Inside the First Black Modernist Home in West Adams, Los Angeles built in 1954 | House Tour
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- Опубліковано 9 жов 2024
- The Robinson Residence was initially built for the first black physician hired at the Los Angeles County General Hospital and his wife, Doris Robinson, a prominent writer and TV/Radio Host. The Architect was said to have been a Black Architect; however, the original plans have only the initials “T.D” which is something that isn’t too out of character for a time when Black Architects had to study under white Architects and sometimes even had to hide behind the names of white architects to practice, We have since moved on from this style of practice, but we wonder how often and how much this happened.
The current owners of the Robinson Residence, Marc and Catherine, are history buffs and have completely fallen in love with the story of the home. They are doing everything they can to share its story and preserve its history. When they purchased the house, there were several things they had to do to bring it up to city code, which would have been a bit easier if they had taken away some of the characteristics that were initially built. Still, they wanted to preserve the legacy of the home. Today, it is one of the only modernist homes in a neighborhood primarily overrun by historic Craftsman.
Jerald "Coop" Cooper of Hood Century Modern shares the story of the home and its original owners.
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Film - Mick Aure @miccck
Producer - Elias Tebache @socalarchitecture
Music - Deep Al Brindle @DeepAlBrindle
Photography - Taylor Kealy @taylor_kealy
Special thanks - Marc Johns and Catherine Gregory, alongside Jerald "Coop" Cooper
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The details, the intentionality, the relationships between materials, and the natural lighting!! I'm blown away!
This storytelling is so important. Thank you!
The home is amazing, the history is inspiring, and the speaker is even better. Thank you for focusing a video on this home.
damn man i almost teared up watching this as a black man who has always had an infatuation for design and architecture but never really knew quite what it was until i was full grown and out of the hood. As of late I've learned about the Frank Lloyd Wrights, Arthur Erickson amongst so many others about architecture. It never occurred to me to look into the Black American Architects. I've always appreciated seeing the beautiful homes of White people and was often amazed. Thanks Open Space for highlighting this beautiful home. The brotha narrating was dope. haha! Now I have a whole new rabbit hole to explore. Oh yeah there is a Frank Lloyd home near by in Dayton, Ohio that I plan to visit very soon.
It's amazing how many Black Architects go unnoticed in the world of Architecture and construction! Paul Revere Williams may be someone you want to research as well! And there was an interior designer that worked with John Lautner, a former apprentice of FLW as well, who is also unknown. And as an architectural designer on my way to my AIA licensing, seeing someone who looks like me in this space is extremely inspiring!!
Oh, and the Frank Lloyd Wright home you're talking about touring is in Springfield, OH. But there are others in Willoughby and in Columbus, OH too!! And I'm from Ohio, Cleveland specifically but earned my degrees at Ohio State University also!!
Stunning, beautiful house. The clean, modernist lines are classic, warm and welcoming. It must be a great place to live.
Fabulous house, fabulous story! Thank you so much for sharing this on your channel. And thank you, Coop, for your excellent commentary. I'd had no idea about the black architects of that era.
Loved that third wall being broken at the end. This house is amazing - what an amazing architect "T.D." was. As noted, it feels completely modern and MCM at the same time. The way the rooms converge at different angles at the skylight is total genius . I want to listen to some John Coltrane sitting right there under that Fiddle Fig. Coop did a great job narrating. He is shining an important light on the accomplishments of Black architects. Thanks for another fantastic episode!
Didn't know much about African American history in architecture. Thank you so much for this enlightening episode!
Wow! I love this home. It's open and airy, and the the wood paneling adds warmth and intimacy. You can almost hear giggling kids and puppies running along the tiled floors. I love all of the unexpected angles and elevations, and how they create a sense of mystery as you move through those everyday spaces.
Wow the character of those homes back in the days absolute craftsmanship what a beautiful house 👍🏻👍🏻
Fantastic! The aesthetic originally built into a mid-century modern home has always been its best look. Such a shame when an owner feels the need to "update" the character out of it. Kudos to the owners of this fine home for keeping it real, and for keeping it beautiful!
This place is BEAUTIFUL!!! And, this piece of art is in the hands of the right owner. I love how proud you are of your abode!
I am waaaay jealous!!!
This is the most important episode I’ve seen on this channel. It’s nice and all to see generationally wealthy white people show us the houses they inherited, but there is a lack of knowledge even available about Black architects and with that a lack of celebration. Thank you for making this! A breath of fresh air.
agreed.
What a predictably race-obsessed post, for a pointlessly race-obsessed video. If the most interesting or meritorious thing about a piece of architecture is who made it, start worrying.
betta preach
thank you for your comment. it was perfectly stated.
Nobody cares what race they are! Stop making everything about race!
This modern mid-century home is stunning in historical context, and the storytelling and overall dialogue are so significant. This needs to be recognized-the talents of black people are just so diverse and prolific, that we cannot let them be swept under the rug.
Calm down.
With all the wood paneling and the lack of windows on the front, you'd think it would be dark. But it's bright and sunny yet still radiates Blackness. Thanks for this upload!
Everything about this is beautiful. Those pictures of the original owners are serene and incredible at the same time. My house is also a genuine mid century modern built in 1961 by a black architect. And considering how incredible the house is it amazes me how unknown the architect is. (I believe you've been in my home while it was for sale, it is in Anderson, Ohio)
❤ This house looks like LOVE!
Beautiful video and great story. Thank you for sharing!
beautiful home
Just Incredible!
I want more...
It's beautiful.
A beautiful home (I especially love all the wood paneling and the way the light flows throughout the house) and wonderful backstory. I loved the photos of the Robinsons, which as Coop said are so clear they look like they could have been taken now. Another great video in this series. 👍🏼
That is a great house!
Phenomenal home, Love the story and glad that it's being told. I want this home!
Thank you. Wonderful video. I want to know more about black modernism now.
Magnificent home!
This is amazing !
Black Licensed architects doing single family residences did not hide behind White architects. Look at Vertner Woodson Tandy in 1900s. If a client insisted on a White partner (like many public buildings) that is entirely different. Apprenticing under a White architect was not a bad thing-it fostered knowledge sharing and trust in a difficult time for Black architects to get hired anywhere. See the story of Robert Kennard, USC alumnus, turned away by dozens of architecture firms, before breaking through, with the aid of a Pasadena-based White architect. The catch 22 was to get your architect license you needed the hours and to pass the exam. Getting the apprentice hours as a Black architect at a time when no firm would have you was something we in this era would never understand.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Great work love to see people from every nationality or ethnicity showing there creativity as eveyone has a different perspective on what they like and it’s really awesome to see plus life would be boring if we all liked the same things
Great work
A masterpiece!!!
absolute esthetics
Thank you for sharing this design and the history.
Wow amazing! ❤
Beautiful.
Please get a peacock chair for that black home brother…such a beautiful house
❤love it ❤
Magnifique 🤎
Great design! Would appreciate a link to the floor plan
I think mid-mod is the only truly American form of architecture.
Instead of separating out “black modernism”, shouldn’t it be recognising how much black designers were a part of the modernist movement and contributed to it? You can’t separate out “black” and “white” modernism when modernism was one cultural movement that both black and white designers and craftsmen were a part of - together. Celebrating the work of black designers from mid-century is great, and that history should be given the important relevance it deserves. But critically, this house should be preserved as a recognised part of an important architectural heritage alongside other preserved works of great mid-century modernist designers - no matter what the colour of their skin.
Maganda!!!!!!!
Is there anyway to buy the Blueprints to this place?
Lovely home … 5 🌟
Do the fire alarms chirp
👏🏽✊🏽✨
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
How do you know the designer was black? , sorry to be a bit negative but I've seen the first 'black' ....... applied to a few things, International England footballers comes to mind and if you find me who that is I'll send you a photo of an earlier England player but who doesn't choose to call himself black. (look up the first black Scottish international player if you like too), what I am suggesting is, that there is nearly always an earlier black whoever than is recorded.
Anyway, I do agree, it is a beautiful house and spatially quite inventive for the time in the USA ..... btw. modernism itself is an African thing, if you accept that Corbusier - trying to compete with Picasso and all his references to African sculpture inherent in his work post-1910 - decided to borrow North African houses as his prototype - btw that is white architecture ;)
I'm very excited for the owner and the docent has enthusiasm to spare for the home's history. It is so beautiful the way it is maintained with the gardens and furnishings. I can't say enough how much I appreciate everything here as is.
Great house. I wish developers stop building Mac-Mansions and start MSM again.I had to watch it without sound with CC.