{"id":1445,"date":"2019-02-03T01:42:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-03T01:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/?p=1445"},"modified":"2019-02-03T01:42:20","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T01:42:20","slug":"modernism-visionaries-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/?p=1445","title":{"rendered":"Modernism Visionaries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Modernism Visionaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a\nmovement that eschewed ornamentation in favor of function, to a solution for\nsocial issues, Modernist architecture has been influencing building design\nsince before the Second World War. It is characterized by its heavy use of new\ntechnologies with particular emphasis on the use of glass, steel and, of\ncourse, reinforced concrete. Many also define it as being the rejection of the\nold traditional neoclassical style and Beaux-Arts that were popularized during\nthe previous century. Aside from the underlying principles of Modernist\narchitecture, famously summarized by American architect Louis Sullivan as \u201cform\nfollows function,\u201d the design style has a specific and recognizable aesthetic.\nThe mixed use of cubic and cylindrical shapes feel asymmetrical, while flat\nroofs and the absence of ornamentation or moldings create a clean and\nsimplified look compared to previous heavily decorated styles. As for\nmaterials, the use of metal, glass and exposed concrete gave Modernist\nbuildings an industrial or utilitarian appearance. A fitting description based\non Modernist architecture pioneer Le Corbusier\u2019s declaration that a house is \u201ca\nmachine for living in.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have\nbeen many prominent Modernist architects throughout the years but several of\nthe most notable include:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albert Frey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albert Frey\nbelonged to a generation that believed in a political role for modern\narchitecture, that of social liberation through machine-made, egalitarian and\naffordable designs. His chosen materials were aluminum, glass, cables and,\neventually, the very boulders and sands of the desert where he settled. In a\ncareer that spanned more than 65 years, Mr. Frey remained true to the principle\nthat architecture should make the most of the least. His best known works he\ncreated in the Palm Springs of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. In 1939, Frey moved\nto Palm Springs. He became part of the movement championed by other California\nmodernists including John Lautner to emphasize the central place of nature in\nmodern architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald Wexler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the\nmost celebrated Midcentury Modern architects, Donald Wexler designed classic\nbuildings in the spot that became ground zero for that era \u2014 Palm Springs\nWexler, who was nicknamed \u201cthe Man of Steel\u201d\nfor the now-treasured homes and the rest of his work. He designed the main\nterminal of Palm Springs International Airport with its soaring view of the\nmountains, the Royal Hawaiian Estates development on a Polynesian theme, and\nDinah Shore\u2019s home, recently purchased by Leonardo DiCaprio, which could be the\nultimate \u201cMad Men\u201d house with its floor-to-ceiling glass walls, sunken bar and\nmassive stone fireplace. Though his work was in demand, he thought of himself\nas a journeyman architect. But when midcentury design was widely rediscovered,\nhe finally received renown and the homes he designed jumped in value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E. Stewart Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

E. Stewart\nWilliams, an architect whose many works in Palm Springs included a home for\nFrank Sinatra, helped define what became known as the Desert Modern style. Williams\ndesigned many public buildings in Palm Springs, including Temple Isaiah, which\nwon an award from the American Institute of Architecture in 1949. In the 1950’s\nand 60’s, he completed several commissions for local banks and designed the\nmountain station for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. In addition he was an\nextremely meticulous architect who had his hand in almost every aspect of his\nprojects. He designed built-ins, light fixtures, mailboxes, and even light\nswitches. Williams designed many public buildings in Palm Springs, including\nTemple Isaiah, which won an award from the American Institute of Architecture\nin 1949. In the 1950’s and 60’s, he completed several commissions for local\nbanks and designed the mountain station for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William F. Cody<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cody, an\nOhio-born architect who graduated from USC in 1942 and began working in Palm\nSprings on the Desert Inn in 1945, was also seen as someone who went his own\nway. He didn\u2019t take a purist\u2019s perspective on design, and would take client\u2019s invitations\nto design whatever they want, and go as far as he possibly can. Projects such\nas the curvaceous St Theresa’s Church, or Googie-esque Huddle’s Spring\nrestaurant, show him breaking out of the straight lines that often defined\nmidcentury modernism. And, at a time when the cadre of Palm Springs architects\nwould help each other, passing on jobs or collaborating on projects, Cody\nrarely worked with others. His projects ranged from residential homes and\ncondominiums, to commercial centers and industrial complexes, to city and\ncommunity master planning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Lautner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known for\nhis residences, Lautner was also well-known for the commercial genre named for\nhis design of Googie’s Coffee Shop in Los Angeles. Distinctive for its\nexpansive glass walls, arresting form, and exuberant signage oriented to\nautomobiles, Googie became a fixture in 1950s America but was regularly\nridiculed by the architectural community. Lautner’s reputation suffered,\ndespite that fact his designs were as good as ever. Following some lean years,\nhe rose again in the 1960s with the Chemosphere House and poured-concrete\nhouses such as the Elrod Residence Palm Springs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Krisel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

William\nKrisel, AIA, is one of the most important figures in modern architecture since\nthe 1950s. His influence has been far-reaching; he is one of the few architects\nto have succeeded in the challenge of bringing modernism to the general public.\nHis designs have fundamentally re-defined how we live today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Modernism Visionaries From a movement that eschewed ornamentation in favor of function, to a solution for social issues, Modernist architecture has been influencing building design since before the Second World War. It is characterized by its heavy use of new technologies with particular emphasis on the use of glass, steel and, of course, reinforced concrete. Many also define it as being the rejection of the old traditional neoclassical style and Beaux-Arts that were popularized during the previous century. Aside from the underlying principles of Modernist architecture, famously summarized by American architect Louis Sullivan as \u201cform follows function,\u201d the design style has a specific and recognizable aesthetic. The mixed use of cubic and cylindrical shapes feel asymmetrical, while flat roofs and the absence of ornamentation or moldings create a clean and simplified look compared to previous heavily decorated styles. As for materials, the use of metal, glass and exposed concrete gave Modernist buildings an industrial or utilitarian appearance. A fitting description based on Modernist architecture pioneer Le Corbusier\u2019s declaration that a house is \u201ca machine for living in.\u201d There have been many prominent Modernist architects throughout the years but several of the most notable include:- Albert Frey Albert Frey belonged to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[1306,1307,2000,1311,1305,11,8,1310,1312],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1447,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions\/1447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thestandardps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}