Artist's Hard-edge Modern Art at Heart
of Rousing 'Birth of the Cool' Exhibition

Karl Benjamin today
photo: John Eng

When curators put together the ambitious, innovative exhibit 'Birth of the Cool' (showing May 17 through August 17 at the Oakland Museum of California), aiming to show a connection between certain architects, designers, jazz musicians, avant-garde moviemakers, and painters of mid-century California, definitions were forthcoming.

For some 'cool' meant art that, unlike the earth-shaking solos of bebop or the splatters of paint that seemed to burst from Jackson Pollock's very soul, was rational and restrained, but deeply emotional nonetheless. In "the ethos of cool," the show's curator Elizabeth Armstrong says, can be found "a cerebral mix of seeming detachment and effortlessness."

The painter Karl Benjamin, who never pounded drums nor rode a Harley, was also cool. Self-taught as a painter, Benjamin developed a rigorously abstract style, with single-color shapes colliding, caressing, or jumping about the canvas.

Despite early acclaim, however, Benjamin never made a living from his paintings. Asked who bought them, he says: "Nobody." He then suffered the further indignity of being forgotten. Now, however, thanks in part to 'Birth of the Cool,' Benjamin, 82, and his generation are being rediscovered -- just as the work of mid-century modern architects was rediscovered a decade ago.

Benjamin and the 'Birth of the Cool' exhibition make up the cover story of the spring 2008 CA-Modern magazine, which you can also discover here.

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CA-Modern Magazine Expands Again,
Unearthing SoCal's Modern Wonderland

CA-Modern magazine, the quarterly hard-copy publication of the Eichler Network, recently expanded its circulation by handpicking 6,000 mid-century modern homeowners in Southern California to be part of its expanding family circle of very special readers. As a result of this move, CA-Modern now reaches approximately 27,000 mid-century modern homes in Northern and Southern California -- and the nearly 56,000 adults who live inside.

Off and on, over the past year, the Eichler Network's crew of trackers drove the streets faithfully noting only the finest Southern California mid-century modern real estate -- healthy-looking homes and neighborhoods that fit very specific criteria. In the process, they passed over at least 60 developments and thousands of homes that, for one reason or another, weren't quite up to snuff.

Among their great finds in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley are wonderful and vibrant MCM neighborhoods designed by architects Palmer & Krisel, Edward Fickett, A. Quincy Jones, Martin Stern, Charles Dubois, and Gregory Ain, whose historic Mar Vista was recently selected as the magazine's 'Neighborhood on the Rise.' In addition, they managed to locate nearly 2,000 choice custom-built MCM homes in greater Los Angeles, designed by a myriad of very fine modern architects.

For CA-Modern and the Eichler Network, this move means they have uncovered yet another editorial wonderland, and one the magazine looks forward to showcasing over and over through its stories for years to come. It should be a fun ride!

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Los Angeles to Take a Hard Look at Its
Historically Significant Neighborhoods

Over the next five years, historic preservation consultants will fan out throughout town, computer pads in hand, eyes trained on house after house, building after building. The goal, says Ken Bernstein, director of the Los Angeles planning department's Office of Historic Resources, is to figure out which buildings and neighborhoods are historically and culturally significant.

The $5 million historic resource survey will ultimately result in increased protection for historic buildings and additional historical districts, including some of Los Angeles' many modern neighborhoods. It is the largest such survey ever undertaken in the United States, Bernstein says.

"There will be significant focus on modernism," he says. One of the first neighborhoods to be surveyed will be Corbin Palms, one of the modern neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley designed by Palmer and Krisel. "We will focus a lot on modern tracts because Los Angeles has so many of them," Bernstein adds.

The survey, the planning department says, "will serve as a centerpiece for the city's first truly comprehensive preservation program." The resulting documents will make life easier for residents and developers alike, Bernstein says. Developers will know whether their project involves historic buildings before seeking approval.

Today, Bernstein says, "preservation discussion often takes place at the 11th hour, when a demolition permit has been requested--the worst time to have a meaningful public discussion of the merits of the site. The developer has already sunk a lot of money into his proposal, and community members are playing catch-up trying to save significant sites, sometimes with literally the wrecking ball place above it."

To get involved in the survey or learn more, visit this website.

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Content, Creative California Moderns
Who Run Their Careers from Home

Sculptor Tony Natsoulas
photo: Izzy Schwartz

Modern homes attract creative people, so it's not surprising that many are used for creative businesses. Many creative people who run businesses from modern homes say the homes inspire their designs. Others appreciate the flexibility the homes provide. Some even say that without the home, there would have been no business.

When sculptor Tony Natsoulas decided it was time to relocate from an inner city warehouse to a real home, he knew it had to include a studio. Tony and his wife, Donna Natsoulas, chose a light-filled Streng Bros. home in North Sacramento, turning its garage into a studio and the rest of it into a virtual museum of California Funk.

Pianist Jim McCormick bought his Alexander home in Palm Springs because he thought it would be ideal for his profession of piano teaching. His piano occupies the living room. "I love the space because even though the house is small, it has a nice open living area with high ceilings and lots of glass, and that works very well for me as a studio," says McCormick.

In Sunnyvale, painter Sydell Lewis has discovered that, with a little modification, an Eichler can make a fine professional art studio. She turned some exterior, carport storage into interior storage, removed a wall to turn a closed-off bedroom into a light-filled office, and uses the atrium room as her painting studio. "What's the opposite of claustrophobia?" Lewis asks. "This is the best studio I've ever had."

Our new Feature on File, 'Home-Run Pursuits,' profiles these homeowners and others from our California homeowner base who are among the ambitious breed of creatives who find their modern residences ideal, natural workplaces.

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Latest Home Improvement Spotlight:
New Life for Aging Modern Bathrooms

photo: Ernie Braun

At 50 years of age, our bodies just don't seem to work as well as they used to. The same goes for the mid-century bath. Plumbing fails and the original fixtures become worn and break down. For growing families and beauty product addicts alike, square footage and storage space are tight.

Remodels of mid-century baths can be simple or glossy, elegant or hip. What they should always be is smartly designed in a way that dovetails well with the original plan. Imagine how wonderful it would feel to enter a space and feel good about what you see reflected in the mirror.

That sets the stage for Tanja Kern, our home improvement writer, who takes a long, hard look this edition at the mid-century bathroom with her newest installment of Home Improvement Spotlight. If you're considering updating your own bath, first give Tanja a read. She focuses on a diverse blend of California mid-century modern bath projects, and even offers some hot tips and a few fine detailing recommendations.

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Flubbed Design Review for Eichler Tract
May Lead to Tighter Rules in Orange

Orange addition in progress.
photo: Patrick Quiroz

A 350-square-foot addition to a home has created a furor in a Southern California Eichler neighborhood -- and persuaded the city of Orange to consider revising its procedures for reviewing residential renovations.

"Somebody was walking their dog in the neighborhood," says Geri Lopker, a neighbor in the Fairhills tract in Orange, "and it was, 'Ohmigod! What is that!'"

According to Stephanie Raffel, a real estate broker who lives in the neighborhood in Orange, "Someone in the planning department stamped the plans as approved without the owners having to go through the design review process," she wrote to her neighbors. "The addition was horrendous," neighbor Patrick Quiroz wrote. "It is completely out of scale with the lines of the house and roof line."

The city's community development director, Alice Angus, says the planner did follow the rules; the addition was too small to trigger review or imposition of citywide design guidelines. But she said that planners, who realize that such additions will rile neighbors, often try to "work with the designer to be more in keeping with the neighborhood" before construction starts. Reportedly, no such effort was made this time.

A dozen neighbors packed the next design review meeting. The city has asked the homeowner to reduce the height of the addition. "I wouldn't say it's a perfect compromise," Angus says. She notes that the owner had properly followed all the rules.

Raffel says the neighborhood needs to become pro-active. Like many Eichler neighborhoods, Fairhills originally had covenants and restrictions guiding remodels. But there is no neighborhood association, and the CCR's have long been ignored.

In response to this incident, Angus says, the city itself may revise its 'infill design standards' to prevent such problems in the future. Planners want the rules to apply to all residential additions, no matter what the size, she says. That way, she says, planning staff can catch inappropriately designed additions before they get built. Before being adopted, any proposed standards would be discussed at hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council.

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'Sunset' Magazine Scribe's New Book
Explores the Work of Builder Cliff May

'Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House' (Rizzoli, hardcover, $60), by Daniel Gregory, a longtime 'Sunset' magazine editor, has hit the stores. Photographs are by Joe Fletcher.

May, one of the creators of the modern ranch house, designed more than a thousand custom-built homes, along with several distinctly modern tracts, including the Ranchos in Long Beach. His homes range from picturesque Spanish to glass-walled modern, but all share his fascination with modern amenities. And all of his homes were part of a personal crusade to promote casual, outdoor living.

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Architect Don Wexler Traces His Long
Road to the Palm Springs 'Walk of Fame'

photo: Larry Merkle

Palm Springs legendary modern architect Don Wexler is the subject of the Eichler Nework's new face-to-face interview with the movers and shakers of California's mid-century modern architecture. Wexler recently culminated a 50-year career when he received the Palm Springs Modern Committee's Lifetime Achievement Award and was honored with a star on the town's 'Walk of Fame.'

Wexler came of architectural age in a town where stardom was taken for granted. But he never dreamed he'd achieve stardom himself. Today, however, he is very much a star among devotees of modern architecture, especially those who are denizens of the desert, where he has done virtually all of his work.

Although best known for his neighborhood of steel houses, designed for the Alexander Construction Company in the early 1960s, Wexler devoted most of his efforts to public and commercial projects, including Palm Springs Airport, the city's police department and jail, schools throughout the valley, the Larson Justice Center in Indio, the Merrill Lynch Building in Palm Springs, and the original Palm Springs Spa Bath House, which he designed with his former partner Rick Harrison, Bill Cody, and Pierre Koenig.

Sit in on our interview with Don Wexler.

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Slide with Pride All the Way to the Patio: It's Our Guide to Sliding Door Renewal

photo: David Toerge

In mid-century modern homes, sliding glass doors are the definition of clean, modern living. They provide beautiful light for the home interior; offer an uninterrupted view to a captivating backyard or atrium; and when open, create a cooling breeze that prompts the family inside to breathe a sigh of relief.

Minimal and modern, single-pane aluminum-framed Arcadia-brand sliding glass doors represented the technology of the 1950s and early '60s and were part of the Eichlers' original well-planned design. Simple handles let homeowners open these doors with little effort, and cleaning was a breeze.

Over time, things can go wrong with the original sliders: rollers and tracks wear to the point that the doors are difficult to operate; the locking mechanisms break down; safety becomes a concern, especially with breakage tied to earthquakes and accidents; or owners want improved energy efficiency and savings. Some may look to a new sliding door as part of a home addition or remodel.

As with any major replacement in a home of historical value, aesthetics are key. "It is important to retain the original Eichler look as much as possible when replacing the doors and windows," recommends Dave Stellman of glass door and window dealer Palo Alto Glass.

Most modernist homeowners seem to agree. They want to retain the sleek appearance of their exteriors and opt for anodized aluminum window frames. "More people today have the good idea that you replace aluminum doors with aluminum, particularly in an original Eichler," says general contractor Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures in San Mateo. "People are really aware of the look and, in my experience, are staying true to it."

There are several manufacturers that carry aluminum-framed sliders that dovetail well into the door openings of Eichler and Streng homes. When replacing a slider, it's important to find a brand that can fit inside the existing door opening, thereby not impacting the aesthetic of the home.

When facing repair or replacement, get on the smart track to satisfaction with our homeowner guide to slider renewal. Our new 'Spotlight on Home Improvement' on sliding doors is a good place to start.

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Charles and Ray Eames Honored with
New Set of 16 U.S. Postage Stamps

Husband-and-wife designers Charles and Ray Eames gave America cutting edge plywood-and-leather furniture, iconic glass-and-steel houses, and avant-garde movies. This summer they will be turning up on our letters as well.

The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a set of Eames first-class stamps -- 16 different designs showing their classic lounge chair, storage units, freeform plywood furnishings, famous Case Study House, and more. One stamp shows the smiling couple themselves.

"Without abandoning tradition," the Postal Service notes, "Charles and Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the American public."

The stamps' creator, Derry Noyes, has designed many U.S. stamps as an art director with the U.S. Postal Service.

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Streng Bros. Jim and Bill Celebrate Their
50-year anniversary -- Not with a Bang

Jim and Bill Streng

Bill and Jim Streng are celebrating their 50th anniversary as a development team this year. Working with the late architect Carter Sparks, the Streng Bros. developed 3,000 modern homes throughout the Sacramento Valley, starting in 1958.

The Strengs, who always ran a low-cost, low-key operation, plan to celebrate in like fashion -- quietly. They're getting a certificate from the National Association of Homebuilders, and plan a party with their old employees. But not before Jim Streng deals with a higher priority.

"Jim got married just after we formed the company," Bill says, "so he's celebrating that first."

"My wife and I are having a 50th wedding anniversary," Jim says. "Bill called to say why don't we do the celebrations jointly? I thought, 'My wife wouldn't appreciate that.'"

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Lautner Architecture Exhibition Opens
at L.A.'s Hammer Museum in summer

John Lautner is known in Palm Springs for his Elrod and Bob Hope houses, in Los Angeles for dozens of oddly-angled homes on impossible sites, and worldwide for his flying-saucer like Chemosphere house. But his idiosyncratic architecture is too often known only in bits and pieces.

'Between Earth and Heaven: the Architecture of John Lautner,' which will show at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from July 13 to October 12, aims to tie it all together. "While Lautner has attained a cult-like status in the world of architecture and design, until now his achievement remains little known or understood by the public at large," the museum writes.

The first major exhibition of Lautner's work, the show will include classic photos, brand-new models, digital animation, and more. It is curated by Nicholas Olsberg and Frank Escher, and organized with the John Lautner Foundation and the Getty Research Institute. Accompanying the exhibit will be a hardcover catalog published by Rizzoli, walking tours of Lautner buildings, a symposium, and other events.

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard (at Westwood Boulevard), Los Angeles. www.hammer.ucla.edu.

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Once-Scruffy River City Commons Is
Honored as 'Neighborhood on the Rise'

photo: David Toerge

The once-scruffy Streng development of River City Commons, in Sacramento's neighborhood of South Natomas, is the Eichler Network's newest selection as 'Neighborhood on the Rise.' Today River City has plenty of architectural integrity to protect. Almost all of the homes retain, to a great extent, their original architectural look.

Its architect, Carter Sparks, was one of Sacramento's leading modernists -- and one of the few architects anywhere to succeed in fulfilling the modernist dream of designing entire neighborhoods of modern homes for working class and middle-income people.

A neighborhood of 196 homes, all but 20 or so of River City Commons' homes are 'half-plexes' -- two homes that share a party wall. One of their main draws has always been affordability. Homes originally sold in the mid-$50,000s, and today they go roughly for $250,000-$325,000. But there is nothing cheap about the appearance of the neighborhood, or of the houses themselves.

Tall redwoods, palms, liquid amber, aspens, and sycamore trees create a heavily forested neighborhood -- too heavily forested in some cases, an arborist recently advised the board. The trees tower over low-slung homes. Homes are low gabled -- with each half of the half-plex taking one half of the gable; or with flat or slightly sloping roofs.

The Eichler Network congratulates River City Commons for earning its distinction as 'Neighborhood on the Rise.' We invite our readers to discover River City -- first by reading its story, and then by checking it out.

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'Eichlers: a Modern Vision' Exhibition --
Painter Danny Heller's Take on Eichlers

Fans of Joe Eichler's modern homes may want to check out an exhibition this summer at Terrence Rogers Fine Art in Santa Monica. Danny Heller, a young artist from Northridge with an interest in San Fernando Valley suburbia, will be showing 'Eichlers: A Modern Vision,' his moody, realist take on Eichler homes. The show runs June 22 to July 31. The gallery is at 1231 Fifth Street. www.trogart.com.

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From Quick Fixes to Serious Upgrades: Your Home's Eco-friendly Energy Boost

Is solar in your future?

Despite our best efforts to maintain cost-efficient and eco-conscious households, living in mid-century modern homes today can pose a few challenges. From searing heat to creeping cold, maintaining a constant temperature in these architectural treasures can become a tiresome chore. Designed during the golden and inexpensive years of energy, many of these homes have a reputation for being energy hogs.

Single-pane glass windows let in the hot summer sun, and inefficient roofing systems let out the warm air in the winter. Traditional plumbing also doesn't stand up to today's water conservation standards. What's a mid-century style homeowner to do today, faced with ever-rising energy bills and cities' every-depleting water supplies?

The term 'eco-friendly' has turned into quite the buzzword, making such improvements as better insulation, power-conscious systems, and energy-saving appliances a cool thing to do -- not only for the environment, but also for our pocketbooks.

Discover 'Modern Dream, Green Machine,' our comprehensive and handy checklist of things you can do to boost the energy efficiency in your home -- and in the process save on energy bills and live more comfortably.

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An Alexander Tract Home Transformed -- Leisureland as Palm Springs Party Pad

photo: Barry Sturgill

During the day Leisureland, a Palm Springs Alexander home transformed, suggests an art gallery -- albeit one that's devoted to all things pink. There are photos by Richard Avedon, chairs by Rashid Karim, a fetishistic bust of an astro-gal by Colin Christian, and a toothy catlike creature by the British artist Mandad.

But Leisureland doesn't mean much by daylight. "It's all about parties," says Jamie Kabler, the proud homeowner.

Guests enjoy valet parking and klieg lights, and never have to search for their host -- he's on the red carpet, greeting each by name. The drink trays feature Pink Pusssies, go-go boys create a rhythm on the stage behind the pool, and sashaying past are 'drag artiste' Lady Bunny, whose bouffant hairdo shoots two feet towards the sky, or the voluptuous Amanda Lepore, whose lips are the size of sausages. "She doesn't say much," Jamie says. "I don't think she can, because her lips are so fat."

"I would have to use the word 'sensational' for his parties," says Barbara Wisbey, social columnist for Palm Springs' 'Bottom Line' magazine. "He has people at his parties form all walks of life, and he always seems to find the beautiful people."

Jamie has thrown pajama parties for 500 guests, 'Valley of the Dolls' parties, birthday parties, a coming-out party for Mamie Van Doren's Mamietage wines, and fundraising events for the Desert AIDS Project, among other good causes. The parties are often educational. "I flew a samba band in from Rio one time to teach everybody how to samba," he says. Often they get wild. "A lot of times the girls take their clothes off like the Kennedy parties of the '60s and jump in the pool," he says.

"The great thing about Leisureland is, it's safe for a lot of TV and film stars who are not 'out' but want to come and have a lot of fun -- and nobody writes about it," Jamie says.

For all its outrageousness, however, Leisureland sticks to tradition -- Palm Springs tradition. In a town known for legendary parties, the home has already become a legend five years after Jamie moved in. "That was just a plain old house on the corner," Wisbey remembers.

But Leisureland, sybaritic as it is, never comes across like Sodom and Gomorrah because the sparkling water runs freely and Jamie himself is so clear-eyed and straightforward. "You've got to laugh about this thing," says Jay Jones, Jamie's friend and interior designer. "It's such a frivolous thing. There are people dying all over the world, and we're decorating."

Ready for more? And we've got photos, too. Visit the unreal Leisureland, the focus of our newest edition of Palm Spring Stories.

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Keeping the Lid on Your Modern Home:
A Survival Guide for Getting Re-roofed

photo: courtesy Dura-foam Roofing

Experienced roofers universally agree that homes with flat or low-sloped roofs are more challenging and far less forgiving than homes with pitched roofs. Consequently, roofs on Eichlers, Strengs, Cliff Mays, and Palm Springs classics by nature lend themselves to a host of unique maintenance issues.

While water will naturally drain off of a pitched roof because of gravity, with flat and low-sloped roofs there are ponding issues, there are draining issues, and both of these woes can lead to leaks and other water damage over time. It's no wonder that many roofers surveyed in the Bay Area say on average that owners of these homes wind up re-roofing every 12 to 15 years.

Re-roofing is not an easy project for a homeowner. Numerous options abound -- and specialists for each type will tell you their system is better than the next. While the tar-and-gravel system is still a viable option for flat and low-pitched roofs, roofing choices have come a long way since the 1950s, when virtually all of our modern homes were originally christened with T&G.

Today, in addition to tar and gravel, a host of newer technologies exist: multi-ply modified bitumen, polyurethane foam, an array of single-ply systems, and of course up-and-coming challengers banging at the door who have yet to be fully tested for longevity.

But there is no perfect roofing solution. Each type of roof offers tradeoffs with respect to cost, insulating properties, longevity, and other elements -- so the 'best' choice for you may not be the same as for your neighbor next door.

How can an average homeowner practically sort out all of these options -- and without suffering a meltdown? Our new 'Spotlight on Home Improvement' on roofing is a good place to start. We'll help you keep the lid on!

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Steel Ideal: Our Hit Parade of a Dozen of
California's Finest Modern Steel Houses

Johnson House, Carmel Valley
photo: Julius Shulman & Juergen Nogai

Steel can do so much. It can span great distances, and surge outwards into the open air with no apparent means of support. It can withstand desert heat and mountainous winds. It can be as strong as Superman, yet as svelte as Lois Lane.

Steel can produce houses that are box-like, pure pavilions that float above the land, or houses that burrow into their sites. Steel houses can be cool machines, or warm cabins. Few architects who worked in steel ever had the primary goal of producing a 'steel house.' Designing a house, most of them will surely admit, is not about the material that is used, but about serving the needs of the people who live there.

Taking a close look at a dozen of California's most distinguished modern steel houses shows how their architects addressed those needs and the variety of approaches they used to reach that goal. Curious about our picks? Check them out here.