Northern California Modern continued
A look at eight Northern California Modernism works featured in NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism.
Pierluigi Serraino -- Interior Design, 3/27/2007 12:28:00 PM
In our March story, Welcome to 1969, we share from Pierluigi Serraino’s new book, NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism, a project collaborated on by Alexander Girard and Don Knorr and Associates, in conjunction with the client, Robert Scoren. Now Serraino shares eight more Northern Californian gems from his book. — Ed.
Olympic Arena
Squaw Valley, 1959. Architects: Corlett & Spackman.
Designed for the Eighth Winter Olympic Games, held in 1960 in Squaw Valley (near Lake Tahoe), the structure exhibited a 300-foot-long span covering two large hockey rinks open to the natural scenery. Awarded nationally and with numerous prizes for its design merit, the structure’s roof collapsed in 1984 due to a compound in the waterproofing.
Ruth House
Berkeley, 1968. Architect: Donald Olsen.
A cluster of modernist pavilions is laid out to preserve an existing tree. The very shallow roots that reach exactly the drip line of the foliage mark the entry to the house. Sleeping quarters are stacked on a three-story wing using a split-level section. The common areas and the kitchen are shelter in one grand-space entirely open to nature.
Moore House
Yankee Point, Carmel, 1955. Architect: Anshen+Allen Architects.
A small weekend retreat for a semi-retired doctor and his family of five children tops the cliff on a dramatic site on the beaches of Carmel. The carport bisects the diamond-shape plan of the house and divides a service area from the living quarters. Custom-designed furniture maximizes functional efficiency leaving the view of the natural scene uncluttered.
Chapel for Mills College
Oakland, 1969. Architect: Warren Callister.
Drawing inspiration from some of the forms on campus, and from a book written by the chaplain, the architect designed a circular church covered with a mansard roof and a whole camp organ. The circular building was located on one spot where women in the community used to have lunch outside and many other social activities.
Klaussen House
Squaw Valley, 1958. Architect: Henrik Bull.
Bull’s career took off designing ski cabins. Just in Squaw Valley, a ski resort close to the San Francisco Bay Area, the architect built over a dozen in a few years. Conceived in a weekend time as a spec building for client, Peter Klaussen, the space is laid out on five structural bays suspended on stilts, overlooking a creek.
Hall House
Kentfield, 1947. Designers: Jack Hillmer & Warren Callister.
This radical residence was intended to be a temporary house to transition the owners to a traditional mansion. Against all odds, it turned out to be a client’s favorite and only design. Built around numerous existing trees, the angular layout generates architectural surprises and a daring cantilever, brining the occupants in the midst of nature.
Frediani House
Healdsburg, 1955. Architect: Mario Corbett.
Don Frediani, the owner’s son, was an enthusiastic reader of Arts & Architecture magazine. He recommended to his parent well-published architect Mario Corbett to design their weekend home. The linear plan opens one of its long sides to the magnificent view of Sonoma Valley. The vestibule area, with higher ceilings and rotated 45 degrees from the main axis, gives a unique character to the architecture.
Everett House
Orinda, 1951. Architect: William Russell Everett.
The continuous curvilinear flat slab on steel posts connects two glass boxes. Naked to the outside, the interiors display all the private functions on an outdoor area with a pool completely sheltered by nature from the outsider’s gaze. The architect is known in the Bay Area for the design of a children’s park called Fairyland, a precursor to Disneyland .
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