Julius Shulman Residence, 7875 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Los Angeles, Raphael Soriano, 1950, Historical Cultural Monument #325

 

Left: 2008, "Julius Shulman: The Building of My Home and Studio," Nazraeli Press. Right: 2008, "Julius Shulman Does His Own House," Nazraeli Press (both from my collection).

Julius Shulman's personal residence designed by early client and long-time friend, Raphael Soriano and completed in 1950 was recently listed for sale after the iconographer's death last July at the age of 98. Legend has it that Shulman met Soriano the same day he met Richard Neutra, i.e., March 5, 1936. (See "Raphael Soriano" by Wolfgang Wagener, p. 79). After reviewing Shulman's unsolicited photos of the Kun House and liking what he saw, he sent the fledgling photographer over to the Lipetz House job site where he knew Soriano would be overseeing construction to introduce himself.

The bond that developed between Shulman and Soriano over many early assignments in the late 1930s resulted in the eventual commission for this iconic landmark. Soriano hired Shulman to photograph 35 projects from the late 1930s through the 1950s before he moved north to the San Francisco Bay area. Shulman's Log Book reveals that his house was photographed "officially" at least thirteen times for a variety of clients beginning with Job No. 706, July 25, 1950 with Glide Windows listed as client and more than likely appeared in their period advertising. The cover image on the Wolfgang Wegener's "Raphael Soriano" monograph appears to be from this session. The first record of publication of the house that I have found is in the scarce Alvin Lustig-designed "A Guide to Contemporary Architecture in Southern California" edited by Frank Harris and Weston Bonenberger in which all photos are by Shulman.

First publication of the Shulman Residence. Click to see Shulman's daughter Judy in the window. (From my collection).

 

1954, First cover photo of Shulman's residence looking from his studio out to the patio and house. Note Judy petting Johnnie in the garden. (from Shulman's press clipping archives).

Progressive Architecture, June, 1956, p. 103. (From my collection). (See my related article at Gordon Drake). 

The June 1956 Progressive Architecture theme was “The New House-to-Site Transition” and also featured Shulman photos of the Berns Malibu Beach House on the cover and in an internal 4-page spread “Subtle transitions provide degrees of enclosure” side-by-side with a 5-page article (see above) "Screened patios provide the link" on Shulman’s Raphael Soriano-designed personal residence in Laurel Canyon.

1957, Living room with daughter Judy looking very "Modern" by the fireplace. (image found on the internet). 

I was very privileged to have spent many memorable days with Shulman while researching a book which collects all the covers his photos have appeared on over his 73-year career. Julius gave me free reign to roam his studio and research and catalog the articles in his boxes of tear sheets and books and magazines stored in his studio closets and bookshelves. I also invested a good year researching at UCLA's Charles Young Research Library, the Getty Research Institute, the USC Architectural Library and my own extensive private collection compiling an annotated bibliography of 800 covers and 8,000 publications his photos have appeared on or in. Doing a search for Shulman's own house in my bibliography turned up the ten cover photos herein and over 50 publications which either featured his house or included it with other work.

1957, Summer issue. Same image as above in L.A. Times Home. (from Shulman press clippings archives).

1978, McGraw-Hill, looking from studio towards patio with Johnnie posing just outside the door. (from my collection).

2002, Raphael Soriano by Wolfgang Wegener, Phaidon, South side of house (from my collection).

Back cover December 1998 issue of L.A. Architect. Click to note the March 1954 issue of Arts & Architecture on the desktop. (from my collection).

2009 Nazraeli Press Catalog (from my collection). 

 

1994, June issue of AT (Japan) with wife Emma petting Johnnie. (from my collection).

Whoever is fortunate enough to become the owner of this historic home and icon of Los Angeles history will have a huge responsibility to maintain this historical structure for posterity. One can just imagine the steady stream of clients, architects, authors, editors, film makers, reporters, curators, fans, homeowners, and modernism groupies that have paid homage to Shulman on the visitor's side of his archive-laden desk. The new owners will more than likely have to contend with their own steady stream of modernistas making  pilgrimages to this shrine of mid-century modernism. Hopefully the house will be open to the public for special occasions from time to time. It is a special place indeed which oozes history from every corner. May Shulman's legacy live forever.

For more on the Shulman House see Julius Shulman Chronicles: March 15, 1952.

Julius Shulman's First Book Appearance, Glass in Modern Construction

Glass in Modern Construction, Charles Scribners & Sons, 1937

Julius Shulman's career had barely begun when this book was published. His first client, Richard Neutra (see my post "Julius Shulman's First published Photograph"), was already well-established among publishers, editors and authors interested in "Modern" architecture. Neutra and his early apprentices, Gregory Ain, Harwell Hamilton Harris and Raphael Soriano also entered many competitions including those sponsored by glass manufacturers such as Pittsburgh Plate Glass

This book collects all of the winners in Pittsburgh Glass Institute's 1937 competition for best executed examples of glass in architecture, decoration and design previously published in the Architectural Forum and Pencil Points. Included are 2 Julius Shulman photos of Richard Neutra's Grace Miller (Mensendieck) House in Palm Springs, Shulman Job No. 049 first published in the May 1937 issue of Architectural Record and later in the August 1937 issue of Architectural Forum and 2 of Raphael Soriano's Lipetz House in Los Angeles, Job No. 0149 first published in the August 1937 issue of Architectural Forum (see below). The book also contains other work by Neutra (Barsha House, Landfair Apts., and Scholts Advertising Building all with Arthur Luckhaus photos) and Harwell Hamilton Harris (Fellowship Park House with Fred Dapprich photos).

Julius Shulman's First Cover Photo: California Arts & Architecture, January 1940

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Rosenson Residence in Bel Air, California, Designed by Paul Laszlo. Job Nos. Laszlo 22, 25, 31 & 36, no dates available.

Paul Laszlo's Rosenson Residence in Bel Air, CA has the honor of being the subject of the first published cover photograph by architectural photographer Julius Shulman. My 8,000 item Shulman bibliography lists 112 articles published prior to the January 1940 cover of California Arts & Architecture. Shulman photos previously appeared in CA&A six times beginning with the June 1937 issue with four interior photos of a triplex designed by Milton J. Black at 127 S. Kings Road. CA&A and its successor, Arts & Architecture went on to publish 285 articles containing Shulman photos before its demise in 1967. 

Shulman was listed on the masthead of CA&A and A&A by John Entenza as staff photographer between December 1942 until 1958 when the listing of staff photographers was discontinued. When I asked Shulman a couple years back what it meant to be staff photographer he stated, "It meant that I had to photograph whatever Entenza wanted whenever he wanted and I ended up photographing the Case Study Houses for the magazine pro bono." He of course made up his fees many times over in subsequent resale of the images for other publications not to mention the publicity benefits of being listed on the masthead of one of the most chic and prestigious magazines of the era.

Ironically, this January 1940 issue of CA&A was the last edited by publisher by Jere P. Johnson. She turned over the editorial reigns to John Entenza for the February issue while she took maternity leave based on the recommendation of Editorial Advisory Board member and longtime friend Harwell Hamilton Harris.  She remained on the masthead as publisher until the June issue by which time Entenza's palace coup for ownership of the magazine had been accomplished. I will soon be posting an article debunking the myth that Entenza purchased the magazine from Johnson in 1938 (see "Harwell Hamilton Harris" by Lisa Germany, pp. 128 & 217). Stay Tuned.

"William Krisel, Architect" to Premiere in Palm Springs February 14, 2010

Poster art for "William Krisel, Architect"

William Krisel, Architect trailer from Design Onscreen on Vimeo.

The long-awaited documentary on the life of architect William Krisel (see above trailer) will be premiering on February 14th at the Camelot Theater during Modernism Week in, most appropriately, the community that bears his stamp more than any other architect, Palm Springs. (see http://www.modernismweek.com/ for schedule of events).

I was privileged to be part of the film by providing: research assistance, interview candidates and questions, building location scouting, hi-res scans of stills used in the film including material from my private collection, and interview of myself by film maker Jake Gorst. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3735029/.

Film maker Jake Gorst at work. Location scouting by John Crosse, Airport-Marina Towers, 1971, William Krisel. Photo by John Crosse.

Jake Gorst and I had the distinct honor of being the last people to interview Julius Shulman on film before his passing last July (see below).

Film maker Jake Gorst filming me interviewing Julius Shulman in his studio. Photo by Phil Weyland.

Go to the Design Onscreen link to learn more about their other films and philosophy. http://www.designonscreen.org/in-production/

It's hard to believe, but even though Krisel is responsible for thousands of dwellings in Palm Springs, he was so prolific a designer that his desert work constitutes only 5 % of his total production. For more on Krisel's Palm Springs work see http://www.psmodcom.com/Architects%20Pages/PalmerKrisel/PalmerKrisel8.html.

Chris Menrad House, Twin Palms, Palm Springs, William Krisel, Architect. Photo by John Crosse.

Krisel was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the AIA-LA Design Awards Party at the Egyptian Theater on Oct. 21st.  The above photo announcing same was published in January/February 2010 issue of "Form: Pioneering Design." Krisel also had an exhibition of his work at the MODAA Gallery in the Studio Pali Fekete, Architects Building in Culver City last November. (see below).

Photo by Julius Shulman. Poster design by Studio Pali Fekete. http://www.spfagallery.com/krisel/

Krisel's archives were recently acquired by the Getty Research Institute where they will reside in the pantheon of Southern California Mid-Century Modernism alongside those of Julius Shulman, John Lautner, Pierre Koenig, Ray Kappe and others. The archives couldn't have found a better home. The Getty Research Institute is fast becoming a most important one-stop location for the in-depth study of the region's unique brand of  modern architecture studied and emulated by architect's and researchers around the world.

Krisel commissioned me to organize his papers and drawings in anticipation of the Getty's acquisition. My summary of the archive's contents can be found at the link below. See also the Getty Research Institute link under my Links of Interest to the right.
William Krisel Archive

Harwell Hamilton Harris: Houses of the Future

Harwell Hamilton Harris remains a much under-appreciated figure in Southern California architectural history despite Lisa Germany's excellent 1991 monograph published by the University of Texas Press. The bibliography and end notes are the first things I look at in evaluating a book's purchase-worthiness. Germany's very well-organized end notes and chronological project list/bibliography gave me a strong sense of Harris's futuristic thinking and quite adequately told his life's story. The well-written narrative and illustrations are very sweet icing on the cake indeed. Any fan of mid-century Southern California architecture must have this book in their library. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harwell_Hamilton_Harris

Harris's design language was forged by the influences of his architect father Frederick Thomas Harris's Redlands, CA turn-of-the-century eclectic, Craftsman and Mission Revival buildings and Richard Neutra's crisp International Style designs. (See Germany, pp.6-7). His individual form of modernism is likened by many to that of the woodsy "Bay Region Style" of William W. Wurster and his followers. http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/unsworks:1138.

I discovered the above article on Harris's Otto G. Hermle House in La Canada in the May 6, 1945 issue of the Los Angeles Times Home magazine purchased at a flea market last weekend. The project wasn't cited in Esther McCoy's Harris chapter in her groundbreaking 1984 book "The Second Generation" or the 1985 Harris University of Texas exhibition catalog below, or Germany's above Harris monograph, nor was it referenced in the exhaustive project list in the Harris Archives at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utaaa/00001/aaa-00001.html. The article, illustrated with three Fred Dapprich photos and a floor plan, suggests that the best of the prewar houses are what we can expect in tomorrow's post-war house, thus one could assume that the house was built just before the war began. I would greatly appreciate any feedback on the location of this house.

Many thanks to Nancy Sparrow, Curatorial Assistant  at the Alexander Architectural Archive, Architecture and Planning Library, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin for identifying this house as the J. E. Powers Residence, La Canada, 1939. By the time of the article, the house had apparently come under the ownership of Otto G. Hermle. (e-mail from Nancy Sparrow to the author, June 28, 2012).

 Julius Shulman cover photo of Gregory Ain's Hural House from my collection

1985 University of Texas Exhibition Catalog from my collection

The Hermle House shares many elements of his 1938 Greta Granstedt Residence seen above on the cover of his 1985 exhibition catalog which also includes a comprehensive essay by Germany. The Granstedt house at 7922 Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Hollywood Hills is coincidentally very close to Julius Shulman's 1950 Raphael Soriano-designed house at 7875 Woodrow Wilson Drive, City of L.A. Cultural Landmark No. 325, which was just listed for sale at $2.495 million. 

 

              1942 Revere Copper and Brass Corp. "Segmental House" brochure from my collection

A good example of Harris's sense of futurism was his commission by the Revere Copper and Brass Corporation in 1942 to design "The Segmental House." The rendering and floor plan of the basic initial module can be seen on the cover of the very interesting 12-page "A house with a future" booklet above. This unbuilt house was designed to facilitate later additions to meet the needs of a growing post-war family and was published as "The New House 194X" in the September 1942 issue of Architectural Forum.

Harris also contributed a prescient 1946 design to a competition sponsored by the Libbey-Owens Glass Company which was compiled in the 1947 Simon and Schuster publication "Your Solar House" edited by Maron J. Simon (see scans above from my collection). He beat out his mentor Richard Neutra on the second ballot for first prize (Germany, p. 107). He designed numerous other unbuilt projects with a futurist theme during the war for the post-war year 194X which are also cited by Germany.

Tomorrow's House by George Nelson and Henry Wright, Simon & Schuster from my collection

Harris was prominently featured in the 1945 "Tomorrow's House" (see above) which was a compilation of taste-meister George Nelson's best room-by-room features of "Modern" housing constructed to date, echoing the theme of the above Hermle House article. Fourteen photos of his work were included, significantly more than any other architect except Edward Durrell Stone who had fifteen. Included were his own 1935 Fellowship Park House in Los Angeles, the 1936 De Stiguer Residence in Pasadena, and 1935 Kershner House in Los Angeles with emphasis given to his sleekly designed interiors. Most of the national post-war compilations of  modern houses, too numerous to mention here, and exhibitions at New York's Musem of Modern Art also contained work by Harris.

There is much yet to be learned and shared about Harris and it is my hope that this post will stimulate more research on his extremely interesting career. As always I encourage any comments, public or private, on this and any of my posts.

Julius Shulman's First Published Architectural Photograph: Richard Neutra's 1936 Plywood Demonstration House

July 1936 issue (from my collection).

It is well-documented in books by and about Julius Shulman that he met architect Richard Neutra on March 5, 1936. On that fateful day they discussed Shulman's Kun House photos taken a week or so earlier on a site visit with his sister's tenant who happened to be a Neutra draftsman. Neutra was impressed enough by Shulman's photos to offer him work on some initial assignments and introduce him to other architects in his circle including R. M. Schindler and Raphael Soriano. What is not well-known is the actual date of the first publication of a Shulman architectural photograph after what Shulman describes as the official beginning of his career in architectural photography. My exhaustive research on both Shulman and Neutra's careers leads me to believe that the July, 1936 issue of Architectural Forum (see above and below) is the publication having the honor with the article "Plywood House, Richard J. Neutra, Architect." Shulman understandably could not recall so inscribed my copy "Early Publication." (click on image below right to highlight).

Architectural Forum, July, 1936. (from my collecction).

Neutra designed his now famous Plywood Demonstration House for the above 1936 California House and Garden Exhibition at 5900 Wilshire Blvd. in the Miracle Mile district where now sits the Mutual Benefit Plaza complex designed by William L. Pereira & Associates. It was located directly across the street from where now resides the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Described as the Moderne House in the voluminous ads and literature surrounding the exhibition (see typical ad below), it was on display with two houses by Paul Williams (French House and Steel House), and one each by John Byers and Edla Muir (New Orleans House) and Winchton Risley (California Cottage). Neutra, the consummate self-promoter and realizing the importance of this project to his career, hedged his bets and commissioned both Arthur Luckhaus and Shulman to photograph the house. Architectural Digest also hired Mott Studios to photograph for an 11-page spread in Architectural Digest. (See below).

View of the California House & Garden Exhibition from the deck of Neutra's Plywood Demonstration House, Architectural Digest, ,Vol. IX, No. 3, 1936, p. 19).

Left: One of many 1936 ads marketing the exhibition with the Luckhaus exterior photo. Right: Plywood Demonstration House by Richard Neutra, Architect from the California House and Garden Rxhibition in California Homes & Gardens edited by Margaret Atchley, Los Angeles, 1936.

The house was designed to be easily moved because all of the exhibition houses were raffled off at the end of the show. It's storied history began when John Entenza's father's law partner, Stella Gramer, was the lucky winner of the Neutra house. At the time she had just commissioned Harwell Hamilton Harris to design her a house, likely on Entenza's recommendation. She scuttled those plans and instead hired Harris to design the foundation and oversee movement and placement of the house on her lot located at 427 Beloit Avenue in Brentwood Glen where it still exists. (For much more on this see my California Arts & Architecture: A Steppingstone to Fame: Harwell Hamilton Harris and John Entenza: Two Case Studies).

Plywood Demonstration House model by Stanton B. Coffin, 1939 for Museum of Modern Art exhibition "Art in Our Time." Richard Neutra Architect, 1936. ("Modern-Style Home," Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1939, p. V-4).

The house made a splash in the Big Apple in 1939 due to to the Museum of Modern Art's inclusion of a model (see above) in it's important "Art in Our Time" exhibition (see below) celebrating the Museum's 10-year anniversary and the move into it's new building at 11 W. 53rd Street. (Art in Our Time, Museum of Modern Art, 1939, p. 303). The house was later purchased in 1943 by noted modernist architect Maynard Lyndon where he lived until he moved into a house he designed for himself in Malibu in 1949. The house was next purchased by noted abstract artist William Brice, son of actress Fanny Brice and gangster Nicky Arnstein who brought Neutra back to design him a separate studio. (Seidenbaum, A., "How can you call a smooth slab 'Love in Italian'?" Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1967, p. I30).

Marquee for Museum of Modern Art Exhibition, 1939. (Art in Our Time by Glenn Lowry, Museum of Modern Art, 2004).

Neutra marketed the Plywood House with zeal globally. My 8,000 item Julius Shulman Bibliography lists the house no less than 26 times (see below) and my 5,000 item Richard Neutra Bibliography has 52 listings mainly because of the joint use of Shulman and Luckhaus to document the project. Like many of Neutra's projects, this single house has become a subject of study due to the amount of publicity generated by his  promotional efforts. Another worthy field of study is Neutra's progression of principal photographers from Willard D. Morgan to Arthur Luckhaus to Julius Shulman and why he used both Luckhaus and Shulman on numerous projects from the late 1930s to the early 1940s.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback if anyone can provide an earlier Shulman publication or any other comments on this post.

Publications of Richard Neutra’s Plywood Demonstration House With Julius Shulman Photos

(1936). California Homes & Gardens includes a description and a May 1935 rendering by Jamison of Richard Neutra's Plywood Demonstration House exhibited at the California House and Garden Exhibition at 5900 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles.

(1936). "Exhibition House Group, Los Angeles, California, Plywood House, Richard J. Neutra, Architect." Architectural Forum 65(1, Jul): 38-39.

(1936). "Plywood Model House, Los Angeles, California, Richard J. Neutra, Architect." American Architect and Architecture 149(Sep): 24-5.

(1936). "Super-Plywood Model House, Los Angeles, Cal., Arch. Richard J. Neutra." Kokusai Kenchiku XII(10, Oct): 270-4.

(1937). 42. "Plywood House, Richard J. Neutra, Architect. The 1938 Book of Small Houses. E. o. T. A. Forum. New York, Simon & Schuster: 60-1.

(1937). "Details: Windows." House & Garden(Mar): 123.

(1937). "A House of Plywood Designed by Richard Neutra." Building(Apr): 166-168.

(1937). "Modernistic Type of Dwelling on Display." Los Angeles Times(Mar 7): E-1.

(1937). "A plywood house." Architect & Building News 9(Jul).

(1938). "Comparative Details 41: Modern Fireplaces." Pencil Points XIX(10, Oct): 665.

(1939). Art in Our Time. New York, Museum of Modern Art.

(1939). Art in Our Time: An Exhibition To Celebrate The Tenth Anniversary Of The Museum Of Modern Art And The Opening Of Its New Building Held During The New York World's Fair [exhibition catalog]. New York, Museum of Modern Art.

(1939). "Show Architect's Work: Designs by Richard Neutra Are on Exhibition at Pedac [Exhibition]." New York Times(Jul 2): RE4.

(1939). "Modern-Style House." Los Angeles Times(May 21): V-4.

(1940). "Styled Doors in the Richard Neutra House [American Plywood Corp. ad]." California Arts & Architecture(Dec): 5.

(1945). "Numero dedicado a la obra de Richard J. Neutra." Revista de Arquitectura 30(299): 420-454.

(1946). "Richard J. Neutra [Special Neutra Issue]." L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui 16(6, Jun).

Forum, E. o. T. A. (1937). The 1938 Book of Small Houses. New York, Simon & Schuster.

Harrison, H. R. (1937). "Richard J. Neutra: A Center of Architectural Stimulation." Pencil Points XVIII(7, Jul): 407-438.

Hines, T. S. (1984). "Neutra's all-plywood house: a design for an affordable home by one of the international style's most influential architects." Fine homebuilding(19, Feb-Mar): 28-33.

Hines, T. S. (1989). Case Study Trouve: Sources and Precedents: Southern California, 1920-1942. Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses. E. A. T. Smith. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press: 82-105.

Leatherbarrow, D. (2004). Topographical Stories: Studies in Landscape and Architecture, University of Pennsylvania Press.

Lyndon, D. (2007). The Maynard Lyndon House Malibu. West Coast Residential: The Modern and the Contemporary. Vancouver, BlueImprint.

McCoy, E. (1968). "Neutra." Los Angeles Times Home Magazine(Feb 11): Cover, A8, A14 (18 pages).

Neutra, R. (1940). "Research on design of dwelling units with regard to regional differentiation." South African Architectural Record 25(2, Feb): Cover, 33-56.

Neutra, R. (1959). "A Vista Beyond the Present Stage of Asbestos-Cement Application." International Asbestos-Cement Review(15): 4-7.

Neutra, R. J. (1938). "How America builds 1937-38: influences on the trend of building design." Architectural Record 83(1, Jan): 60-63.

Neutra, R. J. (1946). "Circunstancias que impiden el nuevo diseno constructivo." Revista de Arquitectura 31(Feb): 52-57.

Julius Shulman: Ham Operator W6AVP

The genesis for this post came about as I was researching for a book that was intended to capture all of the covers Julius Shulman's photos have graced over his 73-year career. Shulman loved this book idea as a fresh way to capture his work which hadn't been broached to him prior to my pitch. Little did I know what I was getting into as I have found close to 800 Shulman covers to date, not to mention nearly 8,000 publications containing his work.

While browsing e-Bay for material a couple years ago I ran across the above ham radio card with his signature. I had never seen anything like this before. I proudly brought my prize up to his studio to show off thinking I had made a major discovery. This happened to be just before Shulman’s 2006 “Vest Pocket Pictures” book published by Nazraeli Press was released. (see below).

Julius reached over to the side of his desk and rummaged around through a pile of material and fished out his artist’s proof copy of the book, turned right to the photo of his room on p. 8 and with a big smile on his face said “There it is! See, W6AVP, up in the corner of my bedroom.”

He then explained that it was the practice of ham radio operators to send QSL cards to each other to verify their connections. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSL. I had been to his exhibition “Julius Shulman: Vest-pocket Pictures from the 1930s” at the Craig Krull Gallery in 2004 which was the impetus for the book being published but did not remember the ham radio photo.
http://www.craigkrullgallery.com/

Julius was into technology at an early age, well before his renowned passion for photography took root. As a sixteen-year old he built his ham radio station in his bedroom in a still-existing 1905 duplex located at 546 N. Cummings St. in the Reesmont Tract in Boyle Heights. He received his ham operator's license, W6AVP, in 1926 and began broadcasting in Morse code around the world. What is truly amazing to me is that if you click on the image of the QSL card and compare it to the signature on the back of his Vest Pocket Pictures book you will be able to see that his signature had not changed at all in over 80 years.

Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones: Coconut Island Club International, 1946

Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones obviously had a mutual respect for each other as they collaborated on around 20 projects after World War II (see annotated project list and bibliography below). Jones worked for Williams briefly before the war in 1939-40 and they both also worked on the Roosevelt Naval Base, Terminal Island during 1942. My Jones research at UCLA uncovered correspondence from Jones to Williams near war's end asking for advice on a residential project he was moonlighting on. The "association" between Williams and Jones worked pretty much like this: Williams got the clients and Jones did the design and construction oversight, a win-win for the duo as Jones built up a nice body of work for high-powered clients while he got established and Williams got half the fees.

Jones and Williams at work. (from p. 15, http://www.pspreservationfoundation.org/pdf/center_nomination_29apr09.pdf)

One of the duo's earliest post-war collaborations was for the rather unknown Coconut Island Club International proposal just off the coast of Oahu near Honolulu in 1946. I ran across the photograph of the project presentation drawing below while browsing through the Huntington Library's Maynard Parker Archives Database for Williams. The project intrigued me so I started to dig a little deeper.

Coconut Island Club International, 1946-7

Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Associate Architects

C. W. Lemmon of Belt, Lemmon and Lo, Architects of Honolulu, Supervising Architect
Maynard Parker photo of the rendering (Job No. 1236-021)

 

Los Angeles oilman Edwin W. Pauley, also the former treasurer of the National Democratic Party and Reparations Commissioner after the end of World War II, first saw Coconut  Island on his way to Japan in 1945. He shortly joined with four partners to purchase the idyllic 20-acre island off the coast of Oahu in Kaneohe Bay in May, 1946 for $250,000 from the estate of the late Chris Holmes II, Santa Barbara heir to the Fleischmann Yeast fortune and Hawaii tuna-packing magnate.  Much on Holmes's prior development of the island can be found in The Fleischmann Yeast Family and Moku o Lo'e: A History of Coconut Island. (see below).

"Moku o Lo'e: A History of Coconut Island" by P. Christiaan Klieger, Bishop Museum Press

The Pauley group had a grand vision to further develop the island as a private, membership only resort. (See "Pacific Island Turned Into South Sea Paradise", Los Angeles Times, Feb 17, 1947, p. 9). The article with renderings describes the purchase and plans to spend an additional $500,000 to create a "combination millionaire's playground and crossroads hostel for high level international citizens." The article goes on to state that there will soon be thirty members with as many as 150 to follow.  

The consortium commissioned Jones and Williams in 1946 to prepare plans for 26 suites or cottages, tennis courts, a Pearl Harbor Yacht Club and other recreational and related facilities and remodeling the Holmes mansion and barracks and other facilities erected by the Army for a rest camp for combat officers. Jones, a Naval officer based in the Hawaiian Islands during the war, was a natural to head up the design and made the original exploratory trips to Hawaii and prepared the below presentation renderings and a model which was photographed by Julius Shulman. "The designs were the height of modernity, with the fixtures and furniture reflecting the "jungle deco" style all the rage during the era."(See Klieger, p. 135). The presentation renderings at the top and below were undoubtedly used in marketing the resort to prospective members.

Renderings from  "Moku o Lo'e" pp. 134-5 and the Pauley Collection. 

The resort club failed to gain momentum mainly due to the price of membership. By the time the idea was dropped, $500,000 in improvements had already been made under the direction of the joint venture local supervising architect Cyril H. Lemmon of Belt, Lemmon & Lowe. (Klieger, p. 138). The partners then considered a plan to develop the island into a modern, luxurious 117 room hotel. That idea was finally realized as a greatly scaled-back Coconut Island Hotel built at a cost of $20,000 with accommodations for 32 guests opened in February 1950. The venture was short-lived and closed by the end of 1951.

The five original investors spent their leisure time on Coconut Island for years and entertained various development ideas but nothing concrete came to pass. Pauley, who evolved into the island's chief steward, hosted many famous people during his ownership including Harry Truman (one month stay in 1953), Lyndon B. Johnson, Red Skelton, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.

In an interesting sidebar, in 1948 Pauley had a desire to make more productive year-round use of the island and decided to donate portion of the coral reef-surrounded paradise to the University of Hawaii to be used as a marine research facility. (See Klieger, p. 215, and "Coconut Island Now a Haven for Scientists", Los Angeles Times, Nov 19, 1948, p. 5). The following link provides an update on the status of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.  (Note: University of California Regent Pauley also donated $5,000,000 towards construction of the Pauley Pavilion at UCLA. See the following link to view a list of Notable Past Regents including both Pauley and Coconut Island partner Samuel Mosher, President of Signal Oil). 

Williams' and Jones's involvement with Pauley (and Mosher) on this project paid handsome dividends down the road for both of them. Williams was chosen by the Regents to be executive architect for Botany Building on UCLA's  Westwood campus. (See "New UCLA Botanical Structure Started", Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1958, p. VI-12). Jones (with partner Frederick E. Emmons) was chosen in the early 1960s to design UCLA's AIA award-winning Charles R. Young Research Library where his papers are now fittingly archived. (See $5 Million Research Library at UCLA Open", Los Angeles Times, Nov 22, 1964, p. IX-19 and Finding Aid for the A. Quincy Jones Papers, 1942-1979). Ironically, Jones was also later to become Dean of the USC School of Architecture.

I would appreciate any comments or feedback regarding this post and any additional information on the Jones-Williams relationship.

A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams, Associated Architects, Partial Project List

1. Roosevelt Naval Base, Terminal Island (1942). (Jones worked in the offices of Paul R. Williams during the pre-War years of 1939-40. He was then employed by Allied Engineers from 1940-42 where he and Williams again crossed paths on this project. Jones was involved with general layout of the base while the joint venture of Paul R. Williams, Adrian Wilson and Donald R. Warren designed the buildings. (See "A. Quincy Jones" by Cory Buckner, Phaidon, 2002, p. 10).

2. Coconut Island Club International Resort, Honolulu, Hawaii for a consortium headed by oilman Edwin W. Pauley (unbuilt-1946-7).

3. Town and Country Center in Palm Springs (permit-1946, completion-1948).

4. Palm Springs Tennis Club (1947).

5. Del Rio development in Tuscon, a subdivision of 3,000 homes for developer Del Webb (1948).

6. Pueblo Gardens housing development (700 home planned community), for Del Webb, Tucson, AZ (1948).

7. Jacobson House in Phoenix, AZ (1949). (Jacobson was a 25% partner in the Del Webb operation).

8. Laguna Beach and Tennis Club, Laguna Beach, California (1950).

Jones and Williams' Palm Springs projects have achieved iconic status mainly through the photography  of Julius Shulman as you will see by browsing the attached bibliography. Shulman's archives are housed at the Getty Research Institute (see link at right). Their Town and Country Center is currently under threat of demolition. Go to the Palm Springs Modern Committee web site and click "Urgent" on the menu bar to find out the latest status. http://www.psmodcom.com/

A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams: An Annotated Bibliography
Also recommended is the Paul Revere Williams Project website

 

1. Masterful planning and execution mark Palm Springs Tennis Club expansion. Society of Architectural Historians Southern California Chapter News, 1947(May 23): p. 8-13.

     Designed by A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams. Includes Julius Shulman photos and floor plans.

2. Pacific Island Turned Into South Sea Paradise. Los Angeles Times, 1947(Feb 16): p. 9.
     Discusses the Coconut Island Club International Resort on a 20 acre island offshore from Honolulu with preliminary design by Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones for a consortium headed by oilman Edwin Pailey. Includes rendering and photo of the model.

3. Palm Springs Tennis Club, Palm Springs, California, Paul R. Williams, Architect, A. Quincy Jones, Associate Architect. Architectural Digest, 1947. XI(4): p. 24-28.
     Includes 10 Julius Shulman photos.

4. Masterful planning and execution mark palm springs tennis club expansion. Southwest Builder & Contractor, 1947(May 23): p. 7-13.
     Describes the Palm Springs Tennis Club designed by Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Architects.

5. Tennis Club, Palm Springs, California by A. Quincy Jones, A.I.A. and Paul R. Williams, A.I.A. Arts & Architecture, 1947. 64(3, Apr): p. 22-23.
     Includes 9 Julius Shulman photos.

6. Tennis Club, Palm Springs, California, Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Architects Progressive Architecture, 1947. XXVIII(11, Nov): p. 53-57.
     Includes 9 Julius Shulman photos.

7. Tennis Club, Palm Springs, California, Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Architects Progressive Architecture, 1947. XXVIII(11, Nov): p. 53-57.
     Includes 9 Julius Shulman photos.

8. Coconut Island Now a Haven for Scientists. Los Angeles Times, 1948(Nov 19): p. 5.
     Discusses University of California Regent Edwin W. Pauley's change of plans to develop Coconut Island into a resort for "tired millionaires." He has donated the island to the University of California and the University of Hawaii for marine research purposes and donated additional funds to refurbish the existing buildings.

9. 3,000 Unit Development, Tucson, Arizona. Architectural Forum, 1949. 90(Apr): p. 140-142.
     The Pueblo Gardens Development.

10. [Palm Springs Tennis Club]. Architect and Engineer, 1950(Feb): p. 16-17.
Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Architects.
    
11. Laguna Beach & Tennis Club, Laguna Beach, California. Architect and Engineer 180, no. 2
(February, 1950). : 16-17.

12. P/A Fields of Practice: The speculative House [Pueblo Gardens, Tuscon, AZ]. Progressive Architecture, 1950(Jul). : 16-17
     Includes photos of the development designed by A. Quincy Jones in association with Paul R. Williams.

13. Redeveloped With a Flair: Town & Country Center, Palm Springs, California, A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams, Architects. Architectural Record, 1950. 107(2, Feb): p. 94-97.
     Includes 6 Julius Shulman photos.

14. Town and Country Restaurant and Commercial Development in Palm Springs. Progressive Architecture, 1950(Feb).
     Includes 6 Julius Shulman photos of the development designed by A. Quincy Jones in association with Paul R. Williams.

15. The World Famous Tennis Club. Palm Springs Villager, 1951. VI(4, Nov): p. 15.
     Includes a Julius Shulman photo of the Palm Springs Tennis Club designed by Paul Williams and A. Quincy Jones.

16. A. Quincy Jones: The Oneness of Architecture. Process Architecture, 1983(41): p. Entire Issue.
     Includes Julius Shulman photos of the Smalley House in Beverly Hills on pp. 35, 40, and 43; Bel Air Garden Apartments on p. 72t; Town and Country Center and Palm Springs Tennis Club both on p. 74 (with Paul R. Williams); Griffith Park Girls Camp on p. 75; St. Matthew's Church in Pacific Palisades on p. 77; Brastoff Ceramics Factory, L.A. on p. 77t; Nordinger Residence #2, Bel Air on p. 79; Emmons Residence, Pacific Palisades on p. 81; University Research Library, UCLA on p. 86bl and 87tr; Graduate Research Library, University of Hawaii on p. 97; Mutual Housing Association, Crestwood Hills on p. 108 and 109cr & b; Southdown Estates, Pacific Palisades on p. 119bl & r; A. Quincy Jones Residence #1, L.A. p. 122bl and r; A. Quincy Jones House #2, L.A. p. 123-125.

17. Town and Country Restaurant, Palm Springs by A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams. Process Architecture, 1983. 41(Oct).
     Shulman photos.

18. Hudson, Karen, Paul R. Williams: A Legacy of Style. 1993, New York: Rizzoli
     Includes Julius Shulman photos of the Palm Springs Tennis Club (with A. Quincy Jones) on pp. 118-121 (6), the Desi Arnaz & Lucille Ball Residence in Palm Springs on pp. 184-185 (3), Paul Williams in front of the Theme Building at LAX (not designed by Williams) on p. 194, and the Competition Motors Building in Culver City on p. 202.

19. Buckner, C., A. Quincy Jones. 2002, New York: Phaidon. 272.

     Includes a reference to Jones's projects with Paul R. Williams and 3 photos of their Jacobsen House in Phoenix, 4 Julius Shulman photos of their Palm Springs Tennis Club and 4 Shulman photos of their Town and Country Restaurant also in Palm Springs.

20. Gebhard, D. and H. v. Breton, Los Angeles in the Thirties: 1931-1941. California Architecture and Architects, Number 7. 1989, Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls. 185.
     Includes references to Williams on pp. 5 (grouped with revival architects), 36 (MCA Bldg.), 52-53 (rendering of a retail store building in Beverly Hills), 68-69 (photo of Music Corp. of America Building in Beverly Hills), 95 (garden apts.), 96 (ref. to French Cottage for the California House and Garden Exhibition), 97 (Williamsburg Lane, Rolling Hills, Tyrone Power House, Jay Paley House), 102 (mentor to A. Quincy Jones), 103 (furniture design) and 117 (photos of the Tyrone Power House and the French House at the California House and Garden Exhibition).

21. Gebhard, D. and R. Winter, A Guide to Architecture in Los Angeles & Southern California. 1977, Santa Barbara, CA: Peregrine Smith.
     Includes references to Williams' Williamsbrg Colonial Houses in Rolling Hills, 1940 Music Corporation of America s/o Burton Way betw. Crescent and Rexford Drives, 1936-7 Saks Fifth Avenue Building at 9600 Wilshire Blvd., 1941-2 Pueblo del Rio Housing at 1801 E. 53rd St. in Vernon, and Palm Springs Tennis Club (with A. Quincy Jones).

22. Hess, A. and A. Danish, Palm Springs Weekend. 2001, San Francisco: Chronicle. 180.
     Includes Julius Shulman photos of the Frank Sinatra House by E. Stewart Williams, Ocotillo Lodge by Palmer & Krisel, Albert Frey Houses I & II, Villa Hermosa by Frey, the John Porter Clark House by Clark & Frey, a Palmer & Krisel designed home, Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House, William Cody's Del Marcos Hotel, Paul Williams' Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz House, William Cody's El Dorado Country Club, E. Stewart Williams' Coachella Valley Savings & Loan, Wurdeman & Becket's Bullock's Palm Springs, Palm Springs Tennis Club and Town & Country Center by Paul Williams and A. Quincy Jones, Robinson's Department Store by Pereira & Luckman, John Lautner's Desert Hot Springs Motel, and Frederick Monhoff's Biltmore Hotel.

23. Imber, R., Palm Springs Town & Country Center: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Palm Springs Modernism Week 2007, 2007: p. 42-45.
     Includes 3 Julius Shulman photos of this complex designed by A. Quincy Jones and Paul R. Williams.

24. Rapaport, B. K., ed. Vital Forms: American Art and Design in the Atomic Age, 1940-1960. 2001, Abrams: New York. 246.
     Includes a Julius Shulman photo of the bar at the Palm Springs Tennis Club designed by A. Quincy Jones and Paul Williams.

25. Serraino, P. and J. Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered. 2000, Koln: Taschen. 575.
     Includes a brief bio and Shulman photos of the Town and Country Restaurant and Palm Springs Tennis Club by Paul R. Williams and A. Quincy Jones.

26. Shulman, J., Julius Shulman: Palm Springs [exhibition]. Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive  Palm Springs, CA 92262-5659, 2008(February 15).
     The exhibition will consist of approximately 150 photographs that include locations by renowned architects including Richard Neutra, A. Quincy Jones, Paul Williams, John Lautner, E. Stewart Williams, Albert Frey, William Cody, Donald Wexler, and Palmer & Krisel, among others. Additionally, renderings and models by these architects will highlight their unique contributions to the revered architectural landscape. The photos are compiled from the holdings of the Getty Museum and Palm Springs Art Museum, as well as private collections.

27. Stern, M. and A. Hess, Julius Shulman: Palm Springs Deluxe Edition. 2008, New York: Rizzoli.
     Includes a section describing Williams' Palm Springs work and 4 photos of the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz House, 3 of the El Mirador Hotel additions, 3 of the Town and Country Center and 5 of the Palm Springs Tennis Club, the latter two projects being joint ventures with A. Quincy Jones. Also includes a photo of Jones and Williams together.