet hedonistic, and seriously playful." New York Times

THEN & NOW -- Drummond Houses -- From Castillian to Hacienda

As we've done before, we have some vintage photos of Don's houses and thought it would be fun to show how they looked then and how they look now. Unfortunately, some have been altered beyond recognition. This vintage photo was taken July, 1958 for House and Home Magazine.

This house was an award winning Jones and Emmons design ("Case Study" architects from California) for Don called the "Castillian." (for more about Don's California architect connection, see articles on www.KCModern.com) A lavish open one story plan featuring many windowwalls, multiple outdoor terraces and a true sense of modern living. As far as we can tell, there were seven of these homes built in the Kansas City area and one was located in Richmond, MO. This one is located near 68th & Belinder in Mission Hill, KS. (Look for more on Belinder street soon) The house, altered drastically with Spanish styling, was unique for the type in that it had a basement/bomb shelter below the carport. As has happened in other communities throughout the United States, Belinder street has seen many changes over the last few years, many mid-century modern houses have been torn down. Because of this, we have significant concern about the future of a Marcel Breuer designed house down the street (see previous photo of the week).

Modern Photo of the Week - Missouri Public Service

Name: Missouri Public Service
Architect: Kivett and Myers
Year Designed: circa 1955
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1956
Size: Unknown
Location: Raytown, MO
Type: Commercial
Style: Modern
Status: Endangered
Photographer: Brad Finch
http://www.f-stop.com/

You may be beginning to notice that I love the work of Kivett and Myers. This is my favorite remaining building by that firm. I just love the sun louvers, which operated automaticaly and I think that the building has a timeless quality to it. You can go into the architectural journals of today and see many architects trying to achieve a similar aesthetic.