R.M. SCHINDLER HOUSE 1921 - 22
Kathryn Smyth
Kathryn Smyth: R.M. SCHINDLER HOUSE 1921 - 22. West Holywood, CA: Friends of the Schindler House, 1987. First edition. Slim octavo. Photographically printed stapled thick wrappers. 39 + [1] pp. Text and illustrations. Rough erasure mark to rear cover, otherwise a nearly fine copy.
5.5 x 9.25 stapled booklet published "In Commemoration of the Centennial of R.M. Schindler and the 10th Anniversary of the Friends of the Schindler House." Foreword by Robert L. Sweeney. Illustrated with photos from the Chace Family, Dione Neutra, Pauline Schindler, and Kathryn Smith Collections, Julius Shulman, maps and drawings from the U. C. Santa Barbara University Art Museum Architecture Drawing Collection.
"Each room in the house represents a variation on the constructive architectural theme. This theme corresponds to the principle requirements for protecting a tent: a protected back, an open front, an open fireplace and a roof. Each room has a concrete wall at the rear and a large front opening onto the garden with sliding doors. The shape of the rooms and their relationship to the patios and various roof levels creates a totally new spatial concept between the interior and the garden." - R. M. Schindler
Hailing from Vienna, Rudolph Michael Schindler (1887-1953), like his colleague Richard Neutra, emigrated to the US and applied his International Style techniques to the movement that would come to be known as California Modernism. Influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and taking cues from spatial notions found in cubism, he developed a singular style characterized by geometrical shapes, bold lines, and association of materials such as wood and concrete, as seen in his own Hollywood home (built in 1921-22) and the house he designed for P.M. Lovell in Newport Beach (1923-24).
"Each of my buildings deal with a different architectural problem, the existence of which has been forgotten in this period of Rational Mechanization. The question of whether a house is really a house is more important to me, than the fact that it is made of steel, glass, putty or hot air." - R. M. Schindler
Today, Schindler is finally being regarded as an outstanding exponent of the Californian modernist style. His marginalized historical status traditionally has resulted from the architects' refusal to mimic the streamlined image of the popular modern architecture of the times. In 1932, when Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock organized the exhibition The International Style, they failed in invite Schindler. His prodigious output until his death in 1953, helped him eventually escape the shadow of his compatriot Richard Neutra. Schindler designed over 500 buildings, more than 150 of which, mostly family residences, were actually built. His own residence in Kings Road, Hollywood (1922), and the beach house he designed for Philip Lovell (1926), has a lasting influence on the development of modern architecture in California.
From the FOSH website: "Friends of the Schindler House (FOSH) is a nonprofit orginization whose mission is to preserve and maintain Schindler's Kings Road house in West Hollywood California. The group was formally established in 1976 by Schindler's ex-wife Pauline who was concerned that the house be preserved for future generations. At the time the house was facing numerous threats including redevelopment, a proposed freeway, and escalating property taxes. The house finally was acquired in 1980 with funding from the California Office of Historic Preservation.
"Restoration has been ongoing since 1980 with funding from the City of West Hollywood, the State of California, the Republic of Austria, and private donations. The intent is to return the house to its appearance on the date of completion, June 6, 1922.
"Since August 1994 the house has served as the base of the MAK Center LA a satellite of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna."