USModernist Radio - Architecture You Love

Latest Episodes:

#219/Where the Bodies are Buried: Henry Kuehn + Christine Madrid French + Peter Lamb and the Wolves Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Just when you thought it was another safe architecture chat, it's our Halloween midnight madness Mod-tacular, and joining us is someone who knows where all the bodies are buried, author Henry Kuehn of Architects Gravesites – along with modern preservationist by day, horror historian by night, Christine Madrid French. Later on, music from Peter Lamb and the Wolves, hopefully under a full moon.

#218/Escape to New York: Gisue Hariri + Theo Prudon + Fred Bernstein Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

This has been a tough time for travel, but in between COVID surges last summer, host George Smart managed to get to New York City for a series of conversations with architect Gisue Hariri, DOCOMOMO-US founder and architecture professor Theo Prudon, and prolific architecture journalist Fred Bernstein. Later on, a few minutes with TikTok design critic Louisa Whitmore.

#217/Connecticut! Ken Sena + Craig Bassam + Scott Fellows Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Connecticut is famous for the first hamburger (1895), Polaroid camera (1934), helicopter (1939), and color television (1948). It's the home of PEZ, World Wrestling, and Design Within Reach. It's also a hotbed for Modernist houses by many famous architects such as Philip Johnson, John Johansen, Eliot Noyes, Edward Durell Stone, Gisue and Mojgan Hariri, Marcel Breuer, and even Frank Lloyd Wright. Joining us is Ken Sena, Connecticut Marcel Breuer homeowner and recently part of the new documentary Breuer's Bohemia by past podcast guest James Crump. Later, a conversation with Philip Johnson homeowners Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows of BassamFellows.

#216/The New EU Bauhaus Commission: Michela Magas + Musical Guest Monika Ryan Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

The European Union has some of the same problems we do: damaging climate change, a flood of immigrants, and a population frequently in disagreement. But while America argues vaccines and pounces on Hamilton's uber-inclusive Lin-Manuel Miranda for not being inclusive enough, the EU President Ursula von der Leyden created the New European Bauhaus High-Level Round Table. Nice. These valiant design knights of the design realm include Bjarke Ingels, Shiguru Ban, Francesca Bria, and today's guest Michela Magas, a designer and innovation specialist based in Sweden. Later on, delightful jazz with musical guest Monika Ryan.

#215/The Stahl House: Shari Stahl Gronwald + Bruce Stahl + Kim Cross + Kyle Bergman + Musical Guest Fallow Ground Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

The Stahl House in Los Angeles is among the most famous houses in the world. Designed by Pierre Koenig and engineered by William Porush, the Stahl House and its pool were immortalized by legendary design photographer Julius Shulman. In a conversation recorded poolside at the swanky Hotel Skylark in Palm Springs, where they were part of a panel discussion at the Palm Springs Museum of Art, our George Smart talks with Shari Stahl Gronwald and Bruce Stahl. They grew up in the Stahl House and spent a lot of time in that pool. Joining them is author Kim Cross of the new book The Stahl House: Case Study House #22—The Making of a Modernist Icon. Later on, an update on the New York Architecture and Design Festival with Executive Director and friend of the show Kyle Bergman, plus music with architect and artist Albert McDonald and Fallow Ground.

#214/The Peter Principles: Peter Bohlin + Peter Gluck Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Peter Bohlin and Peter Gluck are two of most innovative and successful architects in residential Modernist design. In careers spanning over 14 decades, if we add them all together, their award-winning practices created several hundred award-winning houses you can see at usmodernist.org/gluck and usmodernist.org/bohlin. Later on, commentary on the the famous Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe with Louisa Whitmore.

#213/Prefab: Authors Avi Friedman + Allison Arieff + Special Musical Guest Maria Maldaur Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Like the Holy Grail or Colonel Sanders special 11 herbs and spices, people have been searching for the secret to successful prefabricated houses for nearly 100 years. What could possibly be better than reasonably-priced, mostly factory built house parts assembled on your land in a matter of days or weeks, not months? The promise of well-designed houses fast and cheap turns out, not so easy – or popular with a public that still prefers developer tract houses. Joining us is Professor Avi Friedman, author of the new book Prefab Living, and Allison Arieff, founding editor at DWELL and author of the 2002 book Prefab. Later on, special musical guest Maria Muldaur, putting that camel to bed.

#212/Seattle Modernism: Jim Olson + Musical Guest Erin Boheme Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

The bluest skies you've ever seen? The hills the greenest green? It's Seattle, Washington, backdrop for TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Frasier, and if you go back far enough, Here Come The Brides, the breakout series for 70's pop icons David Soul and Bobby Sherman. In addition to having the most tech jobs in North America (sorry, San Jose) the Emerald city is also home to Starbucks and incredible Modernist houses from the early days of Paul Hayden Kirk to today's guest, architect Jim Olson of Olson Kundig. Later on, jazz with singer Erin Boheme, then a few minutes with Frank Harmon.

#211/Los Angeles: Adrian Scott Fine + Ken Bernstein + Musical Guest Hetty Loxston Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

There's a lively city on the West Coast, a sprawling California metropolis that many consider the epicenter of Modernist architecture. Sorry, Bakersfield, it's not you, although you've got two good ones we know of. We're talking greater Los Angeles, 30,000 plus square miles from the valleys to the sea and across the mountains with thousands of Modernist houses from the 1920's through today. Joining us is the Director of Advocacy for the Los Angeles Conservancy, Adrian Scott Fine, and LA city planner Ken Bernstein, author of the new book Preserving Los Angeles: How Historic Places can Transform America's Cities. Later on, jazz from the UK with the charming Hetty Loxston.

#210/Marcel Breuer's Bohemia: James Crump Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

Marcel Breuer was one of several architects who brought European Modernism to the US. He was known for hundreds of projects including the Atlanta Public Library, The Whitney Museum in New York, the Pirelli Building in New Haven, The Housing and Urban Development Building in Washington DC, and many iconic houses in Massachusetts and Connecticut. No one was more passionate than Breuer about his work - except for maybe Rufus Stillman, who commissioned four houses over the years. Joining us is James Crump, author of Breuer's Bohemia, a new Marcel Breuer book - and movie. Later on, a few minutes with architect Frank Harmon.

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