Kaufmann Residence as Photographed by the Late Julius Shulman - Modern Photo of the Week

Name: Kaufmann Residence
Architect: Richard Neutra
Year Designed: Circa 1945-46
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1946 (photographed in 1947)
Size: 3162 square feet (5 bedroom 6 baths)
Location: Palm Springs California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent
Photographer: Julius Shulman

I thought that I would include this special photo of the week as a tribute to our friend Julius Shulman who died at the age of 98 last week. I would call this his second most famous architectural photo. The most famous photo being the Case Study House #22 Photo. There has been an outpouring of media honoring this talented man in the week since his death. Here is a small sampling.

KCRW Radio Segment
NPR- All Things Considered Radio Segment
NPR- Slide Show
New York Times Article
LA Times Article
LA Times Video

William Sutherland Beckett: Architect of the Cliffhanger - Modern Photo of the Week

Name: Three Cliff-side Dwellings
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Born in Kansas City
(No relationship to Welton Beckett)
Year Designed: Circa 1960
Builder: Stone Fisher Constructors
Year Finished: 1961
Size: Unknown
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Type: Residential
Style: Modern Cliffhanger
Status: Still Standing
Photographer: Julius Shulman

We have a KCMODERN event coming up on Sunday, June 14 in a Kansas City residence by this same architect. So stay tuned!

Julius Shulman - Oklahoma Modernism Rediscovered - April 30 through June 7

Organized by the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Julius Shulman: Oklahoma Modernism Rediscovered is the first-ever retrospective of photographs taken in Oklahoma by legendary architectural photographer Julius Shulman. The exhibit runs from April 30 through June 7 and will feature over 65 images - many unseen by the public for decades - of buildings designed by such world-renowned architects as Bruce Goff, Herb Greene, William Caudill, Truett Coston, Robert Roloff, and Paul Harris. Twenty-one architectural projects from six Oklahoma cities and towns will be represented in the exhibition, including homes, banks, churches, museums and hospitals.

In addition, on Saturday, May 2, the Museum will sponsor an architectural bus tour of several Oklahoma City-area buildings that Shulman photographed during the years he worked in Oklahoma.

Stahl Residence - Case Study House #22 - THE ARCHITECTURAL PHOTO OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY- Modern Photo of the Week

Name: Stahl Residence - Case Study House #22
Architect: Pierre Koening
Year Designed: Unknown
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1960
Size: Unknown
Location: 1635 Woods Drive, Hollywood Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Good and still owned by the original owner
Photographer: Julius Shulman

As you know we love the photos of Julius Shulman here at KCMODERN. We also love the Case Study House Program for Arts & Architecture magazine and the Stahl House in particular. We have posted it here before and it was named one of The Best Houses of All Time in L.A. This particular photo of the Stahl House, also known as Case Study House #22 is arguably "THE ARCHITECTURAL PHOTO OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY." It symbolizes the optimistic feeling of the "New" Modern Architecture and certainly typified the California interpretation of the style. Shouldn't everyone in California have a glass house overlooking Sunset Boulevard and the Los Angeles basin!

For more about the making of this iconic photograph read this article from LA magazine and this article from Taschen.

via Shorpy

Modern Photo of the Week - Stahl Residence - Case Study House 22

Name: Stahl Residence - Case Study House #22
Architect: Pierre Koening
Year Designed: Unknown
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: 1960
Size: Unknown
Location: 1635 Woods Drive, Hollywood Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Good and still owned by the original owner
Photographer: Julius Shulman

I was inspired by the previous post about The Best Houses of All Time in L.A. and decided to include a photo of number five from that list. This is one project that I have not visited yet, so I will rely once again on "Uncle" Julius Shulman to provide the wonderful eye candy for this house. I specifically did not use a certain famous photo of that house. Can anyone tell me what photo I am talking about?

Via Shorpy

Modern Photo of the Week - Cocktail Hour at the Spencer Residence in Santa Monica, 1950

California Modern: 1950
Photograph by Julius Shulman

And Now For Something Completely Different... How about leaving wintery Kansas City for a little sunny California, Mid-Century time capsule photographed by "Uncle" Julius Shulman!

As if we did not have enough distractions to waste our time on the internet, here is one more. Caution, I wasted a good hour browsing through this one.

I recently discovered Shorpy "Always something Interesting", a photo blog that continually posts interesting vintage photos and then allows it's viewers to contribute funny comments to go along with the photos. Recently Shorpy posted some great Mid-Century Modern picks, so I thought I would grab this one by my favorite architectural photographer Julius Shulman.

I particularly like browsing through comments for the photo above which include, "The guy in the suit and sandals looks like a cross between Woody Harrelson and Hugh Hefner." And "Is that SHAG carpeting on the chair? And why is Mr. Spencer wearing Birkenstocks with his suit?" Other comments include,"This is reminiscent of the mood of the old TV Show, Hugh Hefner's Penthouse Party. It was all so chic and stylishly sophisticated." And, "this is so totally Southern California that I can't stand it."

My favorite comment: "The future was going to be so cool, and look what we did with it."

via Lotta Living

KCMODERN crew visits Julius Shulman

KCMODERN regulars Eric Lehnert and Robert McLaughlin recently drove the 10 hour roundtrip to Oklahoma City in Eric's Mini Cooper to meet the famous mid-century architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. Julius is famous for his quintessential black and white views of California's Modern architecture, but many people do not realize that Mr. Shulman photographed many buildings in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Despite the torrential rain showers, the duo arrived on time for cocktails and the lecture. The talk featured many of Julius' iconic photos that were taken in Oklahoma. Afterwards, there was a question and answer period and then Robert managed to get his Taschen, Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered tome signed by Julius. Robert even spoke to Julius about the possibility of a future Shulman exhibit in Kansas City. Julius, who was born on 09-09-09 will be 100 next October and insists that he will be coming back to OKC then for the opening of a new exhibit of his Oklahoma photographs.




Thanks to Lynne for the use of her Flickr photos. For more pics of this event go to Lynne's Lens.