Monday, December 26, 2016
A Visit to the Seidler Offices & Penthouse
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.
Saturday, December 24, 2016
The House that Jack Built
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.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
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).
Friday, July 8, 2016
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.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
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.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
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.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Discovering Modernism in the Jewel of the Inland Empire
The Gillespie Residence by Clare Henry Day (1954) in Redlands, CA. Photo ©Darren Bradley |
Friday, January 1, 2016
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.