Synopses & Reviews
Today, R. M. Schindlerand#8217;s Kings Road House is celebrated as an icon of early modern architecture, but this wasnand#8217;t the case when it was finished in 1922. Though Schindler and his wife Pauline recognized its genius early on, its radical appearance wasand#151;and remainsand#151;incomprehensible to many. Lavishly illustrated with forty-five new photographs, this book is an incisive examination of the house, placing it in the context of the architectand#8217;s career and clarifying its influence on modern architecture and its practitioners. Little-known aspects of Schindlerand#8217;s life, his relationship with his mentors, and the development of his unique theories about space enrich the narrative.
Robert Sweeney focuses on the construction of the house and the people who lived, worked, and performed there, demonstrating the buildingand#8217;s significance in the social history of Southern California. He includes new research on Schindlerand#8217;s educational and personal background in Vienna and a discussion of the critical influence of Pauline Schindler in formulating the social underpinnings of the house. Judith Sheineand#8217;s essay places the house in the context of Schindlerand#8217;s career, in which it established the basis of the spatial development of his work. She also examines the influence of the house on the work of numerous architects from Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry.
Review
and#8220;Little-known aspects of Schinderand#8217;s life, his relationship with his mentors, and the development of his unique theories about space enrich the narrative.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The house is a radical watershed by any criterion. . . . Captures the play of light and shadow, and, above all, the building's intimacy with its setting.and#8221;
Review
"The photographs are a feast for the eyes; the book as a whole offers a savory blend of views on southern
California living and architectural design."
Synopsis
"This book establishes R.M. Schindlerand#8217;s Kings Road House amongst the icons of modernist housingand#151;as crucial as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, or Frank Lloyd Wright to the story of twentieth-century residential design. Weaving together an impressive blend of primary sources, Sweeney and Sheine illuminate heretofore unknown or neglected stories regarding Schindlerand#8217;s life, his relationship with his mentorsand#151;most notably, Wright himselfand#151;and the development of his unique theories about space. These essays will interest both scholars and practitioners of architecture as well as readers wishing to learn more about the development of architectural modernism in general.and#8221;and#151;J. Philip Gruen, School of Design and Construction, Washington State University.
About the Author
Robert Sweeney, an independent historian, is President, Friends of Schindler House. He is the author of Wright in Hollywood and Casa del Herrero. Judith Sheine, a practicing architect, is Professor and Chair, Department of Architecture, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is the author of R. M. Schindler and R. M. Schindler: Works and Projects.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction / Mark Mack
Prand#233;cis
The Kings Road House / Robert Sweeney
Schindlerand#8217;s Vienna
America
and#147;Bold and Novel Constructionand#8221;
The Most Impractical House in the World
The Kings Road House: Pre-Everybody / Judith Sheine
Appendix: Letters
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index