Mysteries of Modernism at Schindler’s Buck House

Save As: NextGen Heritage Conservation

One of the many great things about Los Angeles is its unrivaled legacy of modern residential architecture. Students in Peyton Hall's Materials Conservation class did their case study on the John J. Buck House (1934-35) by R. M. Schindler, one of the legendary architects who defined Southern California modernism. Co-host Cindy Olnick tagged along on a site visit and talked with Peyton, students Sam Malnati and Julie Dinkin, and owner Jocelyn Gibbs.
The house is in great shape but has changed over time—even Jocelyn, an architectural historian, says it's full of mysteries. Buck did an original concept, and Schindler (who often made changes during construction) redesigned it. Buck added Art Deco touches inside, so Schindler didn't want the interiors published in his lifetime. Subsequent owners also altered the house and the grounds.
To unravel some of the mysteries, Peyton's students documented the Buck House down to the Bakelite doorknobs, analyzed it inside and out to identify original elements and alterations, and suggested approaches to restoring the property (if anyone ever wanted to).
See the episode page for links, transcript, and a mega-slideshow of photos by Danielle Armstrong, Julius Shulman, Dr. Fritz Block, and Ray Wachsmann

Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!