(mis)adventures in architecture

Yesterday I decided that I had to get out of the house, brighten my mood, just do things to keep me occupied rather than sit at home doing nothing but procrastinate to the backdrop of random reading and movie watching.

What could I possibly do in L.A. that would make me happy? Look at (modern) architecture, of course!

So I elected to visit the Schindler House in West Hollywood since they only give tours on the weekends. I got there at 11:20, only to find a note that they wouldn't open until noon (announcements like these should go on the website and phone line, people!). No big deal, I decided to walk around. I took a few photos, but they weren't so hot (mainly do to damn cars ruining my artistic attempts). But I'll share a couple with you.



Dingbats are a very L.A. archetype. I'm sure they were pioneered here, but I don't know if they've spread their joy other places. Modeled on motels as permanent housing types, they are distinctive with covered (yet visible) parking below the units and outdoor circulation (i.e. no covered interior corridors). I just thought it was interesting to see this triplicate of bland dingbats (some are bland, some are hideous, and some are quite attractive) on a street of haphazard residential buildings.

Near the dingbats, resting on the corner of Croft and Willoughby, is this huge Parisian-inspired building. I took a photo of the whole thing but it's not as interesting to look at. What caught my attention was this amazing corner/entrance detail. The rest of the building is actually quite gaudy. The scale is huge, the tiles on the mansard roof a bit ridiculous. There's quite a bit of French-inspired architecture in L.A., but most of it is unappealing caricature. In D.C. you see buildings that could be found on the streets of Paris. No one would ever made that mistake here. This building has these enormous concrete balconies that make it obvious this is L.A.

I returned to the Schindler House at noon and waited with other people. I took some photos of the exterior, including this one.



No one showed up to open the place until 12:20. Then after waiting for them to settle I find out there are no guided tours today. I'm sorry, I'm not paying to see the interior of a building I've seen through photographs without any of the backstory. I can do that in a book in less time. Naturally I complained about how you're supposed to put these kinds of notices on your website and phone line, which is why they exist.

So what the hell was I going to do? I had already planned a trip to Canter's for some sweets on my way home, but then what? What would a day be like if Stephanie didn't get frustrated?

I got home and decided to call the Gamble House to see how the tours worked. Apparently they're given every 20 minutes, which I think they fail to note on the website. So I went and it was worth it. Most of the tours I saw on the grounds were large, but I lucked out in a small group of three (including myself). I ended up talking to the docent for quite awhile afterwards since she is applying to graduate programs in the architectural history vein. Then I went in the gift shop and bought myself an early birthday present since it was half price. The House Book is a massive coffee table book, which I don't tend to buy for myself. But it's got a huge selection of highbrow houses with a blurb on each. Then in the back there's a glossary and some other information. I thought it might prove to be a nice reference book, though I think it might knock over my bookshelf, so I'll have to figure out where to put it.

I concluded my visit with a couple of photos of the Gamble House. Yes, I know how to get the whole building in the frame, but that's not always the most interesting thing to look at.