Archinect - News

Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger demolish Craig Ellwood's 1950 Zimmerman House, raising ire online

2024-04-22T18:12:00-04:00

Chris Pratt has drawn ire from architecture aficionados after news broke that the actor and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, had razed a historic, mid-century modern home to make way for a sprawling 15,000-sq-ft mansion. Architect Ken Ungar, whose portfolio largely features high-end modern farmhouse-style residences, will design a home for the couple, Architectural Digest reported. The property [...] will also feature a three-car garage and a secondary unit near the pool.

As The Guardian reported, plans for a demolition went mostly under the radar until the Los Angeles Conservancy issued a warning last January. Actor Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger purchased the home later with the apparent intention of replacing it with an oft-reviled “modern farmhouse” design and have yet to respond to any other news outlets or critics, who are framing this as a loss tantamount to the destruction of Marcel Breuer's binuclear Geller I house on Long Island in January of 2022.

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Win a copy of “Making LA Modern: Craig Ellwood—Myth, Man, Designer”!

2018-06-14T11:58:00-04:00

An icon of California midcentury modernism, architect Craig Ellwood exemplified refined decadence — whether it was his lifestyle or the luxurious spaces he designed throughout Southern California in the 1950s and '60s. “MAKING L.A. MODERN: Craig Ellwood—Myth, Man, Designer”, edited by designer Michael Boyd, is the first book in over a decade to examine the architect's glamorous life and design legacy. Thanks to publisher Rizzoli New York, Archinect is giving away five copies to our readers!

Featuring Ellwood's photographic collaborations with Julius Shulman and others, this hardcover, 240-page book explores the architect's brand of “playboy architecture”, depicted in the nostalgic, dreamy paradise of midcentury Los Angeles — palm trees, Herman Miller furniture, the Pacific Ocean, fashion models. His minimalist, glamorous designs suggested the coveted laidback lifestyle of ...

Cal Poly Pomona Archives on California Modernism and International Style

2011-04-19T14:33:46-04:00

I recently got acquainted with Cal Poly Pomona's archives of Richard Neutra, Raphael Soriano, Donald Wexler, Garrett Eckbo, Craig Ellwood and others. These archives contain never published before original drawings, photographs, blueprints, and stories. They were given to the College of Environmental Design and they are in care of Dr. Lauren Weiss Bricker. The archives are open to public with an appointment. I have arranged a permission to do an Archinect Feature on them including an interview with Dr. Bricker and others who have many stories about this precious collection. Coming soon...