Posts Tagged ‘Movies’
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dog House
Rob and I joke about our dog having his own architecturally designed dog house some day–there’s just something funny about imaging that our 23 pound mutt is an architecture snob. However, I didn’t know that in 1956, a 4-year-old black Lab named Eddie actually had his dog house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright! Architects & Artisans reports that Wright designed the dog house after 12-year-old Jim Berger wrote him asking if he’d design a house for his dog. Jim said he “would appreciate it if you [Wright] would design me a dog house, which would be easy to build, but would go with our house.” He referred to the Robert Berger House in San Anselmo, California, also designed by Wright–a prototype that somewhat fulfilled the architect’s original conception of the Usonian homes. At first, Wright politely declined saying he was too busy, but suggested that he write him again later in the year.
According to Architizer, after a second letter, the boy was surprised to receive a complete set of drawings for a small triangular dog house with a similar form to the hexagonal geometry of the main home’s hexagonal plan. Wright specified that scraps of the Phillipine mahogany and cedar used in the main house were to be incorporated in the dog house. There are several Wrightian details, like an inconspicuous entrance hidden on the opposite side of the structure and a low-pitched roof with generous overhang. The Bergers didn’t end up constructing the dog house until 1963 were it stood for ten years until it was dismantled. “Frankly, it’s the best story ever about Wright,” says filmmaker Michael Miner, who has launched a promotional tour for his new documentary Romanza on Wright’s work in California. “People think he was this curmudgeonly old architect, but here he was, breaking down and doing something wonderful for a 12-year-old.”
In 2010, the dog house was rebuilt exactly to Wright’s specifications by Jim Berger and his brother. Miner filmed the construction process and included it in Romanza. Jim admits the original house was shunned by Eddie and all subsequent dogs. “He didn’t like it–he liked to sleep by the warmth coming out of the front door,” he says. And even the new dog house suffers from a complaint common to many of Wright’s larger designs. “Yes, it does leak,” Miner acknowledges.
After the break, Jim Berger’s original letter to Frank Lloyd Wright and Wright’s response.
EAMES: The Architect and The Painter
Husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames are widely regarded as one of America’s most important designers. They’re probably best remembered for their obsessively collected mid-century plywood and fiberglass furniture, but the Eames Office also created many other products, from splints for wounded military during World War II, to photography, interiors, multi-media exhibits, graphics, games, films and toys. Their personal lives and influence on major events in American life–from the development of modernism, to the rise of the computer age–has been less widely understood. The new documentary, Eames: The Architect and the Painter, produced by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey and narrated by James Franco, is the first film dedicated to exploring the Eames’ creative genius and work.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter opens in Los Angeles on November 18th at Laemmle Music Hall. For more information on the movie or to find playdates around the country, check out the movie’s website.
201 S Larchmont Boulevard In Larchmont Village
201 South Larchmont Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90004
2 BR, 2.5 BA
$1,095,000
This uniquely crafted home in the desirable Larchmont Village neighborhood is ideal for lovers of Old Hollywood history–or lovers of cedar! The 1,896 square foot home is constructed primarily of cedar both inside and out. It was originally designed by and built for Adriana Caselotti and her husband in 1976. Adriana is best known for her role as the voice of Snow White in the 1937 Walt Disney classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The residence’s architectural features include a cross-gable roof, clerestory windows, soaring 18′ vaulted ceilings, flared eaves, exposed rafter tails, and an outdoor space reminiscent of a Japanese Tea Garden Pavilion.
John Lautner Day
The month of June is flying by. Before you know it, it’ll be July and time to celebrate everyone’s favorite summer holiday. No, not that one. John Lautner Day! The city of Los Angeles has officially declared July 16, 2011, John Lautner Day.
The date, which would have been the extraordinary architect’s 100th birthday, will kick off the John Lautner Turns 100 Series hosted by the John Lautner Foundation. The series will feature exhibitions, film screenings, home tours, symposia, and receptions. Some of the upcoming activities include:
- July 16 – John Lautner Day
- July 16-22 – John Lautner Exhibit at LACMA, commemorating Lautner’s Goldstein Office with panel discussions and more
- July 23 – MAK Center’s John Lautner 100th Birthday Tour, featuring the Harpel House (shown above, 1956), Jacobsen House (1947), Schwimmer House (1982), and the Sheats/Goldstein House (1963). Tickets available here.
- July 25 – Lautner Gala + Silent Auction at Harpel House
- July 30 – John Lautner Turns 100 Film Screening at American Cinematheque, Hollywood
For more information and events, and to purchase tickets, go here.
“Good Design Lasts”
“It’s not just a matter of creating pretty things… we’re missionaries on a crusade against vulgarity,” says Massimo Vignelli of Vignelli Associates.
Massimo and his wife Lella were born in Italy and trained as architects before founding Vignelli Associates in New York City in 1971. They continue to work there today designing furniture, tableware, interiors, and developing corporate identities for clients like IBM, Knoll, Bloomingdale’s, and American Airlines.
Vignelli is known for designing the iconic original signage for the New York City Subway system, which he recently updated. Vignelli has had a fascinating, prolific career and he’s extremely quotable and entertaining too. (You may remember him from the movie Helvetica.)
Check out more of Vignelli’s designs and quotes, after the break.
Barnsdall Park Outdoor Movies Return
This past Friday was the last wine tasting of the summer at Barnsdall Art Park, but that doesn’t mean the events in the park are over! This Saturday, September 4th, Barnsdall Park brings back their September Outdoor Movies Series. Bring your blanket and picnic basket and settle in on the West Lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House. This year’s movies are modern classics that showcase the architectural and historical uniqueness of Los Angeles. First up is 500 Days of Summer, followed by LA Story, LA Confidential, and finally Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Screenings start at 7:30 pm, but get there early to secure your spot and to have a few drinks. Unique beer and wine selections will be served from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Tickets for the movie and drinks are $25.00. You can purchase them online here. The Coolhaus truck will also be on hand selling ice cream sandwiches, and the Let’s Be Frank truck will also be selling hot dogs and sausages.
All profits benefit the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation programs and projects. More details can be found at the newly-overhauled Barnsdall Art Park website: barnsdall.org.
Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Have you seen the documentary Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman?
“Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.”
Check out this trailer for the film…
Film synopsis from juliusshulmanfilm.com.
It’s Chinatown
Coming off the success of showing Swingers a few weeks ago, Barnsdall Park continues its Outdoor Movie Night on September 26th with the classic L.A. noir film Chinatown. Another great choice by the Barnsdall folk – Chinatown is Jack Nicholson at his best and few movies showcase LA in a more interesting way. Watching this while perched above LA with the hills in the background will be a special treat.
The screening will take place outdoors on the West Lawn of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, perched on the beautiful Olive Hill. Silverlake Wine will be on hand again to offer a Beer Garden for $25 which includes four glasses of two unique beer selections. Coolhaus and Let’s Be Frank food trucks will be on hand as well serving up ice cream and hot dogs. The movie starts at 7:30pm, but come early to secure a spot on the lawn.
All profits from the screening and the Beer Garden will benefit Barnsdall Art Park Foundation programs and projects, such as Free Sunday Art Classes for children and families in the community, as well as capital projects like the Monument Sign and restoration of the Hollyhock Motor Court.
Barnsdall Park – 4804 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Barnsdall, Baby. Barnsdall.
Few movies have shown off our neighborhood (Los Feliz to be more specific) more than Swingers. So it’s only fitting that Los Feliz is the location for the screening of this 90s classic at the inaugural Outdoor Movie Night at Barnsdall Park on September 5th.
I remember being fascinated by the bars and nightclubs they visited in the movie when I first saw it. Living in Chicago at the time, this was not the L.A. I knew from other movies I’d seen and I’d have to say this played a small part in me moving to the neighborhood later in life. The Derby, the Los Feliz Golf Course, and the 101 all get ample screen time, but certainly the most memorable is the cameo of Marty and Elayne at the Dresden. Crowds still fill that bar nightly to see the famous duo from Swingers perform.
Silverlake Wine will be hosting a beer tasting along with the screening for $25 which hopefully won’t inspire impromptu swing dancing….that trend is best left in the 90s.
All profits from the screening of Swingers and the Beer Garden will benefit Barnsdall Art Park Foundation programs and projects, such as Free Sunday Art Classes for children and families in the community, as well as capital projects like the Monument Sign and restoration of the Hollyhock Motor Court.
For more info click here.
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