The bulldozers wait for the trees and gardens, which, for a half century, matured. For the House, which, time has not touched. We prize the distant past,but if the immediate past is ripped away, there will be no distant past for the future. The continuity will be broken. Our heritage diminished. There is a hole in the fabric of History. - Ester McCoy — Smithsonian AAA
Dodge House 1916 (1965)
This film, produced by architectural historian Esther McCoy, documents the Walter Luther Dodge house in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and the life of its architect, Irving John Gill. The film was made to advocate for its preservation during a 7-year battle to save it from the wrecking ball. The campaign failed, and the house was destroyed in 1970. This film, created to help save the house, now serves as the building's best surviving visual record. For more information on Dodge House and Esther McCoy, see her papers at the Archives of American Art.
Via, with special thanks to my friend John Crosse, Historian.
2 Comments
ah i didn't know this was destroyed. it was one of the buildings i taught in modern architecture class. a seminal work. pity its gone.
The Dodge house was demolished against a court order. In its place was built a high density apartment complex. Across the street from then Dodge is the famous Schindler House, which after Pauline Schindler died it was feared that it too would have the same fate as the Dodge. The Friends of the Schindler House , which included Ester McCoy, helped save that one.
eric chavkin
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