Many people think modernist architecture never flowered in California north of the San Fernando Valley. NorCalMod dispels that notion in a copiously illustrated history showcasing extraordinary examples of its proud contribution to the Bay Area and environs. As a style, modernist architecture was hotly debated in its day (why create modern structures where such distinctive Victorian and Arts and Crafts buildings already existed?) pulling heavyweights such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Lewis Mumford, and Walter Gropius into the fray. Ultimately, that existing "Bay Region Style" would remain the area's architectural hallmark, but not before hundreds of important modernist projects, many still standing yet unjustly neglected today, had been established. The remarkable photos in this book open our eyes to a long-lost chapter in the history of California architecture and make NorCalMod a volume to be enjoyed by those interested in California history and style as well as by architecture students and professionals.

NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism

History

Pierluigi Serraino

Americas

Chronicle Books+

The purist houses of Donald Olsen stand out as remarkably durable achievements among the post-war architectural heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area. Inspired by the curriculum that Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer brought from Germany's Bauhaus to Harvard's Graduate School of Design, Olsen's designs were deeply rooted in the Modern Movement in 20th century Europe, and the architect remained committed to this aesthetic all his life. Olsen's allegiance to these ideals drove his personal and professional itinerary, and sustained him as both an architect and an educator at the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. Richly illustrated with drawings, plans, and photographs, this book fully documents these little known examples of high modernism in Northern California.

Donald Olsen: Architect of Habitable Abstractions

William Stout Publishers

A new appreciation for the genius of architectural photographer Julius Shulman has opened the way for hundreds of abandoned masterworks to be rediscovered. The images burned in our memories, which to us represent the spirit of fifties and sixties design, were those widely published in magazines and books; but what about those that were not? The abandoned files of Julius Shulman show us another side of Modernism that has stayed quiet for many years.
The exchange of visual information is crucial to the development, evolution, and promotion of architectural movements. If a building is not widely seen, its photograph rarely or never published, it simply does not enter into architectural discourse. Many buildings photographed by Shulman suffered this fate, their images falling into oblivion. With this new book, Taschen brings them to light, paying homage to California Modernism in all its forms. It's like sneaking into a private history, into homes that have rarely been seen and hardly appreciated as of yet. Bringing together nearly 300 forgotten masterpieces, Modernism Rediscovered breathes eternal life into these outstanding contributions to the modern architectural movement.

Modernism Rediscovered

Arts & Photography

SHULMAN, Julius

Architecture

Taschen

Saarinen (German Edition)

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Books by Pierluigi Serraino