A Visit to the Seidler Offices & Penthouse

Seidler Penthouse by Penelope & Harry Seidler (1988), including artwork L-R by Frank Stella ("Midnight Aloft", 1988), tall Aboriginal poles from Tiwi Islands (c. 1960s), Hilarie Mias ("Gaea", 1988), and Rover Thomas (1990).
Photo ©Darren Bradley

Just prior to my most recent trip back to Australia, I was contacted by Polly Seidler, daughter of architects Penelope and Harry Seidler, and invited to stop by the Seidler offices for a chat. As a long-time admirer of the Seidlers' work, it was quite an honor for me, and a real treat. 

The House that Jack Built

Inside the entry foyer of the Jack House, looking out to the front courtyard, and beyond into the kitchen window. Note that the house actually straddles a small stream, which passes underneath the house and into the garden in the back, down the steep slope. Photo ©Darren Bradley

OK, OK, I know. That title is a bit too obvious, considering the name of the architect who designed and built this house is Russell Jack. But I couldn't help myself; I couldn't think of anything else. 

Neutra's Brutalist Library

Huntington Beach Main Library by Richard & Dion Neutra (1972). Photo ©Darren Bradley

The name Richard Neutra conjures up a lot of images... spider leg posts and beams, ribbon windows, silver paint... But chances are, brutalism isn't really one of them. So it's not really surprising that many people are completely unaware that Richard Neutra designed this brutalist building in Huntington Beach (along with his son, Dion, who completed the design and saw it through construction, after his father passed away before it was done). 

A Visit to Gattaca

Suspended garden terrace off cafeteria. Photo ©Darren Bradley

When driving north over the Golden Gate Bridge, leaving San Francisco, one is quickly greeted with the charming seaside town of Sausalito, the dramatic scenery of Muir Woods, and quaint little towns like Mill Valley and Fairfax. So arriving at the small city of San Rafael, it may seem a bit incongruous to find the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation (from the film "Gattaca") perched on the hillside. 

When Beer and Architecture [Almost] Come Together

Photo ©Darren Bradley

While driving through the small city of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County's vaunted wine country recently, I decided that the only logical thing to do was to stop for a beer. As is often the case with these things, this little impromptu stop led to an amazing architectural discovery - the Sonoma County Public Library and the legacy of architect Francis Joseph McCarthy. 

The Sea Ranch Paradox, or How One of my Least Favorite Architects Designed One of my Most Favorite Places

Sea Ranch Condominium 1 by MLTW (1966). Photo ©Darren Bradley

The Sea Ranch is an architectural masterpiece. Mention that you are visiting this mythical place to just about any architect or designer, and you are almost certain to get a look of wistful longing in return - tinged perhaps with a bit of jealousy. And what's not to love? It's really a masterful blending of architecture and nature in a stunningly beautiful environment. Even people who claim not to like modernist architecture are taken in by its beauty. And yet, one of its principal creators, Charles Moore, was an architect who later became a champion of the Post-Modern Movement, embracing kitschy and almost cartoonish themes in his work. 

Discovering Modernism in the Jewel of the Inland Empire

The Gillespie Residence by Clare Henry Day (1954) in Redlands, CA. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Redlands. Despite being known at the "Jewel of the Inland Empire", it's a city that is largely overlooked. Most people - if they've been there at all - know it mostly as a few freeway exits on the I-10, roughly half way between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. But Redlands' nickname is well deserved, and should receive far more credit than it gets as a destination in its own right... including for some wonderful examples of modernist architecture... and for the work of one brilliant architect, in particular.  

The Seattle Central Public Library: Better Late than Never

Front view of the Seattle Central Public Library, seen from the main entrance (bottom left corner). Photo ©Darren Bradley 

The Seattle Central Public Library opened to the public in May of 2004. Since then, it's been written about and photographed extensively. At this point, there's probably little or nothing that anyone could say to add to the conversation - or the photographs already taken. But I'm going to do it anyway.