Julius Shulman Film » Architecture

Glamourized House: Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House: An Annotated & Illustrated Bibliography

Eric — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:28:51 +0000

This post is from John Crosse’s most excellent blog so-cal-arch-history.com. John was a very good friend of Julius and spent many hours with him. John writes that the purpose of his blog “is to share my findings with the outside world and hopefully create a network of like-minded individuals to learn more from.” His website/blog is a treasure trove of images and ideas related to the architectural history of Southern California. Thank you John for this incredible resource you have created for all of us.

Life Magazine, April 11, 1949, pp. 146-7. Richard Neutra, Kaufmann House, 470 West Vista de Chino, Palm Springs, 1947. Julius Shulman Job No. 093, 1947. From the Journal of Architectural Education, November, 1993, “Glamourized Houses”: Neutra, Photography, and the Kaufmann House by Simon Niedenthal. From my collection.

The above iconic 1947 Julius Shulman image of Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House presaged the dynamic duo’s entree into the Pantheon of modernist architecture and photography. Arguably the most iconic architectural photograph ever taken….

BERCY CHEN STUDIO IN AUSTIN

Eric — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:33:34 +0000

Bercy Chen Studio in Austin, Texas. Great architects as well as human beings.

“Bercy Chen Studio LP is an architecture & urban planning firm with design/build capabilities based in Austin, Texas founded in 2001…”

Visiting the Stahls at the Stahl House By Sean Bello

Eric — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Here is a great piece done by Sean Bello on his visit to the Stahl House (CSH#22).

“I’ve been living and working in Los Angeles for the past 17 years. I’ve dined at some of the finest restaurants, visited some of the best places the city has to offer and taken in some great shows that come through town. Few things tend to surprise me these days – until my recent tour of the Stahl House…”

The Chemosphere House By John Lautner

Eric — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:40:12 +0000

From the TAKE SUNSET Blog.

“The Chemosphere is a very fitting start to the “Best Of L.A.” series since for many people any conversation about the most interesting houses in L.A. must begin with the iconic Chemosphere house. Built in 1960 and designed by architect John Lautner, this eight-sided house in the Hollywood Hills was once named “the most modern home built in the world” by the Encyclopedia Brittanica.”

Stahl House (Case Study House #22) Open to Public for Tours

Eric — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:09:19 +0000

Case Study House #22

If you would like to visit the Case Study House #22, you can. Below is a link to the website which gives you tour dates / arrangements. In my opinion, this is one of the most spectacular sites in Los Angeles and perhaps the world.

http://www.stahlhouse.com/

Urgent Campaign for Neutra VDL Studio and Residences

Eric — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:47:39 +0000

One of Neutra’s most famous and important works is his own family’s former home, the VDL Research House. (It was called VDL after the Dutch philanthropist Dr C. H. Van Der Leeuw, who provided Neutra with the loan for the project.) Modern in design, VDL came to be known as a “glass” house” because of its many floor-to-ceiling windows. It was built to accommodate three families on a small 60×70 foot lot that included patios and gardens, as well as energy-saving innovations such as large overhangs and a rooftop reflecting pool that helped to keep the structure cool. Neutra proved that modern urban design could be at once beautiful, affordable, and environmentally-friendly.

VDL also housed Neutra’s office, where he designed hundreds of other projects over a thirty-year period. In addition to Shulman, many others began their professional careers with Neutra, including the architects Gregory Ain, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Donald Wexler, and Raphael Soriano.

In 1990, Neutra’s wife Dione gave a $100,000 endowment and the VDL Research House to the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design. Through the College, public and educational tours of the site have been made possible. However, VDL faces an immediate threat. Insurance and maintenance for the complex have proven costly, and VDL is long overdue for repairs, including a leaking roof that has caused water damage, and the uneven settlement of the house’s foundation. If the College is unable to raise $30,000 by October 1, 2008, the building could be closed and possibly sold to a private party, thereby resulting in the permanent loss of educational and public access. In addition to the $30,000, the College also hopes to raise another $2 million to cover current and future repairs and expenses.

For more information, and to learn how you can help, visit http://www.neutra-vdl.org/

Not Sold.

Eric — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:47:44 +0000

Photo from Curbed LA

Kaufmann House sale has been cancelled.

Sold.

Eric — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:45:40 +0000

Photo by Julius Shulman & Juergen Nogai

The Kaufmann House sold for $16.84 million. Read more about it here:

http://www.dwell.com/daily/blog/18925984.html

Diamond In The Desert

Eric — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:25:28 +0000

This is an artnet article on the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs which is offered by Christie’s in their May 13th, 2008 auction of modern and contemporary art. Beth Harris, the current owner, discusses the restoration in our film along with architects Leo Marmol and Chris Shanley. The house truly is a masterpiece.

DIAMOND IN THE DESERT

by Hunter Drohojowska-Philp

Austin’s First Annual Eco Home Tour

Eric — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:37:57 +0000

I just recently moved to Austin from Los Angeles. During my city-move selection process, one of the requirements from my list of city attributes was that it had to be progressive in it’s thinking, which I think is most evident in a city’s architecture. Austin passes this requirement with an A++ rating.

Yesterday (Sunday) my family and I attended an open house at the Dragonfly House located on the eastside of Austin. This event was part of Austin’s “First Annual Eco Home Tour” which is tied into a citywide celebration of Earth Day.

First a pleasant surprise: the listing agent of the house, Roland Galang, and I happened to have graduated from the same high school. I haven’t seen him in twenty years. Wild. He happens to work for a really outstanding real estate firm here in Austin:

www.urbanspacerealtors.com/agents/57

I also happened to meet an architect, Chris Krager, and his wife Amy. Chris’s firm, KRDB, located here in Austin, has launched an incredible line of AFFORDABLE, modular houses. He told me that the core inspiration of this line which is called ma (standing for modern+affordable) came from the initial intent of the Case Study House Program. Of course, he was also influenced by none other than Julius. In addition, his wife Amy is a filmmaker so we all had a lot to talk about. Below are his words along with a link to his website. Great stuff:

I was very inspired by the CSH program and the work of the architects (particularly Schindler & Neutra) of LA from the 30’s thru the 60’s. The notion that good, modern design should be broadly accessible was a strong undercurrent in this work (in CSH it WAS the underlying principle, although it fell short in reality). The work 1) had a social conscience 2) was innovative and progressive in terms of materials and methods and 3)was happening at a scale and scope that was, and is, unprecedented. You get the sense that the spirit of modernism was pervasive in this period. It was present everywhere, from architecture, to graphic design, cinema, photography, etc. What an amazing time to be in that place.