Martini Modern Recap - The House - Kemper Residence

Kemper Residence

The residence that Architect, William S. Beckett designed for his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James and Mildred Kemper, in Kansas City used much of the same design vocabulary as the Raymond Evans Residence in Beverly Hills. The exterior materials were redwood, brick, glass and stucco. Like the Evans house, the Kemper Residence uses curved walls for architectural effect, with the entry door falling between the curved wall and the orthogonal house.

In true California fashion, many of the exterior materials were used on the interior to blur the inside-outside relationships of the house. The interiors were done with a fireplace and some exterior walls in brick, juxtaposed against plaster and redwood walls and ceilings. The house also featured some of Beckett’s signature built-in millwork room dividers.

Mildred decided to add on to the house after the birth of their fourth child in 1956. The Kempers hired local KC Architect, Ward Haylett and an addition was completed somewhere around 1960. The resulting addition on the back of the house allowed every child to have their own bedroom and bath. As part of the addition, a covered exterior space was enclosed to add a new large dining area.

As with many Beckett designed Houses, the Kemper home was photographed by Julius Shulman, but the photographs that remain were test shots of the late construction phases of the house taken on 10/20/1952. One can assume that Shulman photographed the home while here shooting photos of one of the other Beckett designed projects, either one of two Commerce Banks, or the Cricket West shop on the Country Club Plaza. These Kansas City projects were photographed by Shulman and are published in his three volume tome, Julius Shulman Modernism Rediscovered. No Shulman photos were found of the finished Kemper home.

Front Terrace

Back of House

Addition Circa 1960

Side Terrace between the House and Garage

Tree Circle in Back Terrace

Back Sidewalk

Back Terrace

Siding and Window Detail

Side Yard

Liriope and Pavers

Clarence Kivett, Architect- "What's the Story on that House"-The Cumonow House

Many of us have driven by this house for years...This is a rare residential design by the prominent Kansas City firm Kivett and Myers (there is only one other residential design the firm did that we know of; Ralph Myers designed two of his own homes).
A true ranch house, stretching across its site, it features a superb play of light and ventilation. It has been said that Clarence Kivett was closely and personally involved in the design of this house. The roof was originally a heavy wood shingle... This house is a prime example of a truly lavish ranch house design.
Looking at the plans I found these interesting interior perspectives... you have a "before", what the architect envisioned and an "after", the way it looks today...



The sun-shade below may have been inspired by the Cliff May designed home next door (1948- recently demolished) which had movable canvas sun "controllers".
The house is lovingly and sensitively maintained by it's owners.
Photography by Bob Greenspan

Lloyd Roark, Architect- "What's the Story on That House?"



Lloyd Roark, architect, owned seven lots between Roe and Nall on 66th Terrace and 67th Street in Prairie Village, KS. His requirement to purchase a lot was you must build soon and you must build an architect-designed modern house, subject to his approval. On 66th Terr. he had four smaller lots and on 67th St, he had 3 larger lots. Lloyd, who was an enthusiastic anti-J.C. Nichols voice because of his stance against modernism, built his own house on one of the smaller lots in 1954 and built a reversed plan, next door, to speculate in the housing market. The houses were slab on grade with floor heating(Natco Radiant Tile with a forced air furnace, the "channeled" tiles actually acting as ductwork), three bedrooms and two bathrooms, multiple outdoor living areas and combination carport-garages. Two other "moderns" were built on the lots on 66th Ter. The three larger lots on 67th Street feature houses by Falkenberg, Hollis and Miller (noted for designing many schools and fire stations in the area) and the Hyde house by Bruce Goff, organic architect extraordiaire. The Hydes told me Roark required a one foot height reduction on their house because he was concerned it would be too tall near the surrounding ranches. The photo below shows the two Roark designed houses as they look today. Both have been through a contractor remodel. The Roark house remodel is perhaps more sensitive, at least there were no shutters added, though both have changed the front window arrangement which was very private. The photo below shows the two houses as they appear now.

The following photos show the house as it appeared with the second owner, who lived there until recently...I apologize for the dark interior shots...


The photo below shows the house in late winter...note the new windows in front, removing the "introverted" look of the house, which featured a private front facade (with cross-ventilation) and lots of glass overlooking the outdoor spaces to the side...

Roark and his wife lived in their house until 1969 when they moved to California. (Mackie and Roark did some notable work in Kansas City, more to follow...)

Martini Modern-William S. Beckett, Architect

Great reviews came in on our Martini Modern House Tour and Party hosted June 14. The house built for Mr. and Mrs. James B. Kemper in 1953 was designed by case-study era architect William S. Beckett. (See William Sutherland Beckett) Ironically, the tour and party occurred on his birthday, so we dubbed our signature martini, the "Beckettini." Approximately 75-80 people enjoyed the wonderfully maintained home, the great weather, and being with others who appreciate great architecture.
After extensive research, Robert created a home guide full of history. Carrie and Bob prepared tasty nibblings and we hope a good time was had by all. A sincere thank you to our special host, Scott Francis. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Historic Kansas City Foundation. . .All photos by Annie Lane.
Preparing for the party. . .


Louis S. Curtiss or Victor Buetner-"What's the Story on That House?"


At risk is this once fabulous home with pergola gardens. (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Valley Collection) We did a post on this house and with some studied responses like Nate's, it's led us on an adventure of "architectology", just kidding, but seriously trying to get to the root of how this house came about, who designed it, who built it and for whom was it built. Simple enough but it has not turned out that way..."Stalking Louis Curtiss" perhaps the best resource on Curtiss, did not have this house in the book, the author Wilda Sandy, did note that a project for a residence was located at 39th St. and Manheim, KCMO. We have approached numerous people whom we consider scholars on Curtiss about this specific house, also Nate and Anne have kept us informed on their extensive efforts to hopefully prove that this was a Curtiss design. We look forward to having a thorough analysis posted soon, we still can't quite believe that Curtiss was not somehow involved in the design of the house.

Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright - Textile Block Masterpiece For Sale in LA

We have spoke about Frank Lloyd Wright's textile block, Ennis House before when we discussed the Best Houses of all time in LA. Well it seems that the not-for-profit foundation that owns the house thinks that the restoration project before them is just too big and that the house, built in 1924, would be better served by a wealthy patron owner. The house has been listed for sale at a measly $15 million and it is estimated that it will only take another $5 or $6 million to get it into livable shape. This on top of the 6.5 million that the foundation has already put into repairs to the house. This irreplaceable house has been heavily damaged by earthquakes and soil erosion, not to mention the crumbling concrete blocks that were cast on site.

Scott is going to write some more about this house and in the mean time I will look for my photos from a visit to the house a few years ago.

Photographed by Robert McLaughlin

Last call for the KCMODERN Martini Modern Party and Tour: William S. Beckett, Architect

Name: James Kemper Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1951-52
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1953
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent

Last call for the KCMODERN Martini Modern Party and Tour: William S. Beckett, Architect. You can safely RSVP and pay in advance at:

http://www.acteva.com/go/kcmodern

Online ticket sales end at noon on Sunday, June 14, 2009. The remaining tickets will be available at the door on June 14 at 4:00 PM, the day of the event.

William S. Beckett, Architect - Shoor Residence

Name: Shoor Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: 1951
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1952
Size: 1000 sq.ft. (2 bedrooms and1 bathroom)
Location: 12336 Deerbrook Lane in Brentwood, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Standing in unknown condition
Photographer: Julius Shulman

Beckett did a low budget house of 1000 square feet for $11,800 in 1951-52 at 12336 Deerbrook Lane in Brentwood, California. The flat roofed Shoor Residence was a very small two bedroom, one bath home on a steep lot. The exterior of the home featured a forty foot long glass wall looking out at a private terrace and the canyon below. That juxtaposed nicely with the much more solid stucco wall facing the street. The most prominent features of the interior were a freestanding triangular plan fireplace that tapered as it rose to the ceiling and built-in cabinetwork which divided the open plan. This house was featured with photos done by Shulman in the book Quality Budget Houses by Katherine Morrow Ford and Thomas H. Creighton. This is also the only William Becket House listed in the most recent version of An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles by David Gebhard and Robert Winter.



Offices of William S. Beckett, Architect - Case Study House Era Architect - Mid-Century Modern Architecture

Name: Offices of William S. Beckett, Architect
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1949-50
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1950
Size: Unknown
Location: 9026 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Type: Office
Style: Modern
Status: Standing in unknown condition
Photographer: Julius Shulman

William S. Beckett began his professional career as chief designer for Sumner Spaulding, the architect of Case Study House #2 for Arts + Architecture magazine. Around that time he was also on the faculty at the University of California.

By 1949, William S. Beckett had opened his own architectural practice in Los Angeles. In 1951, he designed his own architectural offices located at 9026 Melrose Avenue. The magical black and white Julius Shulman photographs of this building were widely published in the architectural press. The building garnered him an AIA National Honor Award, First Award in 1952, one of only three given nationwide that year. This prestigious award made his reputation as one of the architects of the stars and Beckett set off on a career designing many celebrity homes in Beverly Hills and other exclusive neighborhoods in LA. The new posh international style modernism of the office set the tone for his designs for his A-list clients. This small modern office building is still standing today.


William Sutherland Beckett, Architect - Raymond Evans Residence

Name: Raymond Evans Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1951
Builder: Unknown
Year Completed: 1952
Size: Unknown sq.ft. (4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms)
Location: 1255 Angelo Road, Beverly Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Excellent
Photographer: Unknown

Another Early success for William S. Beckett was a house design for Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Evans at 1255 Angelo Drive in Beverly Hills. Evans was known for writing Oscar winning musical masterpieces such as Doris Day's Que Sera Sera, Dinah Shore's Buttons and Bows, and Nat King Cole's Mona Lisa. Completed in 1952 it was built of redwood, brick, glass and stucco on the exterior. The interior was done in plaster and cork walls and asphalt tile flooring over a radiant heated concrete slab. In plan the most dominant feature was a pair of solid curving walls-- one curve facing the front entry court and the other facing a private terrace at the rear of the house. A signature triangular fireplace was included here as well. The house which had an enclosed bridge connecting the main living areas to the sleeping pavilion was well documented in Architectural Record, Record Houses 1956. Mr. Evans lived in the house for 55 years until his death in 2007. The rather small house recently sold and the asking price was 9.995 million.

Please join us for a tour of Kansas City's only Beckett designed house this Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at 6612 Wyoming, Kansas City, Missouri. Admission is $20 in advance with reservations made at www.acteva.com/go/kcmodern. A featured Martini and other beverages will be served. A portion of your admission will go to the Historic Kansas City Foundation.








KCMODERN Martini Modern Party and Tour: William S. Beckett, Architect

KCMODERN will host a Martini Modern Party and Tour at the home of Scott Francis. Come tour this 1953 Modern home designed by California Case Study Era Architect, William Sutherland Beckett for the James Kemper Family. Beckett was best known for his Modern Celebrity Homes in Beverly Hills for A-listers like Charlton Heston.

Please join us for this fun event on Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at 6612 Wyoming, Kansas City, Missouri. Admission is $20 in advance with reservations made at www.acteva.com/go/kcmodern. A featured Martini and other beverages will be served. A portion of your admission will go to the Historic Kansas City Foundation.

More info about William S. Beckett and updates about this and other events can be found at http://www.kcmodern.blogspot.com/ or call 913.262.5056.

Kivett & Myers - A Synagogue designed functionally and aesthetically

Name: A Synagogue designed functionally and aesthetically - project
Architect: Kivett & Myers, Kansas City, MO
Year Designed: Circa 1952
Builder: N/A
Year Built: N/A
Size: N/A
Location: Unknown, probably Kansas City, MO or Central Plains
Type: Religious
Style: Modern
Status: N/A
Scanned from:
Climate & Architecture
Progressive Architecture Book
Jeffrey Ellis Aronin
Reinhold Publishing Corporation
New York, U.S.A. 1953

I was reading a vintage architecture book about "Climate and Architecture" and came accross this handsome little drawing. I love it when my two great interests, Mid-Century Modern and Sustainable Architecture, collide.

We know that Kivett and Myers designed several Jewish Synagogues, the most famous being the now demolished Temple B'nai Jehuda in Kansas City, MO. We also know there is a Kivett and Myers designed Synagogue in Omaha, Nebraska. It is unclear if this design was ever built somewhere, but I do not think it was built in KC.

House for Charlton Heston by William S. Beckett, Architect

Heston poses for his wife Lydia at their hilltop Beverly Hills home, hours after winning an Oscar for his role in Ben-Hur, 1960. The house would have been only a year old at this point.

Name: Charlton Heston Residence
Architect: William Sutherland Beckett
Year Designed: circa 1958
Builder: Charlton Heston's Father, Russell Whitford Carter
Year Built: circa 1959
Size: 5,082 sq. ft. (5 bed, 6 bath)
Location: Beverly Hills, California
Type: Residential
Style: Modern
Status: Part of the Charlton Heston Estate
Photographer: Unknown

Charlton Heston on the phone in his Beverly Hills Home.

With the Martini Modern Party coming up featuring a house designed by William Sutherland Beckett, I have been doing a lot of research on his work. I have found a lot of info in old architecture magazines and recent books featuring vintage Julius Shulman Photos. One project that is mentioned in some text about Beckett is a house for Charlton Heston. None of the usual references showed any photos of this house. I was hooked and had to see this elusive home. This started my quest to find some photos of the house. Some of you may remember the house as the location of the infamous interview of Mr. Heston, by Michael Moore in the movie, Bowling for Columbine. I searched the internet high an low and was able to find a few vintage and recent photos of the house. My favorite is the image of Heston in his Jaguar in front of the house. As my buddy Scott says, a sports car in front of a "sports car house." Charlton and Lydia Heston lived in the house from 1959 until his death in 2008.

Space is limited so be sure to sign up for the
Martini Modern Party: William S. Beckett, Architect at:

Chuck and Lydia relax at home.

Mr. Heston poses in his new Jaguar in front of his new house.




Lawrence Modern Event this Weekend

Our friends over at Lawrence Modern are having an interesting event this weekend with Architect Robert Hess. Hess practiced in Lawrence after graduating from KU. He later moved to California and had a successful career there.

The Friday event is sold out, but everyone from KCMODERN is invited to attend on Saturday, May 30, 2009. Details are in the flier above. Be sure to bring a snack to share at the end!

Kansas City Art Institute - Art School by Runnells Clark Waugh and Matsumoto Architects - Part 2

Name: Kansas City Art Institute - Art School
Architect: Runnells Clark Waugh and Matsumoto Architects
Year Designed: circa 1945-46
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: circa 1947-48
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: Education
Style: Modern
Status: Fair with multiple additions that obscure major parts and concepts of the original building
Photographed By: Fred Gund
Photos Scanned From: Progressive Architecture February 1949. Art School, Kansas City, Missouri. pp 62-65.

The design concept for the Kansas City Art Institute's new Art School was all about securing natural north light for all of the studio classroom spaces. The studio classrooms were placed on the west side of a single loaded, "display corridor" that acted as a north-south spine. Display alcoves were naturally and artificially lit and placed opposite the studios on the east side of the spine. These alcoves were expressed as projecting boxes on the exterior of the east side of the building. The display alcoves are no longer visible on the exterior or naturally lit because of a recent addition.

The studio classrooms were the programmatic heart of the building. Each studio classroom had an exterior courtyard space between it and the next studio. These could be used as outdoor work spaces in fair weather. This exterior space between studios allowed natural diffused light to enter each of the studios through a large north facing window wall from the courtyard. Natural ventilation entered through louvers and exited through clerestories. Southern clerestories let light in from the south, while the west facades of the studios were blank brick walls to protect the rooms from the low western sun. Today these courtyards have been filled in to create more interior space.


The studio roofs were raised higher than the surrounding corridor and service spaces to accommodate clerestory windows and give that portion of the program a sense of hierarchy. The building was framed in concrete with some steel bar joist roof construction. The frame was then filled with concrete block walls and the exterior of the building was rendered in a vocabulary of red brick, concrete block, limestone and corrugated asbestos cement panels. The interiors were mostly concrete and lightweight concrete block left in a raw unfinished state.
The north end of the spine was punctuated by a two level classroom wing, with a full level below the main floor. The classroom wing housed industrial design studios upstairs and painting, typesetting and service areas downstairs. These rooms all had large north facing windows.
The south end of the spine was marked by the main studio, a life drawing studio done in a sculptural form of contrasting limestone. The stepped trapezoidal plan and section segments allowed for multiple north facing clerestories to light the large complex space, which was designed for 150 people. Today the clerestory windows are covered with sheet metal siding.


The main stepped form of the life drawing studio was likely inspired by some of Alvar Aalto's work in Finland. We know from Runnells sketch books that he traveled to Finland and certainly would have been familiar with the work. Runnels and Matsumoto's body of work certainly was closely related to Aalto's use of light and "Aaltos Red Brick Period."
The transplanted Finns, Eero and Eliel Saarinen were also very influential on this design. This was because the partners of this firm met at Cranbrook and came out of the Saarinen studio and architectural offices. The plan definitely used the Saarinen designed Crow Island School, with is courtyards between studio classrooms, as a precedent. And there was some relationship to the unbuilt, competition winning, Smithsonian Art Museum design. Even the signature Runnells-red brick chosen for the classroom portion of the building was a nod to the Cranbrook campus.

Besides relating to Cranbrook the red brick with limestone trim was also a tribute to Vanderslice Hall. The limestone cladding of the life drawing studio related to the cladding of the nearby Nelson Atkins.

A 1949 Progressive Architecture article gave this project a P/A Award Special Citation.

This article was written to familiarize our readers with the work of Architect who will be the featured in KCMODERN's David Benton Runnells House Tour, which will be held on September 20, 2009. Watch for more details soon!

Kansas City Art Institute - Art School by Runnells Clark Waugh and Matsumoto Architects - Part 1

Name: Kansas City Art Institute - Art School
Architect: Runnells Clark Waugh and Matsumoto Architects
Year Designed: circa 1945-46
Builder: Unknown
Year Built: circa 1948
Size: Unknown
Location: Kansas City, MO
Type: Education
Style: Modern
Status: Fair with multiple additions that obscure major parts and concepts of the original building
Photographed By: Robert McLaughlin

Runnells Clark Waugh and Matsumoto Architects were hired to do a master plan for a new Kansas City Art Institute Campus. At the time, Vanderslice Hall, the former August R. Meyer mansion housed the entire Art Institute just west of this building. After a master plan was done, the firm was hired to do the "Art School," the first in a series of new buildings. The site chosen was a narrow slice of land running north and south between Vanderslice Hall and Oak Street. The building consisted of classrooms, studios, workshop and exhibition spaces for students of life drawing and the commercial and industrial arts. The building was rendered in a vocabulary of red brick, limestone and corrugated asbestos cement panels. The most notable feature of the building was the limestone clad life drawing studio with its stepped limestone forms and multiple north facing clerestory windows.




Preservation Awards-Historic Kansas City Foundation

You are invited to the Historic Kansas City Foundation Preservation Awards. The Awards presentation occurs every two years. This year, I believe is especially important, with the redevelopment of the downtown theaters, the National Archive at Union Station(an original part of the Union Station design by Jarvis Hunt, a proponent of the City Beautiful movement), and more...The building is just west of the Union Station, there is a parking garage adjacent to the Archives. The main entrance faces north. I know you'll find this event very interesting...come support the efforts to preserve our built environment.

Sneak Peak at Studio 804 Open House for This Weekend

Well I got a sneak peak at the Studio 804 project this week and I plan on making another trip back this Saturday to see the greenest house in Kansas City finished (or almost finished). They had a lot of work ahead of them when I was there.

Studio 804, from the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Planning will host an Open House of their most recent project this Saturday, May 16, 2009 from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The house is located near KU Med, at 1716 Springfield, Kansas City, KS 66103. Parking is located at the school north of the site. Be sure to see the other Studio 804 projects in the neighborhood.

See ya there!

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!