Cliff May: Blow house #1 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Cliff May and John A. Smith formalized their relationship in a contractual partnership to “jointly undertake the construction of dwellings for sale in the vicinity of Los Angeles,” naming May as builder and designer and Smith as financier through his First National Finance Corporation. By the summer of 1937 they were aggressively promoting and publishing their houses, one of which is the first house May designed for Frederick Blow and his wife. Frederick Blow commissioned May, left money in an account for him, and then left for Europe. This house has all the hallmarks of the best of May’s ranch houses. It spreads on the site, encloses outdoor rooms, and looks, with its uneven roof line, as though it grew on the site over decades.
Cliff May, architect William F. Cody, renderer
Cliff May papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes Factory Model home (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The idea for Cliff May Homes, a business of selling designs for prefabricated tract houses, was born in 1950 out of discussions between Cliff May and Chris Choate, an architect working in May’s office. May and Choate did field research, visiting other low-cost housing developments throughout California and in Arizona to assess their competition. They named the first prototype of the panel system the “Factory Model” and built it on a plot of land May owned in Sullivan Canyon, above Riviera Ranch. By the end of the day, a group of about ten skilled laborers had assembled the shell of a two-bedroom house using both post-and-beam construction and a system of pre-assembled panels
Cliff May, architect Chris Choate, architect
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes low cost house
This promotional image highlights the suburban nature of the Cliff May Homes tracts, with lush landscaping and ample parking.
Cliff May: Cliff May Homes prefabricated house
Cliff May Homes rationallized the building process and used elements of prefabricated building parts to lower costs. This very colorful presentation drawing highlights the attractive exterior of the home.
Cliff May: Cliff May house #4 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Cliff May house 4, or the Skylight house, illustrates May’s eagerness to experiment, something he was particularly willing to do in the houses he designed for his family. Christian (Chris) Choate and May together designed it, with landscaping by Thomas Church. Choate, a licensed architect, worked in May’s office and became a partner with May in Cliff May Homes, producing prefabricated tract housing. The experimentation in this house clearly came out of their discussions about low-cost housing. The house was unusual, especially for Riviera Ranch, because it did not sprawl but was rectangular and compact in its plan. May and Choate brought the patio inside the dwelling and covered it with a large skylight, about 30 feet by 50 feet, which had a retractable glass cover that was opened and closed by a motor. May collapsed most of the rooms into a single space that could be customized by moving around cabinets on wheels that served as temporary walls.
Cliff May, architect Chris Choate, architect Maynard Parker, photographer
Maynard L. Parker, photographer. Courtesy of The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Cliff May: Cliff May house #5 (Brentwood, Calif.)
Cliff May house 5 represents the final stage in his design of the custom ranch house in its scale, large areas of glass, and high ceilings. The large central living space (over 1,600 square feet and 53 feet long) was a combination of living room, dining room, and music room separated by a kitchen from the bedrooms. Enclosed on three sides by the house and carport, the terrace had radiant heating so it could be used for entertaining. Elizabeth Gordon declined to publish this house in House Beautiful, saying that the size, over 7,000 square feet with nine outdoor living areas, was out of scale for her readers. May brought it to House and Garden, where it was published as the first “Hallmark House.” The magazine described how the Mays lived in the house and its innovative features, such as kitchen island counter with sink and a sprinkler system for the skylight.
Cliff May, architect Maynard Parker, photographer
Cliff May: Evans house (Solvang, Calif.)
The Evans house and property in the Rancho Alisal golf community just outside of Solvang, Calif., in the Santa Ynez valley, is a good example of the Cliff May custom ranch style. A large lot, motor court with covered garage/carport, indoor/outdoor patios, and a semi-enclosed pool with a shaded roof with skylights are all signature custom features in this house.
Cliff May: Hauser house (Borrego Springs, Calif.)
The Hauser house in Borrego Springs is one of Cliff May's earlier custom ranch houses, but it has all of the elements of some of his larger designs. With a U-shaped floor plan, the house has one wing with master bedroom and smaller bedrooms, another wing with service rooms and garage, then the bottom of the U forms the living room and dining room, along with a large patio. With desert heat being an issue, the patio has a canvas 'skyshade' and a covered patio adjacent to the kitchen, which overlooks the pool. Another unique feature is the walled off 'play yard' outside of the children's bedroom-- a separate area from the parents' patio, so that each group can enjoy their separate outdoor space.
Cliff May: Horton development (La Jolla, Calif.)
Hiram and Violetta Lee Horton built four of the six speculative houses May designed for them on Hillside Drive in La Jolla, a seaside community in northern San Diego. Violetta Horton also commissioned May to build the Sweetwater Women’s clubhouse in nearby Bonita. Where May had the chance to work on a corner lot or to orchestrate a number of dwellings together, he was less constrained by the need to separate the porch and court from the sight of neighbors, and began to find more varied ways to organize the house plans. Once out on more spacious exurban sites, May varied the shape and orientation of the courtyard with splayed and open plans.
Cliff May: Lakewood Rancho Estates (Long Beach, Calif.)
In 1950 Cliff May partnered with Chris Choate to form Cliff May Homes to distribute ranch house plans to developers throughout the country. In Long Beach, they partnered with Ross Cortese, who built Lakewood Rancho Estates. Over 17,000 homes in 36 different variations were built in this suburban tract.
Cliff May, architect Chris Choate, architect Pacific Air Industries, photographer
Cliff May: Lear house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
In this birds-eye view of the William Lear house in Los Angeles, the sprawling multi-winged house is seen perched on a hill overlooking the city. With a large circular motor court and pool with patio enclosed on all four sides by the house, it has some of the common features for May's custom houses. But as with some of his later custom homes, the scale of the patio and pool are increasingly grand, the motor court is larger, and the scale of the house has grown dramatically over his early ranch houses of the mid-30s.
Cliff May: Lindstrom house (San Diego, Calif.)
Cliff May built his first speculative house in Talmadge Park in 1931, and his second in 1933, bought by Captain William Lindstrom. The Lindstrom house and furniture cost $7,710.42 to build. The $1,636.65 profit was split evenly between Cliff May and the contractor O. U. (Oliver Ulysses) Miracle.
Cliff May: Lomita Square housing tract (Wilmington, Calif.)
This wartime emergency housing tract was Cliff May's first development to use production-line and prefabrication of materials to construct a large number of houses in a short amount of time. Originally planned with developer John A. Smith and his First National Finance Corporation, on land owned by Smith near San Pedro Bay, this tract was not built.
Cliff May: May house #1 (San Diego, Calif.)
For Cliff May's first house for himself and his wife, Jean Lichty, he designed a house which surrounds a courtyard in an asymmetrical fashion. Cliff May house 1 is a modest hacienda house in the Talmadge Park neighborhood and the first of five houses May designed for himself and his family. After building the house and moving in, May opened it for public visits and advertised it for sale.
Cliff May papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
Cliff May: May house #2 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
His second house for his family, Cliff May house 2, was built in Mandeville Canyon. This area of west Los Angeles would remain the epicenter of May’s work and life for the rest of his long career. The wings of Cliff May house 2 enclose the outdoor living space. The street façade is straightforwardly modest and gives no hint of the expansiveness of the courtyard side.
Cliff May: May house #3 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
When the house was built in 1938–1939, the interior was connected to the outdoors visually through windows facing a sun terrace. In 1949, May changed some of those windows to glass doors. He also added heating under the concrete floor of the outdoor area adjacent to the living and dining rooms, as well as a sunken fire pit just outside the heated area. These changes allowed the sun terrace to be used for activities in the living and dining rooms. Though the pool was seen in the early plans, it wasn’t built until 1956.
Cliff May: Norlie Construction tract (Chico, Calif.)
As the Cliff May Homes distribution of prefabricated housing supplies expanded across the nation, the speed with which a house could be constructed was still a major selling point. In this series of photos, a clock is prominently displayed to show how quickly construction progresses at the site.
Cliff May: O'Leary house (San Diego, Calif.)
Cliff May’s future father-in-law, Roy C. Lichty, gave May a lot in the Talmadge Park subdivision, where Lichty was general manager, and financed his first speculative house, which May designed and built in 1931–1932 with the help of master carpenter William F. Hale. The house sold to Colonel Arthur O’Leary, who also purchased the Mission-style furniture that May had built and placed in the house to help sell it.
Cliff May: Philbin house (Woodside, Calif.)
With this house in Woodside, Cliff May showcases the custom style he is known for. With a central enclosed courtyard, patios extending the living spaces, and the single-story, asymmetrical house on a large lot with pool, this rendering fits the custom style. Woodside, a small wealthy suburb of San Francisco, was the site of a few commissions for houses in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the cost of land rose and the market for large, custom homes also increased.
Cliff May: Postwar Demonstration house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The plan that evolved into May’s widely publicized Pace Setter house for House Beautiful was first designed by May during the war as a Postwar Demonstration house, in anticipation of an expanding upper middle-class housing market. He wanted to build the Postwar Demonstration house (he also called it the “After the War house”) in a planned community of luxury homes called Woodacres. This was a parcel of land north of San Vicente Boulevard near the extension of 14th Street in Santa Monica that he and John A. Smith had purchased around 1940.
Cliff May: Riviera Ranch drawings (Los Angeles, Calif.)
These unbuilt entrance gates indicate May’s vision for Riviera Ranch as a secluded world. The imagined landscaping is a fanciful mixture of cacti and palm trees. The building on the left is an architectural office with drafting and reception rooms. Cliff May did eventually build an office for himself here in 1949, at 13151 Sunset Boulevard, though of a different design.
Cliff May: Riviera Ranch photographs (Los Angeles, Calif.)
May evoked the mystique of California’s past and the proximity to the Riviera Country Club’s polo field to market his houses, as seen in his ideas to promote his Riviera Ranch development. He named his model house the “Urban Ranch.” Though Riviera Ranch now sits in the middle of west Los Angeles, surrounded by houses and bordered by busy Sunset Boulevard, these images from 1938 show how rural and undeveloped the area was when May began construction.
Cliff May: Smith house (La Habra, Calif.)
As one of Cliff May's first large-scale custom ranch houses for his benefactor and business partner John Arnholt Smith, this rendering and floor plan show how grand May's early work could be. The U shaped house was accentuated by the diagonal living room and dining room placement on each corner. Each room opened onto the central courtyard through a covered porch. This large-scale "ranchos de luxe" was a fitting residence for the land and oil financier Smith.
Cliff May: Smith speculative house (Bel Air, Calif.)
The Hollywood Citizen-News reported that though the grand speculative house May built for John A. Smith resembled an “ancient ‘dobe ranch house,” the walls were actually hollow tile and filled with plumbing, electricity, and other modern conveniences. On the photographs of this house, May wrote, “Rancho goes moderne.” May saw no conflict between making a house look old (a “rancho”) and filling it with the newest appliances and fixtures (“going moderne”). The same Citizen-News article noted that the 5,000-square-foot house had sold to Mrs. W. H. Lyman Jr. of Beverly Hills for $39,500. The average cost of a new home in the U.S. in 1935 was $3,450.
Cliff May, architect W.P. Woodcock, photographer
May designed these unbuilt minimum houses, a large set of model plans for low-cost ranch houses, for Sunset magazine. May’s strategy was to create garden-oriented, two-wing plans. The entrance was indirect and understated. Thin partitions defined the interior spaces. The houses were oriented away from street lines and toward an interior open space, and the rear facades were punctuated by terraces, porches, or courts.
Cliff May: Tremaine ranch house (Donadea, Ireland)
This ranch house was designed by California architect Cliff May, with a local architect from Ireland, Donal O'Neill Flanagan. The architects collaborated to design a house for Warren and Katherine Tremaine and their manager of the Loughtown stud farm for horses, John Alexander. Only a portion of the planned house was built, and Alexander lived in the house while managing the horse farm.
Cliff May, architect Donal O'Neill Flanagan, architect
Cliff May: Trenchard house (La Jolla, Calif.)
In this early hacienda style version of the ranch house, Cliff May creates privacy with a patio that is surrounded by the house and garage on three sides, with a walled-off fourth side, as well as a gated motor court. Each room in the house opens onto the inner courtyard, and the property is shown in the rendering facing out towards the Pacific Ocean. The living room is off-set and protrudes from the corner of the house to take advantage of the view in three directions.
Cliff May: Woodacres demonstration house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
May worked on his postwar demonstration model home intended for the Woodacres development, with Elizabeth Gordon, the editor of House Beautiful, who designed these interiors. This model was to be a U- shaped plan. Rooms were to be arranged around a patio area that, in one of the renderings, is taken up by a lagoon-like body of water that provided a spectacular view from the lanai or open-sided porch and its associated corridor, as well as from the living room. The site, as depicted in the rendering, was lushly and tropically landscaped. Letters between May and Smith in the archive indicate that the land on which they planned to build Woodacres was in fact not so attractive and was in need of clearing.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, Broadway elevation
This exterior elevation of the Broadway side of the building displays the detailed calculations involved in designing and constructing a building of this size and complexity of exterior details. The exterior stonework is not specified for each window bay, but shown once or twice, then noted to repeat.
Curlett & Beelman records, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, clock tower
This sheet of drawings shows the clock tower face, section view of the tower, as well as the structural supports. The top of the building, with the word EASTERN emblazoned on all four sides along with the clock and its' distinctive blue and gold colors, have showcased the building as a landmark on the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The clock had been inoperative for many years prior to the renovation of the building into loft apartments. In 2005, the clock was ceremonially re-started to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the building. As part of the condominium conversion, a pool and spa were added to the roof-- with views of the famous clock and sign.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, details
This sheet of very specific upper-floor terra cotta details highlights the specific measurements and design decorations used on both the tenth floor specifically, and on the upper floors in general. The sheet contains details, sections, and elevations for specific corners, spandrels, and window details.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, floor plans
The first floor plan and basement plans shown on this sheet are the basic construction plans. The owner, Eastern Columbia Outfitting Company used their own designers to complete the interiors beyond what was outlined here. The first floor plan shows the delivery entrance on 9th Street, with a turn-table for delivery vehicles to be turned around and face forward to return to the street. The basement plan shows the build-out for men's and women's restrooms and locker rooms, as well as stariwells, elevators, and other mechanical and electrical equipment.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, Ninth Street elevation
This view of the Ninth Street side of the building shows the second entrance to the lobby, just to the right of the Delivery entrance ramp. This ramp was a motorized vehicle entrance to the two-level basement, which was a delivery access point and parking for the building's tenants. The horizontal lines of the street-level shop windows indicate movement, while the vertical lines and patterns of the upper floors highlight the size and volume of the building.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, north elevation
The north elevation of the building also abutted another tall building at the time of construction, so the detailed terra cotta workmanship along the north side only extends for two window bays before a plain blank wall is indicated on the plans. However, on this view, the set-backs on the floors just below the clock tower are indicated with additional gold details. Lines along the side of the drawing denote the height in feet and inches for each of the floors and the clock tower. The total height of the building is 235 feet, well above the 150-foot limit imposed on buildings by the City of Los Angeles.
Curlett & Beelman: Eastern Columbia, western elevation
With other tall buildings flanking the Eastern Columbia building along the west and north sides, the detailed exterior elevations were not needed along the entire face of the side. In this western elevation, only the first three bays are noted as needing to be finished with terra cotta tiles and gold accents, whereas the rest of the side was a plain wall.
Davidson, J. R. (1889-1977): Case Study House #1
Case Study House Art & Architecture Magazine
Case Study House #1 was the first design to be shown in the 1945 edition of Art and Architecture magazine, but due to wartime restrictions, it was not the first house built. J.R. Davidson was known for building large houses for wealthier clients, and he adapted his experience to fit the Case Study House program. His smaller house (only around 1100 square feet), went through a few floor plan iterations, but maintained a few higher-end luxuries such as separated bedrooms, each bedroom designed with its own bathroom and private patio, and large living areas which flowed onto outdoor living/dining rooms. It was finally constructed in North Hollywood in 1948 as a single family home, though in his early plans, Davidson had designed the house to allow for additional rental units to be built on the same property.
Julius Ralph Davidson papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Los Angeles, Calif.; North Hollywood, Calif.
Davidson, J. R. (1889-1977): Case Study House #11
Case Study House #11 shows the progression of thought in the program since J.R. Davidson designed CSH#1. This house is smaller, more efficient, and is sited at an angle on the lot to still provide ample outdoor living areas. Both Davidson and Art and Architecture Magazine were hampered in their design and building of the CSH program by continued building supply shortages in the immediate post-war years. They were, however, able to use some of the new modern conveniences like plywood and in-floor radiant heating. The house was built in 1946 on South Barrington Avenue in West Los Angeles, but has since been demolished.
Davidson, J. R. (1889-1977): Case Study House #15
Case Study House # 15 is a modified version of CSH #11, also by Davidson. This particular version was changed slightly to conform to the site in the suburb of La Canada Flintridge. Changes include the shape of the patio, adding a basement, and adding a two car garage. The south-facing main rooms of the house promoted the indoor-outdoor lifestyle, with ample garden space and sliding doors.
A rendering of the exterior of the dining hall highlights the patterned concrete block, the hipped roof, screen walls (to protect the students from the ocean wind), and dentil mouldings along the bottom of the concrete overhang. These pieces of the Pereira & Luckman architectural vocabulary were combined in various ways to create a cohesive architectural style for the new campus buildings.
University of California, Santa Barbara Campus Building records, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
A birds-eye view of the Dining Commons patio overlooking the lagoon. The first permanent dining hall replaced the use of the Marine Air Base mess hall. The original capacity was 800 students per meal, but was later increased to 1200 students per meal. The lagoon view initially attracted students to this dining hall, but now local, organic food and sustainable practices (including composting any food waste) keep the students on campus for meals.
Dining Commons #2 -- De La Guerra Dining Commons
A rendering of the exterior of the dining commons. The addition of a second dining commons helped to alleviate overcrowding at the Ortega dining facilities. An addition in 1963 gave the staff dining space, as well as additional kitchen space. In 2007, Studios Architecture updated the De La Guerra dining commons with a new glass entrance, raised the ceiling to create more volume, and added a variety of seating options.
This portrait was taken of Muir in 1935, soon after she passed her licensing exam to become a licensed architect. She had worked in the John Byers office for seven years and was eligible to take the exam through the apprenticeship track, as opposed to going to architecture school and receiving a degree. Muir continued to work with Byers until 1942; she was in charge of all designs and the office, including other draftspeople and architects.
Edla Muir papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Edla Muir: Brawerman house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
This large house, for Richard S. Brawerman and his wife, is located in the Brentwood Park area of Los Angeles, near Mandeville Canyon. Muir performed extensive alterations to the house: adding a carport, pool cabana, service wing, main bedroom wing, and reconfiguring the living areas of the house.
Edla Muir, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
Edla Muir: Gould house (Brentwood, Calif.)
This small house in Mandeville Canyon for George A. Gould is a typical traditional house for the area. Muir was still working in the office of John Byers, but he was nearing retirement and she was taking on more commissions on her own.
Edla Muir: Hall house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Zola Hall house in Mandeville Canyon was designed for the recently divorced mother with two small children. The low-slung, single-story house was designed to harmonize with the natural surroundings of the canyon. With redwood walls inside and out, as well as stained concrete floors, it was built to be low maintenance and easy to clean.
Edla Muir, architect Maynard Parker, photographer
Edla Muir: Ilsley house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Philip Ilsley was the president of Paddock Pool Company, and a repeat client. He commissioned four houses and two commercial buildings from Muir. For this project, the house was placed along a long private driveway, sited lower than Mullholland Drive to enjoy the view of the valley.
Edla Muir: Sedgwick workshop designs (Los Angeles, Calif.)
This home in West Los Angeles for Edward Sedgwick and his family was originally designed by John Byers in 1939. Muir added alterations to the living room, and presented options for a backyard workshop in this image.
Edla Muir: Stoessel house (Santa Monica, Calif.)
This house on La Mesa Drive in Santa Monica, was originally designed by John Byers and Edla Muir in 1925. Muir performed alterations to the house for James Stoessel, including adding a new garage, turning the existing garage into a family room, and adding a gallery.
The Education and Social Sciences buildings house the Gevirtz School of Graduate Education, offices for the College of Letters and Sciences, the Center for Film, Television, and New Media, and the Pollock Theater. This image is a design sketch of the buildings, with the Pollock theater in the foreground. The sloping tile roofs and covered walkways echo the original campus design, while adding post-modern elements. The buildings had to fit within a prescribed footprint, in order to leave pedestrian circulation, bike paths, and roads in place, while keeping the massing from overpowering the site and also maintaining a north/south view corridor to the mountains.
The Killingsworth collection contains many photographs of Edward Killingsworth at job sites, ground breaking ceremonies, and discussing projects with groups of people.
Edward A. Killingsworth papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
Edward Killingsworth: Boca Beach Club (Boca Raton, Fla.)
The Boca Beach Club was a luxury resort in Boca Raton, Florida, perched on a piece of land surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal waterway. The hotel featured 212 rooms, 147 oceanfront cabanas, 5 lounges, and two restaurants on site.
Edward Killilngsworth, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
Edward Killingsworth: Del Ray Hotel (San Diego, Calif.)
The Del Ray Hotel / Apartments / Shopping center complex in San Diego, was one of Killingsworth's first multi-family dwelling projects. It was designed to provide for all of the necessities in one location. With a large outdoor pool area, landscaped lawn, and covered parking, the complex was a self-contained community, set well back from the surrounding streets. This un-built development was a precursor to the mixed-use retail/residential buildings of today.
Edward Killingsworth: Halekulani Hotel (Honolulu, HI)
The Halekulani Hotel's name means "House Befitting Heaven" in the native Hawaiian language of the people of the Waikiki beach area. The location for the hotel had been the site of various guest accommodations and hotels since the early 1900s. The 453 room hotel built by Killingsworth featured a beach side location, multiple restaurants, pools, suites, and other amenities.
Edward Killingsworth, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
Edward Killingsworth: Hilton Inn (El Paso, Tex.)
In one of his earliest projects for the Hilton Hotel chain, this airport hotel in El Paso utilized many of the hallmarks of Killingsworth's style. The six interconnected low-slung, two story buildings had walls of glass in the lobby, with a wide overhang to shelter the front of the hotel from the Texas sun, and all buildings were grouped around a central courtyard with pool. The 150 guest rooms were part of a complex which included gift shops, meeting rooms, and a drive-up check-in window.
Edward Killingsworth, architect Photographic Associates, photographers
Edward Killingsworth: Hilton Jakarta (Jakarta, Indonesia)
The Jakarta Hilton was built using indigenous craftspeople to add traditional cultural elements to the design of the hotel. The 14 story hotel included 406 rooms, with long-term rental cottages also available on the 32 acre hotel property. The hotel resort also included multiple swimming pools, shopping center, ballroom and meeting areas, restaurants, and many different options for outdoor recreation. A re-created Balinese village along the shores of a man-made lagoon on the property featured different architectural designs from various facets of Indonesian culture. The hotel was such a success that Killingsworth was asked to design an additional 200 room hotel on the property in 1984, and another sixteen-story, 200 room addition in 1991. With these additions, the Hilton Hotel Jakarta became Killlingsworths' largest hotel complex of his career.
Edward Killingsworth: Hilton Kahala (Honolulu, HI)
The Kahala Hilton was one of Killingsworth's first luxury hotels. With 300 rooms and suites, all air conditioned, surrounded on three sides by golf courses and direct beach access, the hotel featured state of the art luxury amenities. The ten story building, with two rectangular wings, was set on its own private man-made lagoon, and catered to an upscale clientele. The location was key to the sense of exclusivity-- the hotel was located away from the main tourist areas and contained no convention facilities, which gave the property a more intimate appeal.
Edward Killingsworth: Marriott Airport Hotel (Long Beach, Calif.)
The firm Killingsworth, Stricker, Lindgren, Wilson & Associates designed and built many high-end luxury hotels throughout the world during the 1980s. This Marriott was built close to their home office in Long Beach. It was also conveniently located next to the Long Beach Airport, with abundant parking, conference facilities, an outdoor pool and other water features, along with restaurants and other luxury amenities.
Edward Killingsworth: Phoenician Hotel (Phoenix, Ariz.)
The Phoenician Resort, at the base of Camelback Mountain just outside of Phoenix, was designed as a very high end luxury hotel and spa. It initially had 604 rooms, 132 casitas, 9 Steinway grand pianos, and exterior tropical landscaping designed by plant specialists from the island of Tonga. By the early 1980s, the architecture practice had evolved into the firm Killingsworth, Stricker, Lindgren, Wilson and Associates. As a main component of their work, the firm designed large-scale, high-end luxury resorts throughout the world.
Edward Killingsworth: Princess Reforma Hotel (Mexico City, Mexico)
The Princess Reforma hotel was an unbuilt design that reached the stage of having a scale model built and photographed by renown architectural photographer Julius Shulman. The hotel was to feature a tall, thin tower to house the majority of the hotel rooms, with lower buildings including parking and conference services. The street-level interface included a large drop-off area and entrance/exit to the lower levels of the parking garage.
Edward Killlingsworth: Mauna Lani Bay Hotel (Big Island, Hawaii)
The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii was designed to be one of the top luxury resort hotels in the world. The 345 room hotel also contained separate bungalows designed by the firm, which were each 4000 square feet in size and were adjacent to the main hotel, but contained separate private pools, a spa, and ocean views. The main hotel complex featured a tropical atrium with extensive indoor and outdoor water features, multiple restaurants, and luxury amenities.
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. University of California Regents.
Engineering Building -- Harold Frank Hall
A rendering of the south side of the building, from the current location of the Bren School, looking north. This building housed the newly formed College of Engineering, which included electrical, mechanical, chemical, and computer engineering departments. The use of patterned concrete block, along with moldings and the angular arches over each window are representative of the "later campus standard" or extended architectural vocabulary of Charles Luckman Associates, campus architects from 1958 until 1968. The building now houses the offices of the Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments, as well as administrative offices.
Charles Luckman Associates, executive architects
A birds eye rendering of the Faculty Club, with the Theater and Dance building in the background. The front of the building slopes downwards towards the edge of the lagoon. MLTW/Moore Turnbull Architects were the executive architects, and Charles Luckman Associates were the consulting architects, since that firm was still overseeing the master campus plan.
Charles Moore and William Turnbull, Jr., architects
Charles Moore and Urban Innovations Group drawings and model, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
The 2016 renovation and addition to the 1968 Faculty Club was completed by Moore & Turnbull's successor firm, Moore Ruble Yudell. The addition included adding a wing of 30 guest rooms and updating the dining room and meeting room interiors.
This is an early pen on heavy paper drawing of scheme for the Faculty Club. The roofline, massing, and collonades are all very different from the building that was eventually built.
Francisco Torres / Santa Catalina Residence Hall
This is a preliminary planting plan for the area surrounding the private residence hall, Francisco Torres. This residence hall, at the corner of Storke Road and El Colegio, was built and maintained by private owners. Though it was heavily marketed towards incoming freshman, it was not part of the UCSB Housing department until UCSB purchased the complex in 2003 and renamed it Santa Catalina. This planting plan shows that the complex was initially designed with 4 towers, connected by a common area, dining hall, pool, and tennis courts.
McGehee & Nicholson, architects; Richard B. Taylor, landscape architect
Richard B. Taylor papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Future site of the UC Santa Barbara campus: view of future Los Caneros Road, with campus planners
A view of a roadway, with eucalyptus trees lining either side. Two men are standing next to a car, looking at plans for the university.
The George Washington Smith portraits are archived in the Lutah Maria Riggs collection; since she was his protege who worked in his firm up until his death in 1930.
George Washington Smith papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
George Washington Smith: Bryce house (Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara, Calif.)
The unincorporated community of Hope Ranch was developed in the early 1920s by the Santa Barbara Estates Inc. company, which was owned by Harold Chase, and Peter Bryce was one of the main stakeholders. Bryce was also one of the early residents, with this house designed by GW Smith in 1925, and built in 1926-1927. The property, a 12000 square foot house on 52 acres of oceanfront land, was also known as "Florestal" due to the Bryce's being avid horticulturalists.
George Washington Smith: Dietrich house (Montecito, Calif.)
George Washington Smith was commissioned by Alfred Dietrich, an heir to an oil manufacturing fortune who also owned a railroad line, to design servants quarters and a garage for his property on Park Lane. This smaller house was built prior to the large main house for Dietrich, who secured Addison Mizner to be the architect for the main portion of the estate. These drawings and renderings are for a three bedroom, three bathroom house, with two car garage, and living quarters for chauffeur.
George Washington Smith, architect Lutah Maria Riggs, renderer
George Washington Smith: Douglas house (Montecito, Calif.)
The Malcolm Douglas house on Sycamore Canyon Road in Montecito was completed in 1929, and is also known as Los Suenos ("The Dreams"). Douglas, a New York doctor, and his wife, Rachel Peabody Douglas, had Smith design a house to showcase the view of the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands, with a long curving driveway and many landscape features including a pool and lily pond.
George Washington Smith, architect Lutah Maria Riggs, architect and renderer
Montecito, Calif.; Santa Barbara, Calif.
George Washington Smith: Gallagher house (Montecito, Calif.)
The Wesley Gallagher house was a Smith commission just prior to his death in 1930. The Smith files contain these sketches and drawings (most done in Riggs' hand) for preliminary elevations for the house. The Riggs files contain the actual working drawings used for construction of the house.
George Washington Smith: Gavit addition (Montecito, Calif.)
The E. Palmer Gavit residence was originally built in 1919 by Reginald Johnson; Smith designed an addition to the main house, as well as outbuildings. The property was originally named "Cuesta Linda," then "Tanglewood," and eventually Madame Ganna Waleska gave it the name "Lotusland." The gardens, originally designed by Ralph Stevens, with alterations and additions by Lockwood de Forest, have made the property an internationally famous garden site.
George Washington Smith, architect Reginald Johnson, architect Ralph Stevens, landscape architect
George Washington Smith: Isham beach house (Carpenteria, Calif.)
The Carpenteria beach house for Albert Keep Isham was a Moorish inspired estate directly on the beach. Smith also constructed a natatorium, which was done in an "Islamic" style and contained a large number of decorative tiles around the swimming pool and a retractable roof. The beach house and natatorium are currently part of a gated community with private beach access in the Carpenteria area.
George Washington Smith: Jackling house (Woodside, Calif.)
This large Spanish Colonial Revival mansion in the small town of Woodside was built for copper mining magnate Daniel Cowan Jackling and his family. The 17,000 square foot house sat on a 194 acre parcel of land. The property was subdivided and all but 6 acres was sold off in the late 1950s. The house was purchased by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1984; in 2007 he petitioned to have the home razed so he could build a smaller house. After lengthy legal appeals, the house was destroyed in 2011.
George Washington Smith: Lobero Theater (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
The Lobero Theater on Canon Perdido and Anacapa Streets in downtown Santa Barbara, got its start in the 1870s as a vaudeville house. By the early 1920s, it had fallen into disrepair and Smith was asked to design and build a new theater in the Spanish Colonial style he was best known for. With it's white stucco walls and red tile roof, the theater was a pre-cursor to the architectural style that has dominated downtown Santa Barbara since the earthquake of 1925. Smith's associate, Lutah Maria Riggs, was one of the first women to receive her architectural license in the state of California, and she worked for Smith until his death in 1930. She was a skilled renderer, and many of Smiths' works were rendered by Riggs.
George Washington Smith: Maverick house (San Antonio, Tex.)
This house for Robert VanWyck Maverick was one of only two houses Smith built in Texas. It was considered one of the best examples of a courtyard-centered house at the time of its construction. The plan for the house was U-shaped, with a fourth wall enclosing the courtyard. The bedrooms were along one wing, the kitchen and service areas the other, and the main living area connected the two wings. As with many of Smith's houses, the Maverick files contain many preliminary sketches and elevations, along with renderings by Riggs.
George Washington Smith: Steedman house (Montecito, Calif.)
George Fox Steedman was a manufacturing executive from St. Louis who commissioned Smith to work with him on designing and constructing Casa del Herrero (House of the Blacksmith) on East Valley Road in Montecito. They created a house and gardens (designed by Ralph Stevens) on eleven acres, along with associated servants quarters, garages, and gardeners cottages. The estate was designed in the Andalusian style of Spanish Colonial Revial, with white stucco walls, small windows with wrought iron grilles and red tile roofs.
George Washington Smith, architect Lutah Maria Riggs, renderer and architect
Gregory Ain: Ain home (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Ruth March Ain house was built for Ain's second wife, and is located in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles.
Gregory Ain, architect Harry Hartman, photographer
Gregory Ain papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Gregory Ain: Avenel Homes (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Southern California Architecture California Modern Architecture
This group of small homes set side-by-side perpendicular to the street on a long lot, created a community feel, while walls and patios defined individual space. The houses were designed to be low cost urban housing, with the homeowners (a group of recent WWII veterans) pooling their resources to buy the land and build the development. This type of community at the time was viewed with suspicion of being communist in nature. Ain brought features of higher-end modernist homes into the low cost community housing. Though the space is only 908 square feet, Ain incorporated sliding walls between the living room and master bedroom, and between the two smaller bedrooms to give flexibility in living arrangements. The dining room table was incorporated into the kitchen counter to preserve space. The Federal Housing Authority had to approve the plans, and they denied Ain's design for a half bath, and insisted upon a broom closet instead. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gregory Ain: Becker house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Isador and Rosa Becker house presented a slightly Streamline Moderne style front facade, with curved walls on the exterior. Inside, the house featured a 'reverse' floor plan-- the main living areas were at street level, and the bedrooms were one floor below. It is located in the Moreno Highlands neighborhood of the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles.
Gregory Ain, architect George Agron, architect
Gregory Ain: Beckman house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The A.O. Beckman house was sited on a flat lot, and Ain configured the house so that many of the rooms had direct access to the outdoors. The house was located in the La Brea neighborhood of Los Angeles, and was featured in both Architectural Record and Arts & Architecture magazines in 1940-1941. At 2100 square feet, and including maid's quarters, this is one of Ain's larger pre-war houses.
Gregory Ain, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
Gregory Ain: Byler house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Albert E. Byler house is located near the top of Mt. Washington, with a view towards downtown Los Angeles. The house is small, measuring less than five hundred square feet, with only a main room, kitchen, and bathroom. The exterior was clad in Douglas fir, and the interior walls were redwood. A wood trellis highlighted the wood theme on the outside as well.
Gregory Ain, architect Philip Fein, photographer
Gregory Ain: Community Homes Inc. (Reseda, Calif.)
The unbuilt Community Homes project, slated for Reseda, Calif,, included a shopping center, school, parkland, and 16 blocks of homes. Ain partnered with Garrett Eckbo, Simon Eisner, and Reginald D. Johnson to design the housing tract. This housing project was controversial due to its focus on community, the Federal Housing Authority refused to approve the plans because it was to be a racially integrated housing tract, and Ain was investigated by the FBI for possible communist sympathies.
Reseda, Calif.; San Fernando Valley, Calif.
Gregory Ain: Daniel / Irons house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
This house, set on a steep lot overlooking the Silver Lake reservoir, was built for the director of the Los Angeles Newspaper Guild Ursel Daniel. She was single at the time the house was built and later married Martin Irons.
Gregory Ain: Domela house/studio (Los Angeles, Calif.)
This house and studio for Jocelyn and Jan Domela was located in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles. Jan Domela was a well-known artist and illustrator for the movie studios.
Gregory Ain: Dunsmuir Flats (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Dunsmuir Flats is a four unit building, all attached, with each 2-story unit containing 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. It is an example of Modern International Style, with a flat roof and horizontal bands of clerestory windows. All of the bedrooms face south, with access to their own private balconies, and the dining room and living rooms open out onto a patio. On the 49 foot wide lot, each unit is stepped back to give a sense of privacy to the patio and balcony areas.
Gregory Ain: Edwards house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Charles H. Edwards house was Ain's first solo commission after working for Richard Neutra and Harwell Hamilton Harris. The house, sited on a flat lot in the Hollywood Hills, was named House Beautiful Magazine's "House of the Year" for 1938.
Gregory Ain: Eisenstadt house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Ben and Clara Eisenstadt house was built on a hilltop site along Blair Drive in Los Angeles. It now overlooks the Universal Studios lot.
Gregory Ain: Ernst house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The house for Anselem Ernst was built on a sloping hillside lot in the Los Feliz Oaks neighborhood. The exterior angles and interior use of space and geometry are very reminiscent of Rudolph Schindler, with whom Ain worked for a time in the early 1930s. It is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #840.
Gregory Ain, architect Fred Dapprich, photographer
Gregory Ain: Goldberg house (San Fernando Valley, Calif.)
The Dr. I. Goldberg house was located in the Encino area of the San Fernando Valley. For this house, redwood siding was used. Ain generally preferred stucco since he did not like that the giant redwood trees were cut down for building materials.
Gregory Ain: Hacienda Village Extension (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Gregory Ain, along with his partners Johnson and Day, designed this never-built extension for Hacienda Village for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. The Extension of the original World War Two era housing project, would have extended from 103rd Place down to 107th Street, and from Compton Avenue to Grandee Avenue. The original Hacienda Village was designed by Paul R. Williams (chief architect), along with Adrian Wilson, Richard J. Neutra, Walter Wurdeman, and Welton Becket as housing for defense workers during the War. The area is now known as Gonzaque Village, and this particular tract is the current site of Markham Middle School.
Gregory Ain papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara
Gregory Ain: Hay house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Harry Hay commissioned Ain to design this house for his mother, Margaret Hay. With clearstory windows and a garage at the front of the property and living room facing the private backyard, the house was seen as a perfect place for Harry Hay to conduct meetings of the Mattachine Society (an early gay rights group). The property has been designated Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument #981.
Gregory Ain, architect George Agron, architect Julius Shulman, photographer
Gregory Ain: Hural house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Alexander and Flora Hural house featured a dental lab on the upper level. It is located in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles.
Gregory Ain: Leshing Apartments (Hollywood, Calif.)
This 20-unit apartment building project (never built), was written up in Arts & Architecture Magazine alongside the Case Study House program, but was not part of it. The "Garden Apartments" as they were described, were a series of townhouse-style apartments, each opening onto their own private garden space, with windows looking onto the garden and shared walkway. Garages for each of the units were on the adjoining lot, with studio apartments with large decks on the second floor. The design allowed for each apartment to have it's own outdoor space, but windows and walls were sited such that privacy was of utmost importance, and each unit only overlooked their own private garden patio.
Gregory Ain: Mar Vista Tract (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Originally planned as a tract of 100 homes on 60 acres, the Mar Vista Tract built 52 homes. Ain partnered with Joseph Johnson, Alfred Day, and landscape architect Garrett Eckbo to design the housing tract. The houses were turned in different directions, so that the side facing the street gave each house a slightly different look. Ain used sliding doors to create a flexible living arrangement-- one sliding door between bedrooms made two small rooms into one large room, and another sliding door between a bedroom and the living room opened up the space. It is the first post-WWII housing district to receive the Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone designation.
Ain, Gregory (1908-1988), architect; Joseph Johnson, architect; Alfred Day, architect; Garrett Eckbo, landscape architect
Gregory Ain: Mesner house (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
This house for Leo Mesner is in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. The only portion of the house visible from the street is the garage, with the main view of the house is from the backyard. Inside, the house is spread out on four levels, each separated by a half-flight of stairs.
Los Angeles, Calif.; Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Gregory Ain: Museum of Modern Art exhibition house (New York, NY)
The exhibition house Ain designed for the Museum of Modern Art and the Woman's Home Companion magazine was built in New York City in 1950. It was designed to show how modern living could be made accessible to most homeowners, with sliding walls separating the two smaller bedrooms, as well as the ability to open up the living room, dining room, and main bedroom to create a large entertaining area.
Gregory Ain, architect Joseph Johnson and Alfred Day, architects
Gregory Ain: Orans house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Maurice and Alice Orans House was located on a steeply sloped small lot in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. The garage was built at street level with entrance and exit doors; the curved driveway allows for easy entrance and egress, extra parking, and to eliminate the need to back out onto a busy street. The house rises above the garage in four levels- bedrooms, service areas, maid's room, and main living areas. Multiple terraces on different levels provide ample outdoor space.
Gregory Ain: Park Planned homes (Altadena, Calif.)
The Park Plannned Homes is a tract of 28 houses in Altadena, designed by Ain with landscape architect Garrett Eckbo. They have elements of an open concept feel, with a modular building design of 12' x 16' modular units that allowed for common finishes, hardware and equipment. The housing tract was built on a slope, so each property was leveled off and is stepped down from the one above. Along with all of the houses having the garage and service area in the front (and a private patio), the retaining walls and landscaping provide privacy for the homeowners.
Ain, Gregory (1908-1988), architect; Garrett Eckbo, landscape architect
Gregory Ain: Scharlin house (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Scharlin house in Silver Lake was built for the founder of one of the first co-operative nursery schools in Los Angeles, Rose Scharlin. The house sits at the top of the ridge, on a sloping site far back from the street, with views in multiple directions. The children's bedrooms, as well as the living room and den had sliding walls for flexible living arrangements.