Stone, David J. house 1905 Vicksburg Lubbock, TX architectural drawings
In this 1905 house in Texas, Cliff May creates privacy with an enclosed patio surrounded on three sides by the house and one side with a roofed porch. With the patio as the center of the house, windows surround the patio, and the house extends diagonally outward from two different corners of the residence, allowing for a view in many directions.
Cliff May papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
These two images of Hanson show him at different points in his career. The first one from circa 1927 shows him while he was working on his most famous project, the Harold Lloyd estate. The second image shows Hanson as a well established land developer, circa 1955.
A. E. Hanson papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
A.E. Hanson: Calendar landscaping (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Harry Calendar garden, in the Windsor Square neighborhood in Los Angeles, was one of Hanson's first landscape architecture commissions. In the images above, the bird house holds a spotlight to highlight the lily pond. The colonial style pergola anchors the far end of the garden with statuary.
A.E. Hanson, landscape architect Frederick Martin, photographer
A. E. Hanson papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
A.E. Hanson: Cochran landscaping (Los Angeles, Calif.)
George Cochran, head of Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company, commissioned Hanson to create a garden on his multi-lot estate between Hobart and Harvard streets in Los Angeles. A long, narrow garden was created, with fully-grown trees brought in to complete the landscape vision.
A.E. Hanson: Hanson landscaping (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Hanson designed this landscape for the backyard of his own home in Westlake, Calif. The design shows how a sculpted landscape can fit into a smaller suburban yard.
A.E. Hanson: Johnson landscaping (Montecito, Calif.)
For the Kirk Johnson landscaping project, Hanson was introduced to the Johnson's by the architect of the house, George Washington Smith. The 8-acre property already contained many mature oak and cypress trees; Hanson utilized the existing trees to frame different garden 'rooms' and to highlight the natural landscape.
A.E. Hanson, landscape architect George Washington Smith, architect Fredrick Dapprich, photographer Wayne McCall, photographer
A.E. Hanson: Lloyd landscaping (Beverly Hills, Calif.)
The Harold Lloyd estate, also known as Green Acres, was a 15-acre property with golf course, swimming pool, 900 foot long canoe racing area, handball court, and many additional outbuildings and features. Hanson designed all of the landscape features, and worked with architect Sumner Spaulding on the placement of the Tuscany-style house on the grounds. Harold Lloyd was a very famous actor and producer in the 1920s, but whose fortunes declined over the years; he lived in the house until he died in 1971. The estate was then subdivided into multiple lots and sold off.
A.E. Hanson, landscape architect Sumner Spaulding, architect
A.E. Hanson: Murphy landscaping (Los Angeles, Calif.)
For the Mrs. Dan Murphy garden, Hanson worked with architect Lutah Maria Riggs on the overall design for the landscape. Hanson had worked with Riggs previously on the Johnson estate in Montecito. The garden design was based on an Italian garden, since the Murphy's had two Italian temples reconstructed on the extensive estate grounds.
A.E. Hanson, landscape architect Fredrick Dapprich, photographer Wayne McCall, photographer Lutah Maria Riggs, architect
A.E. Hanson: Young landscaping (Pasadena, Calif.)
George Washington Smith designed the home for Archibald Young in the Andalusian style. Hanson complimented this style with a similar landscaping, by utilizing various fountains and water features to highlight the design.
A.E. Hanson, landscape architect George Washington Smith, architect
Albert Frey: Aluminaire house (Syosset, NY)
The architect A. Lawrence Kocher was asked to design a house for the Architectural League of New York City and the Allied Arts of Industries bi-annual exhibition. Kocher hired Frey to help design a house that used new materials, like steel and glass as a low cost construction alternative. After the exhibition, the house was purchased by architect Wallace Harrison, who moved the house to his property in Syosset, on Long Island in New York. The house remains on the property until 1987, when a new owner decided to demolish the house and build a subdivision. The New York Institute of Technology agreed to dismantle the house and reconstruct it on their campus. Teams of architecture students spend the next six years carefully dismantling the house and re-assembling it at the School of Architecture on the Central Islip campus. In 2012, the campus was closed, the house was transferred to a group called the Aluminaire House Foundation, which dismantled the structure and stored it in a shipping container. In 2015, the container was shipped to Palm Springs and is currently awaiting re-assembly.
Albert Frey, architect A. Lawrence Kocher, architect
Albert Frey papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Albert Frey: Bel Vista tract housing (Palm Springs, Calif.)
The Bel Vista affordable housing tract was built in 1945 as housing for War workers. The subdivision of 15 homes was designed by Albert Frey and John Porter Clark for the developers Sallie Stevens and Culver Nichols. This was the first subdivision in Palm Springs to feature modern-style houses, and the only Frey housing tract.
Albert Frey, architect John Porter Clark, architect
Albert Frey: Clark and Frey office building (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Albert Frey was in partnership with John Porter Clark from 1939 until 1957. This office building was the firm's office on North Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. The unassuming modern two-story building now houses retail stores on its first floor.
Albert Frey, architect Clark and Frey, architects John Porter Clark, architect Bernard Anderson, photographer
Albert Frey: Cree house (Palm Springs, Calif.)
The Raymond Cree house was built on the border of Palm Springs and Cathedral City. Cree was a real estate developer who had originally wanted to build a luxury resort on the site; instead a two bedroom house with pool and valley views was constructed.
Albert Frey, architect Clark, Frey & Chambers, architects
Albert Frey: Desert Museum (Palm Springs, Calif.)
This is an early rendering of the Palm Springs Desert Museum, later renamed the Palm Springs Art Museum, in its earlier location on Tahquitz Drive. Clark & Frey worked with the Williams, Williams, Williams architecture firm, which also included E. Stuart Williams, who designed the current Art Museum building in the 1970s.
Albert Frey, architect Frey & Clark, architects Williams, Williams, Williams, architects
Albert Frey papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture previous hit Museum next hit ; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture previous hit Museum next hit ; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Southern California Architecture California Modern Architecture
Frey House 1 was built in 1940, as a small 16x20 rectangle, with corrugated metal walls and roof. In 1948, the living area was expanded, a second pool was installed that was partially indoors (surrounded by curving metal walls), as well as additions to the pool area. In 1953, an upstairs addition was constructed-- based on an observation tower Frey had seen in Mexico-- which contained a bedroom with 8 circular windows to let in air and light.
This section drawing shows the addition of a second floor bedroom, with hanging staircase ascending from the living room. The pool is on the left, partially inside the house. The dining room, with its hanging table, is on the right.
In 1960, Frey sold Frey House 1 to a developer who tore the house down, subdivided the two acre lot, and built a few standard stucco houses on the newly subdivided lots. The developer subsequently went bankrupt.
Albert Frey (1903-1998), Architect; Julius Shulman, Photographer
The house was built in 1940-1941 as a very small house, only 16x20. Frey added on to the house in 1948 and 1953. The first addition consisted of an additional living/sleeping area and an indoor/outdoor wading pool surrounded by corrugated metal walls and planted with many tropical plants. The 1953 addition was for the unique second floor sleeping area-- a circular room with porthole-style windows and a hanging staircase. Frey also added a curved metal and fiberglass wall surrounding the main pool.
Albert Frey: Frey House 1, portrait with car
In this iconic image, Albert Frey is pictured standing alongside his car, in front of Frey House 1. The unique circular second story with porthole windows was an addition in 1953-1954.
Frey House 2 is perched on the side of the mountain, just above the Palm Springs Art Museum. Frey stipulated in his will that the house was to be given to the Art Museum after his death. The house is occasionally open for tours, usually during Palm Springs Modernism Week.
Albert Frey (1903-1998), Architect Julius Shulman, Photographer
Frey House 2 is also a small house, perched on a steep slope above Palm Springs. The main feature on the interior of the house is a large boulder, which divides the dining area from the sleeping area. Frey used metal channels on the rock and had the glass walls cut to fit around the rock and seal in the air.
This floor plan shows the original plan for the house, with no separate bedroom, just a sleeping area adjacent to the living room. The large oval next to the dining room table is a large boulder, which is the centerpiece of the house.
This portrait of Albert Frey later in life was taken in Frey House 2, leaning against the large boulder, overlooking downtown Palm Springs.
This section drawing shows the steep slope of the building site. The carport is on the lowest level, with pool directly above. The house sits farther up the slope, with the large boulder represented by the dotted line on the upper right.
Albert Frey: Kocher weekend house (Northport, NY)
Architects A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey worked together in 1933-1934 to design low-cost structures, like the Aluminaire House. Kocher was the managing editor of Architectural Record, faculty at the University of Virginia and Black Mountain College, and responsible for helping bring Walter Gropius to the United States. With this weekend house on Long Island, Kocher and Frey designed the house with a redwood frame, then stretched Marine canvas over the walls. The canvas was sealed and painted, and lined with aluminum for insulation on the inside. The ground level was parking and a playground, the second level was the main living level (with kitchen and large living room which had curtains to separate the space into bedrooms at night), and the top level was for sun bathing and sleeping areas during warm weather. The house was demolished in the 1950s to make way for a new subdivision.
Albert Frey: Kocher-Samson office and apartment (Palm Springs, Calif.)
In 1934, Frey was sent to Palm Springs to design and build an office building, with an apartment above, for Dr. J.J. Kocher, the brother of A. Lawrence Kocher. The building was designed to take advantage of the climate and featured a courtyard between the two offices on the ground floor, and the apartment had a large terrace on the shady north side of the building. The photographs, taken just after construction, show how the building was the only structure in the area, surrounded by sand and sagebrush. Today, the building still stands along busy Palm Canyon drive, surrounded by other businesses and concrete.
Albert Frey: Loewy house (Palm Springs, Calif.)
The industrial designer Raymond Loewy commissioned Frey to design a bachelor pad and winter getaway in 1947, in Palm Springs. The small (1100 square feet) house features walls of sliding glass doors opening onto a patio and pool. The outdoor living area contains multiple eating areas, a shaded trellis, and spots for pool-side lounging. As shown in the photos by Julius Shulman, the amoeba-shaped pool even extends under the glass doors and into the living room.
Albert Frey, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Albert Frey: Lyons house (Palm Springs, Calif.)
The J.A. Lyons house was a large (5 bedroom), sprawling house in the Smoke Tree Ranch development in Palm Springs. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the Lyons house was much more grand than some of Frey's other residences.
Albert Frey, architect Clark & Frey, architects
Albert Frey: Newton house (Palm Springs, Calif.)
The Harold R. Newton house on Palisades Drive in Palm Springs was a small house perched on the side of a steeply sloping lot. Multiple terraces created a more stable hillside and provided space for an access stairway.
Albert Frey: North Shore Beach and Yacht Club (Salton Sea, Calif.)
The Salton Sea was a formerly dry lake bed located southeast of Palm Springs. The area was flooded as part of an effort to irrigate the surrounding area in the early 1900s, and is one of the largest lakes in California. It is also one of the saltiest and most polluted, due to agricultural run-off. During the 1950s, the North Shore area was a very popular vacation spot, and the marina was one of the largest in the state. The Club was in operation until 1984, when it closed after being damaged in a flood. In 2010, the county of Riverside operated the Salton Sea Museum and community center from the main building. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Albert Frey, architect Robson Chambers, architect
Albert Frey: Pelletier house (Palm Desert, Calif.)
The Adrian Pelletier house in Palm Desert was built as the town was being developed as a getaway for Hollywood stars. Its location near both the Shadow Mountain Club and Marrakesh Country Club was a very desirable location.
Albert Frey, architect Julius Shulman, photographer Clark, Frey, and Chambers, architects
Albert Frey: Tramway Gas Station (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Frey and Chambers designed the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway station house (the building at the base of the mountain) in 1963. The Tramway Gas Station, at the corner of Tramway Road and Highway 111, was constructed in 1965 with a distinctive hyperbolic paraboloid roof, which gives the building an instantly recognizable appearance. It was used as a gas station until the 1990s, when it was turned into an art gallery. In 2015, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was converted to the Palm Springs Visitor Center.
A watercolor rendering of the Arts Building, from an aerial birds-eye perspective. This shows the Spanish Colonial Revival influence on the design, with a focus on the red tile roof, courtyards, and patio spaces. Additionally, wind screens made of the patterned block walls provide wind protection (due to the lack of trees on campus at the time), and create outdoor rooms for classes and relaxing.
University of California, Santa Barbara Campus Building records, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Aztec Hotel: Exterior elevation drawings
This original drawing depicts each of the four main elevations: west, north, east, and south. The main entrance facade (south elevation) contains the majority of the cast concrete decorative elements. The west elevation shows the pergola and patio area used as outdoor dining for the restaurant. The caption at the bottom of the drawing: Monrovia Community Hotel for the Community Hotel Corporation of Monrovia, Cal.
Stacy-Judd, Robert (1884-1975), architect.
Robert Stacy-Judd papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Aztec Hotel: Exterior photograph with cars
The black and white photograph shows the front facade of the hotel, with 1920s era automobiles. The caption at the bottom of the photograph: "First structure ever erected utilizing Ancient Maya Art Motifs throughout."
Aztec Hotel: Exterior presentation board
Colored pencil on board rendering of exterior view of hotel. This presentation board shows the view of the front entrance of the hotel, with shops on either side. The asymmetrical "Mayan" stonework is shown above the entrance, and the sage green color of the stucco was meant to portray an aged surface.
Aztec Hotel: Exterior presentation board, side view
Colored pencil rendering of exterior side view of hotel on board. This view shows the corner of Foothill Boulevard (old Route 66), and Magnolia Avenue. It features "Mayan" decorative motifs on the corner, and along the side of the building. The view of the San Gabriel mountain range is seen in the background.
The original floor plan for the first floor of the hotel. Stores, barber shop, and coffee shop are along the bottom of the image. The lobby and dining room for the restaurant are in the center. In the upper right-hand corner are four one-room apartments. The dotted lines on the upper left-hand portion of the plan denote a future wing of apartments that was never built.
This image depicts the front desk in the lobby of the hotel. The "Mayan" themed furniture and the wall accents (including the drinking fountain) were designed by Stacy-Judd. The short staircase led to the private dining rooms for the restaurant.
Aztec Hotel: Interior presentation board
Colored pencil on board. Rendering of interior of lobby; this shows the original design from August 1924. This presentation board displays the full color effect that Stacy-Judd was trying to achieve with his "Mayan Revival" style. The fireplace is on the far right, with the lobby entrance doors center right, and the doors to the restroom at the center of the image. "Mayan" design motifs are shown on the walls, which were hand-drawn by Stacy-Judd.
This is a scale drawing of the north and south walls of the Aztec Hotel lobby. The north wall features the detail work on the staircase to the second floor, doorways leading to the restaurant dining rooms, and the front desk. The south elevation includes details around the doorways to the restrooms, the vestibule to the entrance, and outlines of the "Mayan" murals painted on the walls by Stacy-Judd.
Black and white photograph of the lobby looking towards the east. The front desk is on the left, with the entrance to the lobby on the right. The stairway on the far left leads to the outdoor patio area for the restaurant. "Mayan" themed furniture designed by Stacy-Judd can be seen in the middle of the room.
Photograph of interior of lobby looking towards the fireplace with the front desk to the right-hand side. Cast concrete was used for the "Mayan" forms around the doorways and fireplace. Stacy-Judd painted the murals on the walls and designed the stencil for the ceiling.
This portrait of Barton Myers was taken early in his career in Toronto, Canada outside the residence he designed for himself and his family.
Barton Myers papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
This interior drawing is one of Barton Myers' early student projects. Myers went to the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture and studied under Louis Kahn. He graduated in 1964.
Barton Myers: A Grand Avenue proposal (Los Angeles, Calif.)
In 1980, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency was planning to demolish the Bunker Hill area of the city and organized a competition for a team of architects to design a new urban center. A Grand Avenue proposal was created by developer Robert Maguire and led by Barton Myers Associates and the Urban Innovations Group. Barton Myers and Edgardo Contini designed a mixed-use development with housing, shops, hotels, parks, and offices. Myers designed two residential towers, both containing ample outdoor space for residents. The plan was to integrate the new development into the surrounding area, bridging the older neighborhood to the east with the newer areas of the downtown core. Their plan did not win the competition, but was widely admired by architects and the public.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Carlos Diniz, renderer Maguire Partners, developers
Barton Myers: Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, Ont.)
Myers renovated and expanded the Art Gallery-- renovating the existing 190,000 square feet of museum and adding another 100,000 square feet. The renovations included the re-working of buildings dating back to 1817, and to connect the various new and old spaces to each other with courtyards, sculpture gardens, and the use of mass and voids. Myers created a sculpture garden in the midst of the expanded buildings, to be utilized as a site for dining, exhibition openings, concerts, and other events. The expanded Art Gallery is one of the largest museums in North America.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects KMPB, associates
Barton Myers: Bekins house (Montecito, Calif.)
For the Bekins house in the Toro Canyon area of Montecito, Myers utilized the same type of steel construction he used in his own nearby house. Myers worked with landscape architects Arcadia Studios to preserve some of the landscape features originally placed on the site by Lockwood de Forest, a noted local Santa Barbara landscape architect.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects
Barton Myers: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (Cerritos, Calif.)
The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts was the initial phase of building for the Cerritos Town Center development. The arts center was a grouping of buildings designed for theater performances, meetings, receptions, and other gatherings. The main focus is the theater, which was designed by Myers to have five different configurations, which could be changed based on the type of performance. The buildings were carefully massed to work with the surroundings-- a hotel complex, shopping center, and freeways.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Timothy Street-Porter, photographer
Barton Myers: Citadel Theatre (Edmonton, Alb.)
The Citadel Theatre complex was designed around a pedestrian mall, with the 700-seat proscenium theater, the 300-seat experimental theater, and the 250-seat cinema/lecture hall all having lobbies which opened onto the central pedestrian mall.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects R.L. Wilkin, architect John Fulker, photographer
Barton Myers: Don Watt Studio (Toronto, Ontario)
Don Watt was the founder of The Watt Group, a retail branding and design consultancy business. Myers designed the Studio building with an interior atrium which included trees.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Patricia Layman Bazelon, photographer
Barton Myers: Dundas-Sherbourne (Toronto, Canada)
The Dundas-Shelbourne project was an infill housing scheme undertaken by the City of Toronto's Non-Profit Housing Corporation. Instead of tearing down existing housing stock to build high-rise towers, Myers and Diamond designed 5- to 7-story medium-rise infill housing, sited on the back half of the existing housing units. This allowed the neighborhood to retain old housing stock, while adding new units.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers, architects
Barton Myers: Dundas-Sherbourne (Toronto, Ont.), Vacant Lottery site plan
"Vacant Lottery" was a special issue of Design Quarterly magazine which was co-written by Barton Myers and George Baird in 1978. The graphics show the existing buildings in dark blue, new construction in light blue, outside space is orange, and other existing buildings not part of the project are dark grey. For Dundas-Sherbourne, Myers and Diamond added infill housing (the light blue rectangles in the above image) behind the existing housing (dark blue) in order to add density without changing the character of the neighborhood.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects
Barton Myers: Earl Bales Outdoor Theatre (Toronto, Ontario)
This 1500-seat theater is modeled on Greek and Roman theaters. It overlooks a ravine, which provides a natural backdrop to the stage performances. The Earl Bales Outdoor Theater is now called the Barry Zukerman Amphitheater in Earl Bales Park.
Barton Myers: Ghent Square (Norfolk, Vir.)
Ghent Square was a project for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Myers designed townhomes for the northeast quadrant of the square-- the development was sited around a central green space.
Barton Myers: Griffin's Restaurant (Toronto, Canada)
Myers designed an open and airy restaurant within the structure of an old warehouse building in downtown Toronto.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Ian Samson, photographer
Barton Myers: Housing University Building (Edmonton, Alb.)
Myers designed the Housing University Building (HUB) at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The HUB is a 957-foot-long galleria with retail shops, day care center, recreation facilities, and student housing on the upper floors of the 4-story building. It was designed as a student center for cold climates, so that students did not need to walk outside in the winter.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects R.L. Wilkin, architect
Barton Myers: Indian Paintbrush offices (Santa Monica, Calif.)
The Indian Paintbrush production company building is an example of adaptive re-use of a previously under-utilized brick building into modern office space. Myers designed a one-story office complex with a partial second-story, and a rooftop deck.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Ciro Coelho. photographer
Barton Myers: Moses Myers house (Norfolk, Vir.)
The Moses Myers House is a historic house museum in Norfolk, Virginia. Barton Myers' ancestors built the house in 1792 and maintained the house through the years.
Barton Myers: Myers house (Montecito, Calif.)
Myers personal home in the Toro Canyon area of Montecito, sits on 38 acres of canyon land which backs up to the Los Padres National Forest. The house was designed so that if a wildfire were to threaten the structure, the metal walls would provide sufficient protection from fire.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Grant Mudford, photographer
Barton Myers: Myers house (Toronto, Ont.)
Barton Myers designed and built his first residence for himself at 19 Berryman in Toronto. At the time he was partners in the firm A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects. The house was an infill project on a narrow vacant lot. Myers designed the house around an enclosed courtyard. The two-story house utilized natural light from the skylight and windows at the front and back.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers, architects Ian Samson, photographer
Barton Myers: New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Newark, NJ)
With the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJ PAC), Myers created a multi-building center with theaters, conference rooms, and restaurants to connect existing parts of Newark (a Military Park and the Passaic River) with each other and the new venue. The theaters included the 2700-seat Prudential hall and the 500-seat Victoria Theater. The complex was designed to be an urban revitalization project for downtown Newark.
Barton Myers: Ontario Medical Association building (Ontario, Canada)
The building, at 240 St. George Street in Toronto, was designed to be the office space for the Ontario Medical Association. The building now houses the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China.
Barton Myers: Phoenix Municipal Government Center (Phoenix, Ariz.)
The design competition for the civic center of Phoenix placed the main municipal buildings at the center of the city; the Myers plan incorporates the main arteries into how the architecture works with the surrounding area. The low-rise buildings were joined together by a series of walkways, parks, courts, and an aqueduct. The reddish-brown and pink sandstone wall color connected the building and the city to the desert.
Barton Myers: Portland Performing Arts Center (Portland, Ore.)
The Portland Performing Arts Center was designed in association with BOOR/A and ELS Design Group. Myers designed two theaters, the 900-seat Newmark Theatre and the 360-seat Dolores Winningstad Theater, as well as offices, ticketing area, and support spaces. The Spectral Light dome by artist James Carpenter sits above the lobby of the building. Myers also renovated and converted a 1927 theater into a 2750-seat concert hall. All of the theaters were designed to be versatile in their varied uses-- from intimate theater to large concert hall.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Timothy Hursley, photographer
Barton Myers: Seagram Museum (Waterloo, Ont.)
For the Seagram Museum, Myers used the original nineteenth-century barrel warehouse, which had held up to 6000 barrels of whiskey, as part of the exhibition space. He also used wood beams from the warehouse to clad the new structures. At the time of the construction of the Museum, the distillery was still in use by the Seagram company. Unfortunately, the museum closed in 1997 and the building has since been turned into office space.
Barton Myers: Stratford Festival Theater (Stratford, Ont.)
The alterations and addition to the theatre building faced the river and a public park, therefore the modifications were made with public access and views in mind.
Barton Myers: U.S Pavilion for the World Expo in Seville (Seville, Spain)
For the United States Pavillion at the Universal Exposition of Seville (Expo 92) competition, Myers created a series of buildings connected by courtyards, with theaters, exhibition space, and a water wall, all capped by three 'shade sails' to provide vertical interest and relief from the sun. Myers design was not the winner of the competition, so this design was never built.
Barton Myers, architect Barton Myers Associates, architects Arquitectura Langdon, architects
Barton Myers: Wolf house (Toronto, Ont.) photographs
For this early house on a steeply sloping lot, Myers used pilings to raise the house and create space for a patio or eventual addition.
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects, architects John Fulker, photographer
Barton Myers: Wolf house (Toronto, Ont.), drawing
Barton Myers, architect A.J. Diamond and Barton Myers Architects, architects
Barton Myers: York Square (Toronto, Ont.)
The York Square project, in the Yorkville Village neighborhood of Toronto, was an urban infill development which revitalized old commercial buildings in an established neighborhood into a new space for restaurants and cafes to coalesce around a new courtyard space.. Myers and Diamond repurposed existing buildings to maintain the neighborhood style, while adding graphics and a new facade to the newly renovated building complex.
Barton Myers: Yorkville Library (Toronto, Canada)
The Yorkville Branch Library in Toronto was originally designed in 1907 by architect Robert McCallum, the city architect, as part of a Carnegie library grant. Myers added on to the original Beaux Arts style building, with an addition to the back of the building.
This is a photograph of a model of the Biological Sciences II building, looking at the north-west corner of the building, with Parking Lot #1 on the left side of the image. The building houses numerous laboratories, offices, and other research spaces. Jones & Emmons had previously designed Theater & Dance East and Noble Hall in the "early campus standard" style, with patterned cinnamon colored concrete blocks, covered walkways, and patterned wind-walls. Biological Sciences II references more of the "late campus standard" style, with horizontal re-enforced concrete, prominent vertical utility shafts, and one story covered entryway to the multi-story building.
A. Quincy Jones & Frederick Emmons, architects
The Bren School of Environmental Studies is one of the premier environmental science schools in the country, and the only graduate school of environmental management in the UC system. The building itself is also exceptional. The first dedicated research and laboratory facility to achieve the highest LEED status as a new building, it was re-certified Platinum in the existing buildings category in 2009 and again in 2017. It is the only building to receive multiple platinum awards. The central courtyard offers informal meeting spaces, while the open, exterior stairwell provides architectural interest. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership is an international architectural firm that specializes in commercial and education projects. In addition to the Bren School, they also designed the Marine Science Building (2004) and the Humanities and Social Sciences building (1994).
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, architects
This photograph of a model of Broida Hall shows a view from the south, with Webb Hall and the Woodhouse Laboratory in the foreground. In addition to classroom and office space, Broida also has two lecture halls. As one of the later works of Charles Luckman Associates at UCSB, the architectural vocabulary highlights the horizontal lines, re-enforced concrete, and overhanging sunshades on the windows as part of the "late campus standard" architectural style.
Charles Luckman Associates, executive architects
Southern California Architecture California Modern Architecture Urban Planning
California City was chosen as a building site because of its' proximity to highways, railroads, military bases, and mining. It also was purported to sit on top of an underground aquifer that would never run dry. Smith and Williams, along with landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, designed parks, golf courses, swimming pools, and green spaces into a desert community, based on easily accessible water.
Smith & Williams records, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
California City, Calif.; Kern County, Calif.
Despite all of the city planning and marketing of California City, the population did not increase at the rates hoped for by the investors. The marketing of California City was aimed at people in the greater Los Angeles area who wanted to escape the smog and congestion of the urban city and live in a completely planned and organized city. With gold, silver, and borax mines, as well as a military base, jobs were available. The advertising brochure shows how narrow the marketing focus was on a specific type of homebuyer.
California City was designed as a master-planned community, with all of the necessities of life close by: home, work, recreation, and shopping. Smith and Williams were able to start with a blank canvas-- literally the open desert-- to create multiple planned communities within the California City city limits. Aerial renderings show the abundant green space around and between homes and businesses, as well as recreational centers.
The main recreation area at the center of town was the Central Park. It contained golf courses, swimming pools, and a large lake for boating and fishing. Smith and Williams designed this distinctive shade structure for the end of the boat ramp.
As city planners, Smith and Williams designed many different types of buildings used by various parts of the community. The Congregational Church in California City utilized the same stylistic roof and shade structure motif of the recreation building in the park to provide continuity to the public spaces.
In order to attract a wide variety and number of prospective home owners to this planned community, Smith and Williams designed a variety of neighborhood plans to fit different demographics. Some neighborhoods featured wide, park-like lots without fences, others were to be standard suburban lots with equal-sized lots, still others were 'atrium houses' which featured an interior courtyard, as well as townhomes, high rises, and senior living facilities. All would be within easy walking or driving distance of work, school, shopping, and recreational facilities.
Campus Landscape Plan -- Soule and Murphy
A rendering of the landscape plan for the campus. This plan orients south at the top of the plan, with the lagoon and ocean at the top and left of the image. Three quadrangles (south, east, and northwest) are shown originating from a central point. A semi-circle of residence halls faces the lagoon, with an outdoor theater at the water's edge. The recreational area at the lower right contains baseball diamond, running track, driving range, football field, and general athletic fields separated into men's and women's. Landscaping is highlighted in this plan, including an arboretum and natural landscaping around the lagoon. This plan was not adopted; the only buildings Soule & Murphy built were Webb Hall and Library I (with Chester Carjola).
Soule and Murphy, architects; Ralph T. Stevens, landscape architect
University of California, Santa Barbara Campus Building Records, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
A photographic print of a birds eye view rendering of a version of the campus plan. The foreground shows the general outline of the residence halls, with the academic and administrative units towards the top of the image. Development on the lagoon peninsula and the area closer to Isla Vista, is a proposed sorority and fraternity housing area.
Pereira and Luckman, executive architects
Victor Cusack papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
This grouping of portraits shows the serious nature of Winslow.
Carleton Monroe Winslow Sr. papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Carleton Winslow: Bliss house (Montecito, Calif.)
The Bliss house was one of Winslow's largest private commissions. The 80 room mansion for William and Anna Dorinda Bliss, at the corner of Olive Mill and Hot Springs Roads in Montecito, was to be their summer residence. The 45 acre estate, named Casa Dorinda, contained the main house, servant's quarters, garages, various outbuildings, and extensive gardens. The Bliss' were quite wealthy and they hosted many large parties, including for European royalty. After Anna Bliss died in 1935, her daughter inherited the property and allowed the Navy to use it as a hospital during World War Two. It subsequently became a boarding school, then in the 1970s, a retirement communnity.
Carleton Winslow: Chapman Park Hotel (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Winslow altered the Chapman Park Hotel and Bungalows, which were located on Wilshire Boulevard, in 1936. The hotel had been in business since the early 1900s, and Winslow added details to make the walled garden with bungalow cottages feel more like a Mexican village with white stucco walls and red tile roofs. The Hotel was located along the rapidly expanding Wilshire Boulevard, near the Ambassador Hotel, Bullocks Wilshire department store, and the Brown Derby restaurant. The hotel was demolished in the 1960s to make way for an office building.
Carleton Winslow, architect Mott Studios, photographer Loomis and Fisher, photographer
Carleton Winslow: Los Angeles Central Library (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Los Angeles Central Library was one of Bertram Goodhue's final projects, which he was working on when he died in 1924. Winslow took over and finished the project in 1926. The early Art Deco building featured Egyptian friezes and inscriptions on the exterior, as well as large murals and metalwork on the interior. The building was threatened with demolition in the 1960s, but a large public outcry saved the building. It was expanded in 1983, and is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Landmark, and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Carleton Winslow, architect Bertram Goodhue, architect Mott Studios, photographer Lee Lawrie, sculptor
Carleton Winslow: Panama-California Exposition (San Diego, Calif.)
The Panama-California Exposition opened in 1915 in Balboa Park, San Diego, as a celebration of the opening and of the Panama Canal a few years prior. The Expo originally picked architect John Galen Howard to design the site, but due to his unavailability, Bertram Goodhue was chosen, along with local architect Irving Gill. Carleton Winslow was working in the Goodhue office in New York, and was called out to replace Gill in 1911. The Spanish Colonial Revival and Churrigueresque style buildings designed by Goodhue and Winslow set the architectural style for the exposition. While some of the structures built for the Expo were designed to be temporary, others were to be permanent and are still in use today in Balboa Park.
Carleton Winslow, architect Bertram Goodhue, architect Harold Taylor, photographer
Carleton Winslow: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style and built along the banks of Mission Creek, just a few blocks from the Santa Barbara Mission. Winslow designed a series of buildings interconnected with covered walkways, courtyards, decorative fountains, and red tile roofs.
Carleton Winslow: Valley Club (Montecito, Calif.)
The Valley Club is a golf course originally designed by renown course designers Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter and the American Golf Course Construction Company. The main club building featured a main dining room, men's and women's lounges, as well as locker rooms, and support facilities for the kitchen and staff. It is still used today as a premier golf and country club.
A rendering of the Chemistry Building, taken from the southern edge of the East Lawn, looking north. This building echoes some of the extended architectural vocabulary of the late campus standard, with patterned concrete block, dentil mouldings under the concrete roof lines, angular arches, and the use of the one-story building to give a more human scale to the larger building. The architectural firm Albert C. Martin and Associates was formed in 1906, and is still managed today by the same family. The firm was one of the most prolific designers of commercial structures in downtown Los Angeles in the mid-twentieth century. Some of their notable buildings include the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power headquarters, ARCO Plaza, and the master plan for Westlake Village. The firm also designed the Woodhouse laboratory at UCSB in 1963.
Albert C. Martin and Associates, architects
Classroom and Office Building #1 -- Girvetz Hall
A rendering of what is now Girvetz Hall, before the addition of South Hall to it's western side. The building was also known as South Hall, after North Hall was built in 1962. It was the first permanent home for the Social Science and Foreign Language Departments, and included office space and classrooms. Norman Marsh (1871-1955), David Smith (1886-1964), and Herbert Powell (1898-1996) designed many commercial and educational buildings throughout Southern California; the firm were also university architects at the University of Southern California. After this rendering of Girvetz Hall was completed, they changed their name to Smith, Powell & Morgridge, and the firm completed the original Girvetz as well as its addition in 1966. The firm changed its name again to Powell, Morgridge, Richards & Coghlan and designed Buchanan Hall (1967), Phelps Hall (1968), Ellison Hall (1969), and South Hall (1971). Each of the later buildings carries some of the stylistic design features of the original campus standards.
In 1947, Good Housekeeping magazine published May’s design of a small ranch house for a 60 x 120- foot lot, with the tag line, “Five rooms indoors—five outdoors.” The article boasts that the house is only 42 feet wide and “[t]here is no front or back—the house is livable on all sides.” Illustrated with a photograph of a model and a plan, the writer describes the modernity of the house: “Our ranch spreads out for light, air and view...Its design shows early Spanish influence, but in plan and flexibility it is thoroughly modern.” A sketch plan, with landscaping by Douglas Baylis, was offered to readers for 10 cents. The compact L-shaped plan would form the basis of May’s work for precut houses and housing developments in the mid-1950s.
The Cliff May archive contains many personal and professional portraits and publicity images of Cliff May. The second image was published in House and Garden in February 1957 and shows Cliff May, daughter Marilyn, son-in-law Lawrence Philips, grandchildren, wife Jean, daughters Melany and Hillary, and son Mike. Images of May’s family occasionally illustrated articles about his houses and ranch house living.
The house plans for the "Magic Money" ranch houses could vary between two and three bedroom models, as well as with or without two-car detached garage. The emphasis in these plans is on indoor-outdoor living, as exemplified by the large patio areas and lush landscaping.
Cliff May, architect Chris Choate, architect
Cliff May: "Pace-Setter" model house (Brentwood, Calif.)
May first took the plans for his postwar demonstration house to Sunset, asking the magazine to sponsor the building of the house. When Sunset declined, House Beautiful agreed to partner with May on the house. First National Finance Corporation financed the construction in Riviera Ranch and Elizabeth Gordon and her staff designed the colorful interiors with furniture and fixtures supplied by advertisers. This model house was opened as the first House Beautiful Pace Setter house, promoted by two months of public tours, a cover shot and accompanying lavish spread in the magazine’s February 1948 issue. Gordon published a new Pace Setter house annually until the mid-1960s to spotlight ideal modern villas for the suburban middle-class.
Cliff May: Blow house #1 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Cliff May and John A. Smith formalized their relationship in a contractual partnership to “jointly undertake the construction of dwellings for sale in the vicinity of Los Angeles,” naming May as builder and designer and Smith as financier through his First National Finance Corporation. By the summer of 1937 they were aggressively promoting and publishing their houses, one of which is the first house May designed for Frederick Blow and his wife. Frederick Blow commissioned May, left money in an account for him, and then left for Europe. This house has all the hallmarks of the best of May’s ranch houses. It spreads on the site, encloses outdoor rooms, and looks, with its uneven roof line, as though it grew on the site over decades.
Cliff May, architect William F. Cody, renderer
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes Factory Model home (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The idea for Cliff May Homes, a business of selling designs for prefabricated tract houses, was born in 1950 out of discussions between Cliff May and Chris Choate, an architect working in May’s office. May and Choate did field research, visiting other low-cost housing developments throughout California and in Arizona to assess their competition. They named the first prototype of the panel system the “Factory Model” and built it on a plot of land May owned in Sullivan Canyon, above Riviera Ranch. By the end of the day, a group of about ten skilled laborers had assembled the shell of a two-bedroom house using both post-and-beam construction and a system of pre-assembled panels
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes low cost house
This promotional image highlights the suburban nature of the Cliff May Homes tracts, with lush landscaping and ample parking.
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes prefabricated house
Cliff May Homes rationallized the building process and used elements of prefabricated building parts to lower costs. This very colorful presentation drawing highlights the attractive exterior of the home.