An Inscribed Copy
RAPHAEL SORIANO
Wolfgang Wagener and [Julius Shulman]
New York: Phaidon, 2002. First edition. Square quarto. Gray paper covered boards titled in white. Photo illustrated dust jacket. 224 pp. Fully illustrated with drawings, plans, and photographs, primarily by Julius Shulman. Warmly INSCRIBED by Wagener and Julius Shulman. A nearly fine copy in a nearly fine dust jacket.
8.75 x 8.75-inch hardcover monograph with 224 pages devoted to the life and work of Raphael Soriano, a California architect, pioneer in the use of steel in residential construction, and a veteran of the Case Study program. Apprenticed with Neutra and, briefly, Schindler, in the 1930s; worked with Eichler in the 1950s. With unfinished autobiography; documentation of all projects.
On offer here is an interesting association copy via the Shulman inscription, since Shulman asked Soriano to design a home and studio in the Hollywood Hills in 1947. Building began in 1949, taking nine months to complete. Shulman appreciation for modernist architecture is well known and documented so, it doesn’t surprise that, when it came to his house, he hired one of the most iconic architects of the mid-century period and modernist ambassador: Raphael Soriano.
The design comprises a group of steel-framed single-story spaces, with a 2,200 square-foot house, and a separate 1,000 square-foot photography studio. Outside, the entrance to the house is sheathed in corrugated steel, while the more private areas are enclosed by sliding glass doors, providing plenty of light to the living space. Built-in furnishings, such as living room cabinets and daybeds, were incorporated into the construction, while the interior was paneled with plywood. The grounds, which later became overgrown and known as Shulman’s house jungle, were designed by Garrett Eckbo.
In 1987, the City of Los Angeles recognized the architectural significance of the Shulman House, and elevated it to Historic Cultural Monument, helping preserve its integrity.
One of the leading visionaries of mid-century modern architecture, Raphael S. Soriano, FAIA, (1904 – 1988) was renowned for his innovative use of steel and aluminum in his residential projects. Like architects of his generation he recognized the appeal of Southern California's Mediterranean climate and sought to connect indoor and outdoor spaces – a hallmark of the mid-century style.
Born in Rhodes, Greece to a Sephardic Jewish family, Soriano attended the College Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Rhodes, before emigrating to the United States in 1924. After settling with relatives in Los Angeles, he enrolled in the University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1929, graduating in 1934. In 1930, he became an American citizen and, the following year, secured an internship at the practice of Richard Neutra, working alongside fellow interns Gregory Ain and Harwell Hamilton Harris. A brief internship with Rudolph Schindler in 1934 followed, but Soriano quickly returned to his unpaid position at Neutra's office.
With America in the throes of the Great Depression, Soriano managed to find work upon graduation with the County of Los Angeles on several WPA projects, such as the famous "Steel Lobster", and in a local architect's office. By 1936, he had completed his first commission, the Lipetz House, which appeared in the 1937 International Architectural Exhibition in Paris.
With residential and commercial construction in the U.S. stalled by the country's involvement in World War II, Soriano took up lecturing at USC and began contributing proposals for post-war housing designs to various competitions and publications. Of these, Soriano's "Plywood House" prototype received Third Prize in 1943 in the Postwar Living Competition, sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine. Once the war ended, Soriano had no trouble securing commissions, now garnering prizes for his built projects, such as the Katz House, in Studio City, a 1949 recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Southern California Chapter Three Award. The following year, the architect completed a home for a friend, renowned architectural photographer Julius Shulman, one of the few Soriano structures still standing. The Shulman residence and 1964 Grossman House were the last two occupied by their original owners.
Invited by John Entenza of Arts & Architecture magazine to participate in the Case Study Houses program, Soriano completed his project in 1950. Pioneering in its use of steel in residential construction, the design marks a turning point for the program, later culminating in Pierre Koenig' s Case Study House #21 and #22. Soriano's Colby Apartments of 1951 — distinct not only for their modern design, but also for their extensive use of steel — received the National American Institute of Architects Award for Design, the VII International Pan American Congress Award, and the AIA Southern California Chapter One Honor Award.
In 1953, Soriano moved from Los Angeles to Tiburon, in Marin County, across the bay north of San Francisco, where he lived with his wife Elizabeth Stephens (Betty) and her two daughters, Margaret and Lucille Coberly. By 1955, Soriano had designed the first mass-produced steel house, which developer Joseph Eichler build in Palo Alto. His work with Eichler would garner two awards from the Northern California Chapter of the AIA.
Soriano was made a Fellow by the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 1961. In 1965, he launched Soria Structures, Inc. to design and build prefabricated houses, marketed as "All-Aluminum Homes." His last realized designs were eleven All-Aluminum Homes on the island of Maui, Hawaii, built in 1965.
From 1970 until his death, in 1988, Soriano focused on traveling the world as an architectural lecturer, writer, and researcher. He was recognized by the AIA with a Distinguished Achievement Award and by USC with a Distinguished Alumni Award, both in 1986. Shortly before his death he served as a Special Sessions Instructor at the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona.
Of the 50 buildings Soriano built, only 12 remain; the others have succumbed to wildfire, earthquake, or demolition. Among the survivors, a number endured unsympathetic make-overs and additions. Those still intact and unmolested are now protected by municipal preservation codes. A collection of Soriano papers resides at the College of Environmental Design Special Collections at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).
American photographer Julius Shulman's (1910 – 2009) images of Californian architecture have burned themselves into the retina of the 20th century. A book on modern architecture without Shulman is inconceivable. Some of his architectural photographs, like the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's or Pierre Koenig's remarkable structures, have been published countless times. The brilliance of buildings like those by Charles Eames, as well as those of his close friend, Richard Neutra, was first brought to light by Shulman's photography.
The clarity of his work demanded that architectural photography had to be considered as an independent art form. Each Shulman image unites perception and understanding for the buildings and their place in the landscape. The precise compositions reveal not just the architectural ideas behind a building's surface, but also the visions and hopes of an entire age. A sense of humanity is always present in his work, even when the human figure is absent from the actual photographs.
Today, a great many of the buildings documented by Shulman have disappeared or been crudely converted, but the thirst for his pioneering images is stronger than ever before. This is a vivid journey across six decades of great architecture and classic photography through the famously incomparable eyes of Julius Shulman.
“Some of his architectural photographs, like the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's or Pierre Koenig's remarkable structures, have been published countless times. The brilliance of buildings like those by Charles Eames, as well as those of his close friends, Richard Neutra and Raphael Soriano, was first brought to light by Shulman's photography. The clarity of his work demanded that architectural photography had to be considered as an independent art form. Each Shulman image unites perception and understanding for the buildings and their place in the landscape. The precise compositions reveal not just the architectural ideas behind a building's surface, but also the visions and hopes of an entire age. A sense of humanity is always present in his work, even when the human figure is absent from the actual photographs.” [Wikipedia]