a visit to raphael soriano's polito house (los angeles ca)

 

Raphael Soriano was born in Greece but moved to Los Angeles in 1924. He attended college to become an architect and, in 1931, worked as an intern in Richard Nuetra's office alongside Gregory Ain and Harwell Hamilton Harris. Soriano briefly interned with Schindler but quickly returned to Neutra's office, finding Schindler's architecture too personal.

Shortly thereafter, Soriano set out to start his own practice, leveraging the International Style with his use of steel, aluminum, and glass. Sadly, only 12 of the 50 buildings he built remain, including the Polito House. Designed in 1938 and finished in 1940, this home is textbook International Style down to the bridge in the back. One unique element is the entrance stairwell filled with a wall of natural light through sandblasted windows. 

When the current owners bought the house, the interior had been gutted leaving little of Soriano's original design. This allowed the owners to update and somewhat reconfigure the interior.

After spending much of the afternoon touring Schindlers, it was interesting to then visit an International Style home to compare and contrast. While all the homes are quite nice, Schindler's spaces are much more lively and dynamic whereas the Soriano, while lovely, seemed more formalic. This formalism ultimately led Soriano to mass-produced homes. 

Regardless, it was the first Soriano we've seen, and that was a treat. Based on my reading, Howard Roark of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead borrows quite a bit from Soriano's biography (Rand interviewed him, among other architects, as background). 

a visit to R.M. Schindler's Tucker House

The third Schindler home on the MAK Center's home tour was the Tucker House (1949-1950). Not much is written about it. Schindler apparently passed away halfway through construction and lore has it that no one could understand Schindler's construction drawings enough to finish the house (toward his later years, he put in the bare minimum required to get a permit and then improvised during construction as a building realized). The Tucker's put a roof on the finished lower level and lived there until a later owner completed the home following Schindler's plans as best as possible (you can see the non-Schindler elements).

The current owners did not allow indoor photography (a shame since they are great decorators!), so I've posted indoor photos from the last time the property was on the market.

The house is classic Schindler with patios and balconies galore, light from all direction, and window-walls to take in a breathtaking view of the city and the valley. One neat touch was a patio that was partially windowed to allow guests to be in or out of the prevailing winds. 

photos below are from an earlier property listing:

a visit to R.M. Schindler's Wolff House (Los Angeles)

 

The Wolff House is much more modest than the Van Dekker House but still all Schindler with windows galore and the acrobatics of light. Built in 1938, the home has 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths, and 1,668 square feet.  

The front is dominated by the garage, a layer of ribbon windows, and deep eaves to shade the afternoon sun. Stairs peek into the drive from the right to lure you into the inner domain.

 

 

The walkway turns and leads you to a set of stairs with yearning rails reaching out to you. Stone steps lead downwards, but the protruding second-floor volume and the the rails pull you upwards toward the main entrance. 

 Upon entering, you step into a great room divided into an entry by a built-in cabinet that leaves a gap at the top. The cabinet forces you to turn and enter the living room and a window wall.

 

 

 

 Behind the living room is the dining room and then the kitchen.

  

 

 

 

 

 

The kitchen  sports ribbon and clerestory windows as well as a breakfast nook and windows onto the living and dining rooms. Schindler's original plywood cabinetry is sprinkled throughout the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 Down the hallway are the bedrooms and the baths. One of the bedrooms has a built-in bedframe.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Off the master bedroom is a balcony that leads to a covered patio underneath the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And then, opposite the house, perached atop a hill, is a secret garden spot.