BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
Mid-Century By The Bay: A Celebration of the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1950s and 1960s
Heather M. David
San Jose, CA: CalMod Books, 2010
192 pages with many illustrations mostly in color
Interest in mid-century design and architecture has not only come with a desire to preserve its vestiges but also – as is so often the case – with a nostalgia for an era gone by. Heather David’s book seeks to convey the special spirit and uniqueness of the San Francisco Bay Area at that time. The images, which by and large are of the period, are organized by subject or building typology. The accompanying descriptions provide a background on the project illustrated as well as its current status, which, in most instances, is not very positive. However, the book makes an enjoyable journey through the past making a case for the preservation of that heritage.
Newer Book On SF Bay Area MCM Architecture
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Wrightgeek
- Posts: 1548
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Newer Book On SF Bay Area MCM Architecture
Below is some info on a recently released book that looks as though it may be of interest to some here on Wright Chat, especially SDR, our Bay Area architectural maven. I saw the announcement in an email newsletter from DOCOMOMO, which in my mind lent some level of probable credibility to the book. All of which led me to believe it was worth sharing:
Thanks for the heads-up, Wrightgeek. I'll look forward to this one. Who knows what we'll see ?
Just today I learned of a W W Wurster home -- a good-sized one, apparently -- built somewhere on a hilltop in Napa or Sonoma County, whose new owners were preparing to "flip" it, some years back. They discarded thirty or more interior latch-sets, nice Schlege piece with an unusually generous backset, in favor of some imported ones. My friend had to produce a matching number of plugs to fill the old cut-outs in the doors, which were subsequently Bondoed and painted. Who knows what other horrors ensued -- all to improve "curb appeal." Gack . . .
SDR
Just today I learned of a W W Wurster home -- a good-sized one, apparently -- built somewhere on a hilltop in Napa or Sonoma County, whose new owners were preparing to "flip" it, some years back. They discarded thirty or more interior latch-sets, nice Schlege piece with an unusually generous backset, in favor of some imported ones. My friend had to produce a matching number of plugs to fill the old cut-outs in the doors, which were subsequently Bondoed and painted. Who knows what other horrors ensued -- all to improve "curb appeal." Gack . . .
SDR
Last edited by SDR on Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
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Why a reputable architect would find it necessary -- or convenient -- to trash an equally worthy "competitor," remains a mystery to me. Wurster's only sin as a practitioner might have been the modesty which characterized his work -- as I see it.
Shleh-gee is how "Sally," a character on "Third Rock From the Sun," pronounced the name. There are probably multiple versions of this, in one place or another. My information came from a woman whose father had worked at the factory on the Peninsula -- South San Francisco, I believe.
Decades ago I worked with a lovely Italian gentleman whose pride was that his son had been the first male graduate of "Smith's" College . . . !
SDR
Shleh-gee is how "Sally," a character on "Third Rock From the Sun," pronounced the name. There are probably multiple versions of this, in one place or another. My information came from a woman whose father had worked at the factory on the Peninsula -- South San Francisco, I believe.
Decades ago I worked with a lovely Italian gentleman whose pride was that his son had been the first male graduate of "Smith's" College . . . !
SDR
The modesty which characterized Wurster's work was arguably the greatest quality of his architecture. I think the title of the monograph, "An Everyday Modernsim" describes his understated (or simply boring?...) architecture perfectly.
Schlage was founded by the German born Walter Reinhold Schlage. German names often became butchered in the U.S. (this began in earnest during WW1). Shlah-gay would be the closest to the correct German pronunciation, (as opposed to the current shlayg).
Schlage was founded by the German born Walter Reinhold Schlage. German names often became butchered in the U.S. (this began in earnest during WW1). Shlah-gay would be the closest to the correct German pronunciation, (as opposed to the current shlayg).
Actually, the second syllable of Schlage pronunciation is to be found somewhere in between the "guh" and the "gay" sound. My wife is from Vienna, and I am finally able to hear the subtle difference of the German vowel sounds relative to English.SDR wrote:Or Shlah-guh ? Did Herr Schlage settle in the West ?
I've lost track of the source of the quote about Wurster, something to the effect of "His work looks like it was the product of a very intelligent carpenter." It doesn't appear in "An Everyday Modernism" . . .
SDR
The quote you were referring to was from Pencil Points editor Kenneth Reid, who said that Wurster's architecture possessed "honesty that might have been produced by a carpenter endowed with good taste"...
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb6k4007hd/?order=8
My favorite design by Wurster, the Clark house in Aptos, California
When Wright met Wurster, he quipped, "Oh yes, you're that shanty architect. I understand your roofs leak, too." I suppose this could have revealed some affection for his work. At least it shows that Wright was aware of him...
There is some hilarious stuff here:
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro ... -9603.html
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
I think between "guh" and "gay" is "geh" without a diphthong.
WWW designed a very handsome house for the 1938 Life Magazine competition for which FLW designed the Schwartz prototype. WWW's income range was $3-4000/year, and the "traditional" version was done by H. Roy Kelley, who designed the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica.
WWW designed a very handsome house for the 1938 Life Magazine competition for which FLW designed the Schwartz prototype. WWW's income range was $3-4000/year, and the "traditional" version was done by H. Roy Kelley, who designed the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica.