Paul Rudolph is ICONIC— in the New Book on American Houses !

We already knew that Paul Rudolph’s work is “iconic”—especially if one goes by the dictionary definition:

widely known and recognized, and acknowledged especially for distinctive excellence

But it’s always good to have that affirmed by others—and we’re even more delighted when that assessment takes the form of a beautiful new book on residential architecture:

THE ICONIC AMERICAN HOUSE

The time-scale which the book covers is from 1900 to the present—well over a century of innovative, forward looking, elegant, and striking designs. Introducing it, Dominic Bradbury writes:

“The houses in this book chart a journey across America and across time, embracing many different aesthetics and expressions of form. . . .They are shining landmarks. . . .full of life, drama, and invention.”

The book manifests excellence by several criteria:

Sample spreads from the book—the ones above and below are of Rudolph’s Healy (“Cocoon”) Guest House; and the two spreads below that are of Rudolph’s Hiss (“Umbrella”) House.

• Selection and surprise: Many of the fifty houses profiled are well-known to all lovers of architecture (Fallingwater, the Eames House, the Glass House….) But part of the delight of this book is that one discovers houses that are unfamiliar, or designs that you’d only vaguely-but-intriguingly heard about. Thus, in this volume, you can finally visit the near-legendary High Desert House (Joshua Tree, CA) by Kendrick Bangs Kellogg"; and get to look inside houses you’d previously only known by a single glimpse—like the Sculptured House (Golden, CO) by Charles Deaton.

• Freshness of View: Bradbury brings keen insight, and offers key information for every project—but it’s the book’s visual sense that stands-out for us. Even with buildings which we’ve looked at over-and-over, Richard Powers’ photographs help us see them with a first-time freshness—and that allows us to discover new aspects of buildings and interiors which had been as familiar as the faces of old friends.

• Production Values: Reinforcing the sense of the specialness, of the houses chosen for inclusion, are the physical aspects of the book: the volume’s overall size (allowing one to even see details with clarity), the choice of paper (of a luxurious thickness), and the careful color balance of the printed images (neither dry nor saturated).

• Highlighting Paul Rudolph: Of course, the book is filled with he work of some of he most famous architects of the 20th Century—boldface names like Wright, Johnson, Niemeyer, Venturi, Kahn, Shindler… But Rudolph is one of the few architects to have two houses in the book: the Healy (“Cocoon”) Guest House, and the Hiss (“Umbrella”) House (both in Sarasota, FL, where Rudolph started his career.)

Each of the book’s 50 residences is presented across several pages, with photos, descriptive text, and informative captions.

Shown here are some of the page spreads, from the sections on the two Rudolph’s houses chosen for the book. [But Note: our photos of the book cannot begin to convey the richness, sharpness, and careful color balance of the photographs in the actual book!]

WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Our only quibble with the book—but one worth noting in the interest of historical accuracy—is in the identification of Rudolph’s design work with his early partner, Ralph Twitchell. The book seems to give an equal measure of credit for the late 1940’s Healy (“Cocoon”) Guest House to both Ralph Twitchell and Paul Rudolph. It’s true that they were partners at that time, and that Twitchell had the “contacts” to bring in work, and that he was a highly knowledgeable presence on the construction site. But the consensus among historians is that Rudolph was the firm’s prime designer—and certainly the creative source for the kind of architectural innovation shown in the Healy project. As historians, we reject any attempts to erase figures from architectural history, or to underplay authentic contributions to the design process—but we also seek accuracy, and we hope that this point about design responsibility will be adjusted in any future editions of this fine book.

RELATED VOLUMES

Writer Dominic Bradbury and photographer Richard Powers—both energetic participants in covering the world of design—have partnered on numerous other books on architecture and interiors. This new book might be considered to be part of a series, as they’ve previously published two volumes on related topics, with the same publisher, and in a matching format: The Iconic House and The Iconic Interior.

Two other of their design-focused books, forming an…

…“ICONIC” series, published by Thames & Hudson.

THE AUTHORS

DOMINIC BRADBURY - WRITER

Prolific author of books with a strong focus on architecture and design, Dominic Bradbury is a writer, journalist, consultant, and lecturer—including having been guest speaker at the Victoria & Albert Museum. His abundant books (many done with photographer Richard Powers) include: Mid-Century Modern Complete, The Iconic House, The Iconic Interior, Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses, and The Secret Life of the Modern House—and as a journalist he has contributed to magazines and newspapers internationally, including The Financial Times, House & Garden, World of Interiors, The Guardian, and Architectural Digest.

RICHARD POWERS - PHOTOGRAPHER

In his quarter-century of professional experience, Richard Powers has developed a remarkable oeuvre, specializing in the photography of interiors, architecture, and the built environment. With a portfolio that shows a worldwide scope, he has received commissions from design firms and publications such as Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, World of Interiors, and publishers like Thames & Hudson and Rizzoli. His photographs are featured in over 20 books (many done with Dominic Bradbury), including The Iconic Interior, New Natural Home, Superhouse, and Waterside Modern.

BELOW are two further spreads from The Iconic American House, from the section on Wright’s Fallingwater—additional evidence of the beautiful and informative work of this talented partnership.

BOOK INFORMATION AND AVAILABILITY:

• TITLE: The Iconic American House

• AUTHORS: Dominic Bradbury, with photography by Richard Powers

• PUBLISHER: Thames & Hudson

• FORMAT: Hardcover; 11-1/4 x 10-1/2 inches; 320 pages; 400 illustrations

• ISBN: 9780500022955

• PUBISHER’S WEB PAGE FOR THE BOOK: here

• AMAZON PAGE: here

• BARNES & NOBLE PAGE: here

Shown below are the book’s Contents pages, with a grid of photos of the 50 houses which the authors chose to include—and above is a portion of one of those pages, showing Rudolph is in very good company with Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, the Eames, Alden B. Dow…

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The GIFT GUIDE for Architecture Lovers (and especially for Rudolph fans!)

Even the counterweights at Paul Rudolph’s Walker Guest House seem to have the festive, holiday spirit! Glory Curtis Williams took this intriguing detail photograph of the replica of the building, when it was on display during the 2019 Palm Springs Modernism Week.

Philip Johnson—a long-time friend of Rudolph—most famous work is his own home: the Glass House. Even this building—a work of architecture of world-wide renown—has become “giftable” in the form of this snow globe, offered by National Trust for Historic Preservation.

With the arrival of the Holiday Season, our thoughts turn to gifts. For the very young, it’s the the anticipation of receiving them—but for the rest of us, the focus (and sometimes agony) is on search, selection, and shopping for presents that are simultaneously available, affordable, and appropriate—and, we hope, something that’s un-anticipated: a real and pleasurable surprise.

How hard can that be? Very—if the intended recipient is a design-savvy architect or fan of architecture. They’re probably already aware of most of the design/building-themed books, accessories, and “lifestyle” tools. But help is available…

That assistance is in the form of the gift guides. Published annually, this proliferating phenomenon proffers guides for almost every interest, from those who obsessed with cooking -to- those who (like in our group) are aficionados of concrete. More than ever, one can find annually-issued gift guides for architects—and this year, so far, we’ve encountered at least four that are abundant with attractive ideas:

“Concrete After Lightning”—a concrete-scented candle to light up the holidays.

ARCHITECT MAGAZINE

Architect is the official journal of the American Institute of Architects, and they have issued their “Gift Guide 2020”

It offers numerous choices, and included is a shirt which highlights the contributions of women in architecture, a set of modular lights that pulsate with different colors, Lamy’s Safari fountain pen (always a favorite among designers), the beautiful series of Ruth Asawa stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, and some colorful bowls made from recycled skateboards.

The items that will no doubt delight Rudolphians most are a concrete-scented candle made by D.S. & Durga; and the two cleverly shaped, architecturally-themed concrete planters from Rosenwood Studio.

Borson’s list of “essential” books includes monographs on Corb, Scarpa, Lutyens, and Saarinen, several volumes by Frank D. K. Ching, and key works by Christopher Alexander and on Dieter Rams.

LIFE OF AN ARCHITECT

Bob Borsons’s always interesting blog (in which he shares about the realities of the profession) has an established track record for issuing annual gift guides—ones in which he is quite articulate about what would make each suggested gift meaningful and useful.

This year, his “Holiday Gift Guide For Architects” is his 11th such entry. It has some of the things that one might already have guessed could be included (like an Aalto vase or the Vignelli wall calendar—both staples in the homes and offices of the tasteful demographic), and something delightfully outrageous: a $55,000 utility vehicle. Best for this year, he gives us a selection of 40 books—and what makes that book list distinctive is that they’re volumes which are in his own personal collection. Borson tells us that he’s been building up his library for decades—and these are the books which he personally recommends as “essentials”.

The Architray, which can hold pens, pencils, and other such items—and makes them easily accessible.

ARCHITECTURE LAB MAGAZINE

Their list, “47 of the Best Gifts for Architects in 2020,” has a large number of Alessi products—particularly ones designed by Zaha Hadid. Her centerpiece, composed of 5 repositionable parts, captures the adventurous form-making of that architect—as does another Alessi suggestion: a rattan centerpiece by the Campana brothers.

The other kind of gift which is prominent in this list are various types of “blocks” construction sets: not just Lego (though they are included), but also two different ones in the Blockitecture series, as well as a house from Wise Elk (which is composed of parts made from real plaster and ceramic.) Concrete-o-philes will appreciate the “Brutalist Concrete Architray” which was designed by 7thFl Studio.

The “My Little Architect” set, with it’s colorful and flexible system, might well intrigue all age groups.

GIFTHEM

Gifthem is a site that specializes in creating gift lists for different professions and interests—a practical and useful service. Thus they have lists for almost any domain of practice or interest, including Judges, Dentists, Basketball Enthusiasts, Minecraft Fans, Barbers, Quilters, Doctors…—and yes, Architects. This year’s list starts by acknowledging that “…architects are too picky and investigative in everything due to the nature of their field so finding the gifts for architects is a bit tricky”—and one will not find a more honest assessment of the situation!

They do come up with some unique suggestions, like a pair of socks whose pattern suggests avantgarde architectural plans from Italy in the 1960’s, a wallet whose exterior faces are printed with a residential floor plan, frameable prints that show patent drawings for traditional drafting tools, and—for the younger members of the profession—a “My Little Architect” building set, composed of colorful, transparent plastic tiles which assemble via a clever system of magnets.

The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation includes a “SHOP” page on it’s website—which is useful year-round, but especially for the holiday shopper.

A BETTER CHOICE: GIVE RUDOLPH tHIS HOLIDAY!

With all the suggestions contained in the above gift guides, one might think that the possibilities have been exhausted. True, a number of the choices in those lists include items that are cleverly made of concrete—and whose interest, in part, rely on the power of surprise, as such objects rarely use that herculean material.

But if the person you’re shopping for has tastes and interests which lean in the direction of the work of Paul Rudolph, there are gifts which are more focused on him—his life and career—and the great body of work he created.

The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation’s website has a “SHOP” page, which offers a variety of items which will illuminate the vast range of creation that emerged from Rudolph’s innovative and prolific career. During his half-century of practice, he was engaged in architecture, interior design, product design, furniture design, lighting design, education, issues of urbanism, mentorship, and the invention of systems of construction. Rudolph—for those who look into the prodigious number of projects he took on—is an endless resource of interest and inspiration.

The books, offered through our SHOP page, highlight and investigate his many contributions. Here are four studies which are prime sources for leaning about Rudolph’s multiple talents and accomplishments.

Celebrating Rudolph’s 100th birthday, this pair of catalogs are the official publication of the centennial exhibitions: “Paul Rudolph: The Personal Laboratory” -and- “Paul Rudolph: The Hong Kong Journey.” The former exhibit looked at how Rudolph used his own residences as places for experimentation with space, materials, and light—truly as “laboratories” of design. Though Rudolph was based in the US, he was called upon by clients in Asia to design a variety of projects, both commercial and residential. In the latter exhibit there was a focus on Rudolph’s work in Hong Kong, with an emphasis on the Bond Centre: the double-skyscraper towers which he designed, that are prominent on the Hong Kong’s skyline. The set of catalogs are available HERE.

Paul Rudolph’s creative & prolific half-century career extended to nearly the end of the 20th century—and this book focuses on the work from the latter part of his oeuvre. It includes: buildings for many parts of the US, fascinating ambitious projects for Asia, the Modulightor Building (the headquarters for the lighting business which he co-founded, and whose lines of light fixtures he designed), and the design of his own intriguing residence (his “Quadruplex” penthouse on Beekman Place in New York City). Hand-picked by Rudolph himself, the 27 projects profiled in Roberto de Alba’s book are shown through a broad selection of drawings, sketches, photographs, plans, and perspective views. The book includes illuminating introductory texts by Roberto De Alba, Mildred F. Schmertz, and Robert Bruegmann; as well as a fascinating in-depth interview with Rudolph by Peter Blake. It is available HERE.

On of Paul Rudolph’s most interesting later projects is the “Quadruplex” penthouse which he built for himself in New York City, with dramatic views of the East River. That residence was the cover story of this issue of “FDR: The FLORIDA DESIGN REVIEW”, and the article included the most complete photographic documentation ever published of the rich set of spaces within that project. Copies of this rare publication are available HERE.

Moleskine, in collaboration with Princeton Architectural Press, has brought out a series of books focusing on the drawings and sketches of innovative designers—-including this volume on Paul Rudolph. It features an insightful introduction by John Morris Dixon. It is available HERE.

OTHER GIFT BOOKS FROM oUR SHOP

While the monographs on Rudolph, above, are exceptional gifts, also available through the SHOP page are several other works of profound interest. These studies are impressive in the depth of their research, and stimulating in their insights and revelations.

R.D. Chin is an architect who worked for Paul Rudolph, and knew him well. Mr. Chin’s career has included working on numerous building types—and he then trained to become a Feng Shui master (whose practice includes consulting on a variety of architectural projects.) In this well-illustrated and colorful volume, he shares the wisdom of that system, and how it can be applied to the practical challenges of architecture and interior design. It is available HERE.

Beatriz Colomina explores the enormous impact of medical discourse and imaging technologies on the formation, representation and reception of twentieth-century architecture. It challenges the normal understanding of modern architecture by proposing that it was shaped by the dominant medical obsessions of its time—and traces the psychopathologies of 20th century architecture, suggesting that if we want to talk about the state of architecture today, we should look to the dominant obsessions with illness and the latest techniques of imaging the body. It is available HERE.

Caroline Rob Zaleski’s “Long Island Modernism 1930-1980” belongs in the library of anyone interested in the history of Modernism in America. It has eye-opening archival photographs and surprising discoveries about pioneering architecture by visionary architects, such as Rudolph, Breuer, Wallace Harrison, Wright, and Albert Frey with A. Laurence Kocher. The Architects Newspaper praised It, saying: “Zaleski rises to the occasion, as architectural writers so often don’t, when pressed into play to give social context to builders and their buildings.” It is available HERE.