Mid-Century Christmas

As we roll into the Christmas season, my music compulsion switches into high gear for all things Christmas. From Andy Williams “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, I can’t seem to get enough. Whether at home or in the office, the music loops all-day and I never tire of it. I even find myself thinking of the musicians and artists who recorded these iconic holiday masterpieces and what their own Christmases looked like. I seem to lean towards the classics, songs recorded during the 50’s & 60’s by Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Doris Day and of course Andy Williams and Vince Guaraldi. These crooners and jazz aficionados worked their magic to create a mood and feeling that is all about the season. When I picture their personal Christmases, I picture them all celebrating in their LA and Palm Springs Mid-Century modern homes. I don’t know why, perhaps it’s the way a chilled Christmas Martini or Cosmopolitan pairs so well in a Mid-Century modern environment.   

 As I’ve been listening to this music for the past few weeks, I thought to myself, how many of us truly understand where the Mid-Century movement started? I’ve written in the past about the Bahaus and Mies van der Rohes impact on modernism, but these are the European influencers; what about here at home in the United States? The reality is Mid-Century modern is strongly associated with this country and grew in popularity following World War II. It defined a new American outlook.

The true genesis behind the movement is the Case Study Houses project, started in Los Angeles by John Entenza, then Editor in Chief of Arts and Architecture magazine. It ran from 1945 - 1966 and in that period the effort created some of the most influential and photographed modern homes in US history. The idea behind the program was to bring modern and affordable homes to the masses which was pertinent at the time when Americans were optimistically looking toward the future following WWII. Entenza commissioned Architects including Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, Richard Neutra, Charles Eames and Ralph Rapson to name a few. In all, 36 homes were designed over the 20 year period and some went on to become the most inspirational and photographed homes the country had ever seen. 

Pierre Koenig’s Case Study house 22 is one of those. Known as the Stahl house, it sits in the Hollywood Hills cantilevered over its “unbuildable” site. I had the pleasure of meeting Pierre Koenig years ago as a AIA Board Member. He told me when Stahl purchased the property most Architects he interviewed called the site unbuildable. It took the genius of Pierre Koenig to innovatively prove that wrong and in the process create one of the most dramatic pieces of residential architecture hanging over the Hollywood Hills and offering sweeping views of the city. Photographer Julius Shulman captured stunning shots and made the home available for people to see worldwide. Take a tour at https://youtu.be/6BybVhuC1Wk?si=Y7P-JQZPfkIjHtmN

Shulman, Julius, photographer, and Koenig, Pierre, architect. Job 2980: Case Study House No. 22 (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1960, 1960 (1960): n. pag. Print.

Palm Springs home by Alexander Construction Company
Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Several Los Angeles Architects either working for or influenced by the Case Study program relocated to the Palm Springs vicinity to capitalize on the wave of celebrities who were seeking out land to build their personal desert retreats in the 1950’s. These included Donald Wexler and William Cody who went on to lead the Palm Springs Modern movement, a direct descendant to the Case Study program. It was Wexler who got the closest to modern affordable homes for the masses, designing tract housing for Alexander Construction Company throughout Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. These homes are highly sought after today, some 60-70 years after being built, and command higher prices than their more traditional competitors. It is affirmation that good design, and in this case modern design can drive higher demand. These homes embody the spirit and intent behind the Case Study Movement.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!!!