Cliff May: Smith speculative house (Bel Air, Calif.)

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Description

The Hollywood Citizen-News reported that though the grand speculative house May built for John A. Smith resembled an “ancient ‘dobe ranch house,” the walls were actually hollow tile and filled with plumbing, electricity, and other modern conveniences. On the photographs of this house, May wrote, “Rancho goes moderne.” May saw no conflict between making a house look old (a “rancho”) and filling it with the newest appliances and fixtures (“going moderne”).
The same Citizen-News article noted that the 5,000-square-foot house had sold to Mrs. W. H. Lyman Jr. of Beverly Hills for $39,500. The average cost of a new home in the U.S. in 1935 was $3,450.

Creator

Cliff May, architect
W.P. Woodcock, photographer

Source

Cliff May papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.

Date

circa 1937

Rights

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.

Citation

Cliff May, architect W.P. Woodcock, photographer, “Cliff May: Smith speculative house (Bel Air, Calif.),” UCSB ADC Omeka, accessed December 5, 2024, http://www.adc-exhibits.museum.ucsb.edu/items/show/466.