One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Over 1,300 Photos Of Los Angeles' Finest Modern Architecture Released By USC
A newly unveiled collection of digitized photographs reveal a beautifully hazy look at some of the most iconic 20th-century architecture of Los Angeles and beyond.
USC Digital Libraries has just made available over 1,300 photos of private homes and other notable buildings taken by Modernist architect Pierre Koenig and Fritz Block, a German-trained architect who owned a color slide company. The compelling images offer a unique look at historically significant design, often from an unexpected angles or with a casual feel not often found in more formal photographs of the buildings.
The photos feature buildings around L.A., as well as Palm Springs, Northern California, Arizona and Oregon, which were designed by many of the biggest names in Modernist architecture, including John Lautner, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Albert Frey, and even Koenig himself. There's also a few shots of recognizable works by Frank Lloyd Wright, including the Ennis House seen in numerous films including Blade Runner.
For design nerds, vintage enthusiasts and movie buffs—as several of the homes have made onscreen appearances—the collection is a treasure trove of history, and as Diana Budds of Fast Company Design points out, it looks like "an architecturally inclined Instagram feed from the 1950s and 1960s would look like." We'd follow that feed.
Explore the entire collection in detail here.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
