Arcana:

Marc Appleton, Bret Parsons, and Steve Vaught . Los Angeles: Tailwater Press / Angel City Press, 2016. First Edition. 4to. Pictorial Boards. Architecture Monograph. As New/No Jacket - As Issued.

Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940 is a new twelve volume series overseen by Marc Appleton, Bret Parsons, and Steve Vaught that showcases the work of the Golden Era’s most important residential architects. Featuring period photographs of the work of legendary names in the region's architecture, these monographs are devoted to the period when oil barons, film industry moguls, bankers, and successful entrepreneurs who were new to Los Angeles sought to hire the most accomplished and talented architects they could find.

In the premiere volume, the authors showcase Gordon B. Kaufmann, whose design for Greystone - the famed Beverly Hills domicile he created for E.L. Doheny Jr. and Lucy Doheny - catapulted him to the top of his field. Combining elements of English Gothic and Jacobean styles, the fifty-five room manor for the son and daughter-in-law of the then-richest man in the United States became the largest private residence in Southern California.

Though Kaufmann’s name and legacy have since dimmed to all but architectural historians and savvy realtors, his stamp is all over Southern California, and Greystone is far from his crowning achievement. GORDON B. KAUFMANN includes a detailed career biography that chronicles numerous residential projects he designed, including homes for legendary Los Angeles families with names like Chandler, Janss, Adamson, Getz, and Hampshur-Jones, to name a few. In addition, Kaufmann designed Hoover Dam, the Los Angeles Times Building, Caltech’s Athenaeum, Santa Anita Park, and other important Southern California landmarks.

The period from 1920 to 1940 was an era of incredible homes that utilized the very best building materials available, prior to their being needed for the nation's World War II effort. Notes co-author Bret Parsons “Artisans were still crafting the best details from those remarkable materials; redwood two-by-fours still measured two-inches by four-inches”. These residences defined Los Angeles as a city whose architectural heritage was in the making. “These were the homes that made architectural history, yet few were properly documented.”

Co-author and renowned architect Marc Appleton of Appleton Partners notes of Kaufmann, “His great homes needed to be memorialized, since one-by-one they are disappearing. The masterpieces of the era must be documented - so that’s the purpose of the series Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940.” The authors’ premiere volume includes numerous of-the-era photographs that document the exteriors and interiors, as well as lists of previous owners (the current owners’ names are withheld for privacy concerns).

Researching Kaufmann’s life, co-author/historian Steve Vaught says he found the details of the architect’s projects fascinating. “His work became so renowned that he was equally sought after for residences and public buildings. He was hailed as a virtuoso of Spanish, Mediterranean, and other romantic revival designs, yet when the mania for such designs subsided, he exhibited the same masterly embrace of modern design.”

Parsons, who is director of the architectural division at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Beverly Hills, notes, “A Kaufmann home in Hancock Park recently sold for more than $15 million, and was only on the market a few days. Buyers have always been willing to pay a premium for the old-world craftsmanship and charm of a Gordon B. Kaufmann design.”

Please Note: Books will be signed by the authors at Arcana on March 11th and posted to buyers beginning Tuesday, March 14th. Inventory Number: e000GBK