Documenting the Appeal of Mid-Century Modern | Lost LA | KCET

Much of the magic that the desert utopia of Palm Springs holds has to do with its prominent mid-century aesthetic. Author Michael Stern outlines how pioneering architect William Krisel relied on the careful eye of Los Angeles photographer Julius Shulman to create the iconic photographs we know today, while also contributing to restoring Krisel's designs for the duration. Featuring an archived interview with Julius Shulman.
Watch the full episode "Desert Fantasy" at bit.ly/3AN9U0R
Want to learn more? Watch more Lost LA at bit.ly/3lnK7nb
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#LostLA #LosAngeles #history #PalmSprings #desert #documenting #photographs #architect

[@KeepingUpWithFizahK]

"In the realm of architecture, a lot more people see the photograph than they'll ever get to see the building in person." wow, this truly resonated with me. I'm watching this from Singapore and I don't know if I'll ever get to see this in person - as with so many events/moments in the world. Truly signifies the importance of photography.

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Built my home in Beverly Hills CA Los Angeles County, in 1966. Sold in 2017 and live in Hidden Hills CA. Gate Community. Age 99 as of July 2020.

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

@@jimharding3639 : Thank you

[@PoliticalWeekly]

Mr. Hahn what was it like living in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s? I assume you also lived through ww2. What was that like?

[@Survivor-ng4te]

Hello Mr. Hanh!

[@alenzer510]

99 🤩

[@swabby429]

These were my dream homes when I was just a youngster in the 1960s. I still admire them.

[@pjesf]

The varying exterior styles with the single floorplan is genius. I never knew that. And the image in "The Twilight Photo" looks as though the photo could have just as easily been taken yesterday. Love it

[@VintagebyMitzi]

Pity we don’t build like this anymore, just amazing.

[@JohnKruse]

The odd thing is that the woman by the pool seems to be wearing a hat. I have to ignore her to enjoy the photo.

[@yvonne.p]

i am obsessed with mid century modern amongst many other styles of architecture. This whole "Lost in LA" series is a treasure chest full of rich gems such as this. There's a sense of sensuality with the mystique of the west. its history so rich and innocent yet a bit sinister at its core. I don't know, maybe its just me.... but thank you for indulging my obsessions.

[@kaynemccully5266]

My sentiments exactly

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

The sun sets early, there, over the mountains but the light does a ballet over the entire valley. It changes every day.

[@robertwoodpa6463]

Was in Palm Springs last year. Beautiful. Still intact. A must see if you like this kind of architecture.

[@Gina231329]

We bought a home built in the 1970s that was never renovated. There was so much that we left alone bc it was still in great shape and we renovated only the disrepair in such a way that it was fresh & clean & new and yet kept the integrity & original style of the home. I think it’s a sin when people rip out perfectly good materials only to replace them with cheap Home Depot trends

[@garyspring5981]

I agree with you

[@nedludd7622]

I have seen old decors in bars, hotels, and restaurants, etc, and taken pictures of them, that have been destroyed in the push towards "modernism". A couple of times when a renovation was going on, I went and asked if I could buy some of the wall paintings and decorations only to be told that they had been junked and destroyed, These people didn't realize that those things were valuable. They themselves could have made money by selling them. I would have made money by selling them to collectors and museums and interior decorators. They couldn't be bothered with such mundane things.

[@risk5riskmks93]

Bravo!

[@Gina231329]

@@nedludd7622 Wow! What a waste! That makes me so sad that people can be that careless & destructive! And those beautiful, one-of-a-kind items are gone forever - they could have been preserved but instead they were destroyed because of people who just wanted to keep up with the HGTV crap trends. We ended up selling our home to someone who said she loved the retro style of the home only to find out months later she knocked down walls and completely gutted the place and turned it into a gray & white laminated & granite nightmare. She even pulled out carpeting that was flawless and not even 3yrs old, not to mention top of the line expensive! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I really believe we should respect homes and let them be what they were meant to be. We now live in a home that was built in the early 90s and other than a fresh coat of paint in all the rooms and repairs & sensible updates here and there, we are leaving the beautiful honey oak wood work, built-ins, even the brass fixtures that are still in good shape ALONE. If you keep your home clean & organized and decorate with taste that is appropriate to the era of the house then there is no need to rip things out. Only people with no creative vision or imagination would do that to a beautiful home. Just like a person desperately trying to stay young having bad cosmetic surgery, some of these homes look ridiculous with their cookie cutter updates.

[@nedludd7622]

@@Gina231329 That is so sad.

[@NBportofino]

When I was a little girl my parents took me to a pool party at Kaufman House. Even then I knew I was in a very special place. The hostess had a blonde Barbie doll pony tail and all the adults were super cool.

[@KerrieRedgate]

How wonderful!! Such a blessing!!

[@solemandd67]

Form follows function architecture always wins my heart.

[@briana14333]

Man oh man! This is simple design with brilliant execution. Most tract home communities now look and feel like nothing.

[@jc3drums916]

It pisses me off to no end that Levittown became the prototype for the modern suburban tract home community, and not something designed by Pierre Koenig.

[@williamd4707]

My dad and his brother were carpenters on this track way back in the mid '50's. Very nostalgic and great historical architecture. Great counter to what is going on today within our cities.

[@robinpiccard886]

Windows...nature inside...stunning

[@luluandmeow]

Gorgeous, what I love most are the floor to ceiling windows that bring the outside in. I couldn't live in the desert though, too hot! And I like my greenery. I couldn't help seeing how many cars were driving by, it seems to have become a busy traffic neighbourhood

[@hugoruiz7042]

“Affordable housing “” now worth millions to live there

[@smartcatcollarproject5699]

You'll probably pay as much for some land in the desert now, than it was asked for a home near the ocean at this time ? Population was less than half of what it is now, offer and demand... Some of these houses look quite cheap (not all of them), their structures, room height, I wonder if they were even comfortable to live in with this heat. The land itself could not have been very expensive in this case.

[@Fdastrup]

We had a MCM house in Riverside and it was beautiful, but it was absolutely terrible for climate control. Our living room would be 90 degrees with the AC running in the summer full blast. The single pane windows were beautiful, but easily cracked and let all the cool and heat go in and out. Our neighbor would fire you his smoker in his backyard and smoke our entire house out. My husband had asthma. We had to move. We fixed it up and left. If you have tons of money to fix them, great, but they are just not practical. I still love the architecture, but it comes with a huge cost.

[@ebayerr]

@@Fdastrup : Thank you for providing that info.

[@JohnKruse]

@@Fdastrup Yeah, it seems that the impracticality of the large expanses of glass are what really cursed this aesthetic. I think we could pull it off easier these days. The odd thing is that the picture window became ubiquitous in that era despite it not making sense in many situations... as I sit in a 1965 brick apartment with its original kitchen and a big aluminum framed window facing.... wait for it... a four lane street with two lane frontage roads on either side. ;)

[@kayem3824]

The super rich don't have taste, or have vulgar taste.

[@thomasdykes2473]

I love getting to see these homes whenever I am in Palm Springs!

[@mrjohn.whereyoufrom]

I known absolutely nothing about architecture but I recognise beautiful designed and constructed homes.

[@gerardov.9716]

What once was lost in time, KCET brings it back to relevance...

[@daveconerly1450]

Palm springs has always been my favorite place. The architecture there is so beautiful BECAUSE there's absolutely no moisture there. It's incredibly dry which makes when your in person viewing these houses , everything looks so crisp and perfect. But , in the summer forget it if you have no place to go and cool off like some place inside with air-conditioning. It's too hard on the body, any body , and any animals like cats and dogs. It's so hot, all you want to do is get the hell out of there. Its really hot. Trying to breath is awful. I panicked often . For I used to be a big time runner long ago when I was younger and living in the south where the humidity was dreadful . I mean really dreadful. But then , in the west it's better, but Palm springs is really only a place to be in the winter months.

[@Archer335]

Shulman was one heck of a photographer. He was the right man for the job who came along just at the right time. I picked up the boxed-set retrospective on his work, Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered, for about $160 on Amazon, instead of the original price (about $300). Yes!

[@twistoffate4791]

Archer, I'm glad you mentioned how much you paid. I had no idea how much that Shulman set would run me. Damn.

[@Archer335]

@@twistoffate4791, I”m glad that I could help. I would love to support independent stores, but I’m not wealthy, so I almost always buy from Amazon. And if there’s an issue with the book, I just return it for an exchange.

[@michaeladamo6279]

@@Archer335 well said! It’s sad that we can’t support little stores anymore. The difference in prices could mean not being able to buy it at all

[@Archer335]

Michael Adamo, That’s right. Very sad.

[@mauricecohen3830]

I love this architecture. So much that I'm currently building a house in this style.

[@peterbelanger4094]

Thank you for building something so ugly that it makes everything else look beautiful. Mid Century Modern is GARBAGE!!!!

[@edp2260]

I love it! Thanks for making me aware of this wonderful photographer.

[@hebneh]

My family had the same outdoor furniture as the Kaufman house when I was a kid in the late 1950s and into the '60s. Eventually it all rusted away. Those lie-down chaises were very comfortable. They were strung with the same cotton cord that was manufactured and used for clotheslines then, before that was replaced by vinyl.

[@ZnenTitan]

The Palm Springs style was supposed to be the future. Just look at the landscape on Lost-In-Space

[@CodyAlushin]

I wish it would have been. So beautiful. Being from Pennsylvania, there's only a dust speck of homes as cool as these around these parts.

[@redjupiter2]

ZnenTitan it is fascinating that you mention lost in space… The lounge chairs in the twilight photograph are actually used in an episode of lost in space as Dr. Smith is sunning himself in one. It’s one of the first season black and white episodes. And the landscape is very desert like.

[@peterbelanger4094]

Palm Springs (and surrounding areas) is a total S**T-HOLE!!!!!

[@Eagle7433]

Those sliding doors are definitely a thing everywhere now.

[@jedwalker4543]

He makes a wonderful point of how significantly more people will see the photos than see the architecture

[@lauragwillim1055]

This was fascinating. Wish there was more to it!

[@richardschickling6962]

My 1960 Studebaker Hawk would look great in the driveway,

[@dannycalley7777]

R.S. …………….that's what the neuvo rich of the day would be sporting , classic !!!!!!!!!!!

[@mistervacation23]

So would my 1964 Chevy SS Convertible.

[@manthony225]

61 Lincoln Continental

[@hebneh]

There are a number of classic cars in Palm Springs, parked in those garages.

[@ianchesney9639]

this is awsome. Wish they would bring it back.

[@elvinvee3423]

Great info... and explanation... of mid century architecture...

[@louisacuriel4651]

¡¡¡GREAT WORK!!!.

[@annafamily1554]

Those houses are beautiful

[@BoopShooBee]

My inner builder sees sky high electricity bills for air conditioning.

[@StarkVandalez]

no one had AC back then. open design and pools.

[@davidbrown8303]

lol I was thinking the same thing about heating it. I bet the people who bought it froze their behind off on a cold day. The people who bought these new we can no longer ask what it was like because the poor souls are long dead from old age.

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

Triple pain treated glass, some modern lightweight insulation, upgraded HVAC, etc... It would be simple. Did it.

[@kathleenfarris8710]

I live here in one of these houses. Electricity runs about 300 a month in the hottest months.

[@chenguefer156]

02:15 breathtaking, so ethereal.

[@camilolym]

Love Light and Peace 👑❤️♾

[@fosterapp]

I was able to docent at this wonderful property, Kauffman house, for Modernism 2024, what an honor

[@michaelspellman9735]

Better times; we won’t see that kind of brilliance again for some time.

[@midnightchannel7759]

Thank you that was wonderful.

[@StarkVandalez]

this works in Palm Springs.. but not in Canada. But modern windows and spray insulation is starting to get better and better to offer unique modern styling with proper R value for efficiency

[@poopypants814]

Just brilliant!

[@33Donner77]

After WW II people were looking forward to new, modern concepts. Today, tract subdivisions and builder spec homes mostly rely on old styles, trying to find comfort and stability in periods that were not necessarily comfortable or stable.

[@marvindujardin463]

Bauhaus!

[@seand2711]

My favorite design aesthetic.

[@seand2711]

@KentuckyStud oh ya, maybe someday when i grow up I can have a nice trailer like you.

[@spencerbergquist781]

Is this a "series" or what? If so I'd like to see entire series episodes.

[@LIONLIONmusic]

brilliant

[@shenanigans3710]

@1.32 I live that EXACT model in Las Vegas!

[@maxarnold4858]

The house in the thumbnail is the Parr’s house in the Incredibles

[@MickyAvStickyHands]

Sunken living rooms are the best. Period.

[@twistoffate4791]

Funny, MickeyAvStickyHands, but I always liked my little friends' homes as a kid in the 70s who had sunken living rooms. I thought they were so cozy and chic.

[@ErickReyKing1]

AWESOME Video!!!! this is part of larger Video (Documentary) or this is it???

[@robinpiccard886]

Sublime is beautiful

[@jeepguy220]

these were built back in the day when California set the style and trends of the us, it was on and up, no heights were out of reach in California.

[@LOOKA.B]

super:-*

[@mayamanign]

A. Mid Century Modern is beautiful B. The guy in the blue shirt needs a renovation for his hair

[@peterbelanger4094]

A. It's sad how some people have such terrible taste.

[@britjj5126]

That Michael Stern looks like quite the character. Seems like he’d be a fun friend.

[@twistoffate4791]

Brit JJ, I often feel the same way when I watch KZbin videos in which I admire someone's personality. I think it could be great fun to count them as a friend, particularly when they describe why they are passionate about something. Inspiring.

[@cal91bck]

😍😍😍😍

[@paud9653]

Cool

[@pyewackett5]

Prefer this kind of mcm presentation than some dolled up bint taking you around their bungalow waxing lyrical about their grandmothers sideboard & their thrift shop lampshade bargain

[@stuartmarshall7099]

well said

[@stevemoore3951]

Lol

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

Unfortunately the rains seem to have returned to that part of the SW. Wonder how that will impact weather mitigation integrity.

[@richardedwards5379]

"70s and 80s Palm Springs was forgotten". Not if you were Gay, it was a Mecca, especially before AIDS. All the West Hollywood boys would do weekends at dozens of Gay resorts for Winter Season. The Party Climax was Easter with all those College Twinks on Spring Break. Sorry to go off subject, being a Mid Century creation myself I love Mid Century Modern Architecture, these days even more than Deco (I lived on Miami Beach when the South Beach craze hit).

[@daveconerly1450]

Unfortunately, I wasnt able to get to Palm springs during the fun eighties and nineties. For the mecca. As today when I went, there's a dreary side to the place because well, it's just not fun anymore.

[@erlstone]

I waited tables at Cask N Cleaver for two months over spring break in 85....it was just as much fun for us NON gay folk as well, believe me it was happening all night...then golf, tennis and swimming pools all day (snuck into the resorts everyday)...the smell of the PS desert mixed with the most beautiful cut lawns this side of pebble beach is a vivid memory.

[@solemandd67]

Amen! I fondly remember a Valentine's Day weekend at La Hacienda in Palm Springs back in the early 90's. It's gone now, but I've read it once was an Elizabeth Arden resort. I was living in SF at the time. Two close friends and I were single and looking to get away from SF. I had one of the most memorable extended weekends of my life and one of my surviving close friends was so inspired that he sold his SF home for a mint and retired in Palm Springs. If I hadn't inherited a paid for, original, 1957 ranch home in Dallas, I'd be living in Palm Springs now.

[@RawOlympia]

you are wonderful

[@hebneh]

The interview doesn't mention it, but gay men discovering Palm Springs is the main reason it gradually became a destination again.

[@williamdrijver4141]

Such a pity the photos were black & white, in color the houses (and mountains) would have looked 100 x more staggering. (Perhaps they can be colorized in some way?). The architecture and landscaping sure has held up extremely well over time! Looks as classy and fresh in 2020 as it did in the late 40's - 50's - 60's.

[@KJSvitko]

Large roof over hangs are beautiful and protect the doors, windows and siding from rain. sun and moisture damage. Water is the enemy of buildings. Architects and home builders need to bring back large roof over hangs

[@MilesBellas]

1:15 "4 inches of rain per year"

[@davidbrown8303]

My mom and I watch a lot shows on redoing old houses. So I know them giant windows you can have custom made double pain Window's. lol no telling how much it would cost you. You could probably buy a new car for what it would cost you but the point is you could make it energy efficient like a modern home.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

HERE is a GREAT USE for colorization.

[@kennyjamesjustintheonly1447]

Why do I want to give the interviewee a makover!?

[@tomramanauskas4898]

The AMC show Mad Men was what really pushed this style back into the front of architectural popularity.

[@twistoffate4791]

I LOVED Madmen, and I wish it could have continued forever. But forever wasn't really practical in terms of those years being pushed into the past by time itself. Alas, I lapped up every episode while I still could.

[@mistervacation23]

So how much do you want for the damn thing?

[@wildwestadventures3583]

I feel any decent photographer could create the same photos

[@donmckinney928]

Add this into the equation . Electricity was cheaper when these homes were built . But good architects do NOT design thin roof lines that can NOT be insulated properly for the 120 degree heat in the summer .They have pools to live there in the summer , but looks over function leaves these homes with astronomical electric bills or leave in the summer for 5 months due to no insulation in the ceilings . The owners strictly adhere to the design form over function with the thin roof lines . Very funny . Let them bake I say . Most of these homes had window air conditioners only and may be a swamp cooler . The homes are extremely poorly insulated . A design failure overlooked by these fanatics who worship them . The homes seem cold and minimalistic . Ours had sand dragsters in front and hot rods instead of the " look " that so many cherish . We went for function / fun instead . A real life .

[@VintagebyMitzi]

OMG how sad these neighbourhood are now void of children ruining in the streets or playing just a bunch of rich folks trying to figure out how to extend their life.

[@MrBluoct]

👌🏽

[@robertwoodpa6463]

What's wrong with wealthy retirees trying to enjoy the fruits of their labor with the life they have left. Don't be jealous of achievers.

[@clifftonicstudios7469]

Everything in my House is 1950s even tv and car I'm 33 and hate today's rubbish. Ony modern thing this laptop which is hidden

[@pyewackett5]

Congrats : )

[@Mads33]

marry me

[@liyom1]

Funny now these house are for the rich that’s fucked up

[@marvindujardin463]

It's the same with e.g. Mid-century originals and the prices Vitra sells them for. And some were made for poor students - not today!

[@dphotos007]

These architects and developers gave vision to the Eichler development which were mid century modern homes for the middle class.

[@tikeda908]

J jjjj. Just j. Mujahideen jun u

[@stevenstuart4194]

Modernist architecture is soulless.

[@robertwoodpa6463]

Sometimes. But can't you see the optimism and faith in the future these places represent? That is not soulless.

[@KJSvitko]

New homes need to adjust to the times. Home solar energy and battery storage are now more common. Electric vehicles are becoming more popular every year. Every garage should include a 220 volt outlet and electric vehicle charger. Every new home and business should install a rain water collection and storage system along with solar panels. Even in areas where rain is infrequent it is crazy to waste the little rain that does fall and waste it. We need to stop planting green lawns and switch to local native plantings around homes. It is crazy to plant lawns and build golf courses in dry desert areas. We waste too much water and electricity. the future is electric. Wind and solar energy along with electric vehicles are the future. Stop using fossil fuels. There is a climate crisis.

[@ummherekittykitty6988]

❤ and yet, sadly and absolutely disgracefully and embarrassingly, after the work and influence of German based bauhaus in the 20s and early 30s, subsequent influence in post war United States, and American influenced solutions of so many, including those mentioned such as this, well designed, efficient, accessible, affordable, practical housing for the masses, principally designed, and well executed remains absent and scarce, and such designs of intended attainability to most, have now become expensive elitist landmarks and absurdly high priced rare museum like acquisitions that do in fact inspire and influence, yet again not resulting in original intent for use and access for multitudes as practical solutions, but for elite clientele that can afford the ironically high priced costs of attainment. Its disgusting and frankly what is the point of researching and fawning over designs that violate original intent and never culminate and originated purpose, but are exploited and in many ways violated, and ignore, exclude, and humiliate not only the early establishing creators, but those of which in general society their creations were meant to serve. honestly, its disgusting.

[@BewareOfMpreg]

i wish this style of house never had gone out of style. brand new houses these days are so ugly in the usa.

[@ManInTheBigHat]

Ironic that the idea was to make something affordable.

[@nofrackingzone2.057]

This was never affordable housing. It was always ridiculously impractical hipster housing. The glass walls ensure huge AC cost. There was NO insulation in the walls to block the heat and virtually NO privacy. The home were soulless and sterile. The ‘cookie cutter’ houses of the 50’s & 60’s were affordable and did more to elevate the peasants class into the middle class America. The houses in the video were and are vacation homes for wealthy LA residents. Have to love how the aging hipsters drone on about how ‘magnificent’ these homes are.

[@hebneh]

You're pretty clueless. For just one thing: before the Energy Crisis of 1973-'74 - which means, when these houses were constructed - electricity and gas companies actually advertised to urge customers to use MORE energy than they already were. Paying for air conditioning then was not a big deal because it didn't cost too much, and because conservation was not a concept that anyone cared about at the time.

[@1dazaraza1]

I stopped watching the second time he said Archie tecture. I kid, I watched the whole thing but it was distracting.

[@rickhall517930]

I don't think I've ever seen so many pretentious people in one video. This is why people hate L.A.

[@KrustyKlown]

3:23 that is his best photo?? looks like crap... it is obviously a multiple exposure photo, because the contrast & sharpness varies greatly within the final photo .. junk by today's standards.

[@lazercrotch9839]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe your eye has some crap in it?

[@christrek1027]

Let's see how you would do with a view camera and a hand held light meter and compensating for each exposure. Its not easy. Oh, then print it by hand dodging and burning.

[@tthinker9897]

Let's be rea. There is no appeal of "Mid-Century Modern" homes. Modern means: a factory, uncomfortable, ugly - enough said?