Showing posts with label modern architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label modern architecture. Show all posts

Sunday, June 3, 2018

ROMERO, CUELLAR AND DENNIS SMITH AWARDED CITY PRESERVATION AWARD


Pasadena, CA. May, 2018. 
Jessica L. Romero, Lee Cuellar and Dennis Smith AIA were awarded with a City of Pasadena Preservation Award for their work on an architecturally significant home.  Originally built in the 1950s for Conrad Buff's parents, this post and beam home was painstakingly restored and expanded over a three year odyssey. 



Monday, April 9, 2018

Romero, Cuellar and Buff Smith Hensman nominated for City of Pasadena Preservation award


Dennis Smith, AIA and President of Buff, Smith and Hensman Architects,  along with Jessica Romero and myself are nominated for a City of Pasadena Preservation award!  It's so gratifying to see great work recognized.
#jessicaromero#mistermidecentury#leecuellar#buffandhensman

For all of your real estate needs, architectural or otherwise, give us a call.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Pierre Koenig Scott home now available


Now that our Multiple Listing Service is up and running, I can share the details with you. 

view all the details here

This is an amazing opportunity to own a piece of architectural history, to update it and enjoy it for many years to come. 

Call us any time!  Lee Cuellar/mistermidcentury.com  877.886.5729 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Lee's new Pasadena Homes and Lifestyles Newspaper




Hello all!  Please enjoy my newspaper.  I've collected stories from the leading daily newspapers, along with local favorites the Pasadena Star News, San Marino Tribune and Pasadena Now.  Enjoy!  And, we are always happy to help your friends and family with all of their real estate needs, wherever they may be. 


Lee Cuellar - mistermidcentury,com  877.886.5729

Friday, June 28, 2013

Frederick Monhoff Modern home for sale in Kinneloa Mesa/Pasadena

Frederick Monhoff, architect of the Palm Springs Biltmore Hotel and many others designed this wonderful example of midcentury modern architecture in 1948. From my friends Laura and Jason Berns: 
            In the hills of Kinneloa Mesa above the city of Pasadena sits this stunning midcentury modern home designed by noted architect, Frederick Monhoff. Noted for the homes and buildings he designed from Palm Springs to Napa Valley & everywhere in between, this one time Altadena resident designed a home that allows light & its movement to flow seamlessly throughout. Featuring sleek lines, majestic views to the mountains, the canyon and the city lights, this 5 bd, 4 ba home is a stunning property. Noted features of the home include the pumice block walls, red clay tile floors, an abundance of storage, a large renovated loft style home office, a brand new TPO white reflective roof, 2 courtyards & an ease of So Cal living that flows seamlessly between the inside and outside for entertaining & dining alfresco. The kitchen has been updated with granite countertops, Viking appliances, a new wine chiller & a Bosch dishwasher.  Open Sunday 1-4PM.  Come on by!

For more info, visit here


Saturday, May 11, 2013

PASADENA MODERN HOME TOUR UPDATE



Hello all,

Please join us for Pasadena1940 Forward, Pasadena Heritage's next home tour.  As part of an initiative of the Getty Center and part of Pacific Standard Time, Pasadena Heritage will present six architecturally significant homes along with a lecture. 

I will be a docent at the Hamlin House (Buff and Hensman) from 830-1130 and at the Dorland House (Lloyd Wright) from 2-430. 

For more information, please visit http://www.pasadenaheritage.org/


Monday, May 6, 2013

Pasadena Heritage Presents Pasadena 1940 Forward home tour



Image: The Lawrence Test House - photography by Dennis Hill 


Hello All,

The Pasadena Heritage Organization produces several home tour events each year.  Pasadena 1940 Forward is the next tour coming up on 5/19.  The tour is a great way to see six of Pasadena's great modern homes.  From Buff and Hensman to Lawrence Test, to Harold Zook, all six homes are wonderful examples. 
Here is the release from PHO: 
Pasadena Heritage will offer unique programs this spring as part of Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., a Getty-initiated celebration of the city’s modern architectural heritage through exhibitions and programs at cultural institutions in and around L.A. Supported by grants from the Getty Foundation, Modern Architecture in L.A. is a wide-ranging look at the postwar built environment of the city as a whole, from its famous residential architecture to its vast freeway network, revealing the city’s development and ongoing impact in new ways. 
On May 16, 2013, as part of this initiative, Pasadena Heritage will present Pasadena 1940 Forward: Three Views of the Recent Past, featuring presentations and discussion by three noted architectural historians. Alan Hess is the architecture critic of the San Jose Mercury News. He has written nineteen books on Modern architecture and urbanism in the mid-twentieth century and been active in the preservation of post-World War II architecture. He assisted Pasadena Heritage in preparing nominations to the National Register of HIstoric Places for Pasadena's Edward Durell Stone's Stuart Pharmaceutical Company (1958), and Wurdeman and Becket's Bullock's Pasadena (1947). Barbara Lamprecht is an architectural historian and trained architect. She authored the National Register Multiple Property Submission, City of Pasadena, for the Poppy Peak Historic District, poulated by the work of the University of Southern California/Pasadena School of Architecture, as well as for five individual National Register nominations of Buff, Straub, and Hensman residences, including the Norton House, which will be featured on the May 19th tour. She is an expert on Richard Neutra and the author of two books on the architect's work. She is completing her dissertation on Neutra's work at the University of Liverpool. Daniel Paul is a Senior Architectural Historican in the Los Angeles office of ICF International. While at ICF International he completed draft context statements and guidelines for evaluating design significance of Los Angeles architecture constructed between 1965 and 1980, and wrote the nomination listing Pegfair Estates in Linda Vista onto the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2004 with a Master's Degree in Art History. His thesis was about the advent of 1970s-era reflecting glass office architecture as first conceived by Cesar Pelli and Anthony Lumsden.
The setting for these presentations will be the dramatic 1975 Pasadena Presbyterian Church, designed by Pasadena noted architect John Gougeon. Unique views and perceptions of the evolution of Pasadena’s residential architecture will be the focus, from mid-century masterpieces to planned communities and their places in this community’s rich architectural tradition. The program will take place on Thursday, May 16, 2013 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Pasadena 1940 Forward: Residential Architecture of the Recent Past is a drive-yourself tour of 6 exceptional Modern-era homes in the Pasadena area. Experienced docents will lead tours through each featured private home, providing guests with a multi-faceted exploration of the work of several distinguished architects. Included on the tour will be Pasadena architect Lawrence Test’s own home, recently restored and open to the public for the first time. We will also highlight the work of the talented builder Ted Tyler. Born in Pasadena, Tyler began to construct homes during the postwar building boom and worked with architects including James Pulliam, Smith & Williams, and Buff & Hensman. This tour will feature two homes designed by Conrad Buff & Donald Hensman, capturing the entire scope of their work from the 1954 Norton House to the 1983 Hamlin House. Harold Zook's own 1951 home will also be open for tours, and Mr. Zook will be present to meet tour guests. The Dorland House, designed by Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Llod Wright, will also be on the tour. Writing about his home, Mr. Dorland says, "It isn't like living, it's like being on vacation." The homes selected for the tour represent the work of some of the most noteworthy practitioners of residential architecture in Southern California after 1940. The tour will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Pasadena 1940 Forward: Personal Stories from the Recent Past is a new chapter in Pasadena Heritage’s Oral History Program. A previously-recorded oral history of USC alumnus, teacher and Pasadena architect Donald Hensman, including wonderful stories about his five decades of work with Conrad Buff and Cal Straub, will be republished as well as the oral history of Ted Tyler, a prolific master builder and designer who worked with Don Hensman. A summary of a recorded interview with Lawrence Test will also be available. Two new oral histories of key architects of the period will also be recorded and published including one of Harold Zook, who designed significant mid-century homes in Pasadena as well as the iconic 1957 Saga Motor Hotel. John Gougeon, architect of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church and area residences will be the subject of a second oral history. Copies of these personal stories will be provided to various libraries and collections for the public to access and will be available for purchase.  
  Tickets are now on sale.
May 16 Lecture: $18 members/$20 nonmembers
May 19 Tour: $40 members/$50 nonmembers
Purchase tickets now! 
Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. celebrates the city's modern architectural heritage through thematic exhibitions at nine venues in and around the city. Supported by grants from the Getty Foundation, Modern Architecture in L.A. provides a wide-ranging look at the region's postwar built environment and the contributions of Los Angeles architects to the field. By examining a range of building types, from iconic modernist homes to the vast freeway network that has shaped this unique megalopolis, the exhibitions promise new insight into the city's planning, development and global impact. The initiatives includes a diverse group of practitioners, from internationally-known figures such as Richard Neutra and Frank Gehry, to others who have been critical to shaping Southern California's distinctive profile, such as A. Quincy Jones and Eric Owen Moss. Related lectures, films, tours and discussions will be organized by the exhibition venues and other participating organizations from April-July 2013, exploring the history of L.A.'s development as well as its future. Designed to continue the momentum and collaborative spirit of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, Modern Architecture in L.A. is the first of the smaller-scale Pacific Standard Time Presents offerings.
Major support for the Pasadena 1940 Forward has been provided by the Getty Foundation.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

10 must know Modern homes

What makes architecture succesful

Friday, November 16, 2012

Mistermidcentury Scouting Report 11/16/12

SCOUTING REPORT - 11/16/12 Wow, caravan today yielded some great midcentury goodness. Let's start With Mary Ann Shemdin's listing at 1327 Mountain View in South Pasadena
Jean Roth Driskel, FAIA, first woman and former President of the National A.I.A. designed and built this home for her family. The 2000+ foot 3 bed/2 bath home sits on a 8500 foot lot facing the east. The home has that easy, relaxed ultimate California existence floor plan that flows easily from inside to out and back in again. The baths appear to be in near-original condition. The kitchen has been tastefully updated using the same design tenets that Ms. Driskel used 60 years earlier. Very nice Thermador appliances. What does it for me is the soaring, natural wood ceiling, the walls of glass and the intelligent use of space. You can see the details and photos here http://tinyurl.com/bl4rzo4 Priced at $1,125,000.
Next up we have a Darling/Baron listing at 1619 Poppy Peak in the San Rafael Hills of Pasadena. This 1900+ square foot 3 bed/3bath home sits on a 28739 foot lot with stellar westerly views. The wrought iron spiral staircase is cool yet out of place when considering the rest of this 60s home. Nice use of slate and original hardwood floors. This home enjoys Mills Act tax savings and is for sale at $899,000. You can see the details and photos here http://tinyurl.com/c54lo92


Last and certainly not least is the David Lopez, AIA home (brought to you by Patrick McGinley) off of Lake Avenue in Altadena. David Lopez designed many Altadena homes in the 1950s and 60s and I'm grateful for every one of them. This 3 bed/2bath 1795 Square foot home sits on a private 22708 foot lot. You access the home down a long private driveway. Here again you have walls of glass and are surrounded by all the green lushness of nature. The kitchen is quite modest as is in so many 50s homes. What a great home to update and enjoy. For sale at $779,000. Almost forgot. The garage houses quite a wood shop and has a cool little study off to one side. You can see the details and photos here http://tinyurl.com/cd6xrzy #lee cuellar, #mistermidcentury.com, #modern architecture, #pasadena, #south pasadena

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Milwaukee Museum of Art

During a quick vacation to Chicago, we took a day trip to the Milwaukee Museum of Art.  http://mam.org/

For more information, reach me here.  I will also post slideshows at my youtube channel.  Thanks for reading! 

We really went to see the expanded museum space that architect/engineer Santiago Calatrava  http://www.calatrava.com/ designed. I am a huge fan of Calatrava and was introduced to his work by the Ovation Network, where I watched the Turning Torso documentary.  Turning Torso is Calatrava's building in Malmo, Sweden.   Read more about that here.   It is absolutely stunning.  Some of you may know Calatrava from his design work that was to be the new transportation hub in New York City.  Some may know him because of his bridge designs.  http://www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge will take you to the Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA.  You can watch a 30 minute documentary on the building of the Sundial Bridge at Netflix. 

So we left Chicago at 9AM in a Cadillac sedan.  Really a nice ride.  Kind of like driving your couch.  Milwaukee is about 90 miles north of Chicago and the ride was traffic-free and the weather was clear and cold.  We arrived around 1040 and there were maybe four cars in the parking lot.  Like having the entire museum to ourselves. The museum has a nice permanent collection of art and objects dating from the 1700s to the present.  The docents/guides were extremely knowledgeable and made the visit that much more special and informative.  The current exhibition is Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper. http://mam.org/impressionism/  Organized in conjunction with the Albertina in Vienna, Impressionism: Masterworks on Paper is the first exhibition devoted exclusively to the significance of drawing to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist avant-garde movements—and to the development of modern art. The exhibition makes its premiere in Milwaukee, presenting more than one hundred drawings, watercolors, and pastels by many of the greatest artists in the history of Western European art—Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec. These artists created drawings independently of painting, as they sought to create an art that more accurately represented their times. In the process, the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists effectively elevated drawing in nineteenth-century France to a status equal with that of painting.

Panoramic view facing east


 This is what the heated and air-conditioned garage looks like:


From the MMA website:  The graceful Quadracci Pavilion is a sculptural, postmodern addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum completed in 2001, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. A 1975 addition had increased space five-fold, but the Museum remained hidden from public view on the lower floors of the War Memorial Center. A $10 million then-anonymous gift from Betty and Harry Quadracci kicked off a capital campaign.
In 1994, the Museum’s search committee convinced Santiago Calatrava to submit a proposal and was wowed by his creative design. Calatrava, inspired by the “dramatic, original building by Eero Saarinen, …the topography of the city” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style architecture, initially proposed a small addition, with a pedestrian bridge connecting the Museum to downtown. As excitement over the project grew, fundraising accelerated and the project evolved, with the architect and Museum trustees sharing ideas.
The 142,050-square-foot Quadracci Pavilion was planned to primarily contain public spaces—a reception hall, auditorium, café, store, and parking, plus 10,000 square feet of flexible space for temporary exhibitions. Calatrava later said, “I had clients who truly wanted from me the best architecture that I could do. Their ambition was to create something exceptional for their community…. Thanks to them, this project responds to the culture of the lake: the sailboats, the weather, the sense of motion and change.”
The structure incorporates both cutting-edge technology and old-world craftsmanship. The hand-built structure was made largely by pouring concrete into one-of-a-kind wooden forms. It is a building that could have only been done in a city with Milwaukee’s strong craft tradition.


Right now the museum is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the completion of the Quadracci Pavillion.  It has been named the sexiest building in the world, featured in TV ads and shows and Hollywood movies, and it has transformed the city of Milwaukee. In September, the Milwaukee Art Museum celebrates the 10th anniversary of its iconic building, the Quadracci Pavilion, with the exhibition Building a Masterpiece: Santiago Calatrava and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Designed by internationally renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, the Quadracci Pavilion was the Spaniard’s first completed commission in the United States. In 2001, it was named Time Magazine’s “Best Design of 2001.”
The exhibition will highlight the construction of the entirely custom-made project, a testament to Milwaukee’s tradition of precision manufacturing and craftsmanship. Watercolors, models, and photographs will trace the evolution of the design, including the architectural wonder of the Burke Brise Soleil, perched high above the Quadracci Pavilion.



 The wing-like structure on top of the pavillion is the Burke Brise Soleil.  A motorized sunscreen.  You can see it in action here
Unprecedented in American architecture, the Burke Brise Soleil is a moveable, wing-like sunscreen that rests on top of the Museum’s vaulted, glass-enclosed Windhover Hall. The “wings” open at 10 a.m. in accordance with regular days of operation, close/reopen at noon, and close at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. on Thursdays). Schedule is subject to change without advance notice due to weather/maintenance.
While the Burke Brise Soleil has a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747-400, its two ultrasonic wind sensors automatically close the wings if the wind speed reaches 23 mph or greater. Unlike the airplane, the Museum prefers to remain on the ground.

The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close

The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close

The ceiling of the pavillion as the wings close

Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941)
Isola di San Giacomo in Palude Chandelier II, 2000
Blown glass
103 x 86 in. (261.62 x 218.44 cm)

view north down the hallway that leads to permanent collections.  The way Calatrava plays with light and shadow is truly remarkable.

facing east towards Lake Michigan.  Note the bench built in to the concrete form.  A perfect place to sit and take it all in.

facing east towards Lake Michigan
 Here are some photos of the exhibition:


Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937)
The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892
Marble
26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm)
Roman
After Greek late 4th-century BC original
Torso of a Male Athlete (The Oil Pourer), 1st–2nd century AD
Marble
height: 47 in. (119.38 cm)

Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937)
The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892
Marble
26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm)
Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937)
The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892
Marble
26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm)

Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937)
The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892
Marble
26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm)

Gaetano Trentanove (American, b. Italy, 1858–1937)
The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892
Marble
26 1/2 x 79 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (67.31 x 201.93 x 69.47 cm)

Claes Oldenburg (American, b. Sweden, 1929)
Trowel – Scale A 3/3, 1970
Aluminum on steel base filled with dirt
104 x 26 x 24 in. (264.16 x 66.04 x 60.96 cm)

Robert Henri (American, 1865–1929)
Betalo Nude, 1916
Oil on canvas
41 x 33 in. (104.14 x 83.82 cm)

Duane Hanson (American, 1925–1996)
Janitor, 1973
Polyester, fiberglass, and mixed media
65 1/2 x 28 x 22 in. (166.37 x 71.12 x 55.88 cm)
Gift of Friends of Art M1973.91
Photo credit John Nienhuis
© Estate of Duane Hanson/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)
The Walking Man, 1905, cast after 1953
Bronze
Vienna, Austria
Settee, 1825/30
Walnut veneer on softwood, modern upholstery
37 x 52 x 27 3/16 in. (93.98 x 132 x 69 cm) This was designed and built almost 100 years before art nouveau and deco. 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Marmol-Radziner pre-fab in Desert Hot Springs, CA USA

At long last, I made the journey to Desert Hot Springs to see the Desert House, designed by Marmol Radziner and Associates, The critically acclaimed design firm who's work on Richard Neutra's Kaufman House brought them international attention.    



The Desert Home,  3 beds and 2 baths in 2100 square feet sits on 7.5 acres with wonderful desert views that are spectacular when night falls.  You hear nothing, there is little light to distract from a sky full of stars.    You can see my photos at http://www.facebook.com/lee.cuellar?cropsuccess#!/media/set/?set=a.10150263053030178.330959.606955177&type=1 

For more info, you can visit http://www.mccargerdeserthouse.com/