Mysteries of Modernism at Schindler’s Buck House
One of the many great things about Los Angeles is its unrivaled legacy of modern residential architecture. Students in @peytonhall’s Materials Conservation class got to do their case study at the John J. Buck House (1934-35) by R. M. Schindler, one of the legendary architects who defined Southern California modernism. We got to tag along on a site visit and talk 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).
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Buck House, 1937. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House, c. early 1940s. Kodachrome slide by Dr. Fritz (Fred) Block, Dr. Block Color Productions, from USC Digital Library. 
Buck House backyard looking toward the living room with its wall of hanging, moveable windows, c. early 1940s. Kodachrome slide by Dr. Fritz (Fred) Block, Dr. Block Color Productions, from USC Digital Library. 
Buck House entrance, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House front door, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House entrance hall with dining room on the right, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Renowned architect (and Buck House tenant) Konrad Wachsmann on the phone, mid-1970s. Read more about Wachsmann below. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House hallway and dining room when the Wachsmanns lived there with their dog, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House dining room looking through entrance hall into living room, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House living room in the mid-1970s, when renowned architect Konrad Wachsmann lived there with his family. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House backyard, mid-1970s. Photo by Ray Wachsmann. 
Buck House, 1979. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House hallway and dining room separated by translucent screen, 1979. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House living room, 1979. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House back yard and living room, 1979. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House backyard and living room facade, 1979. Photo by Julius Shulman, © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). 
Buck House, 2023. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Buck House entrance, 2023. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
(l-r) Students Sam Malnati, Joseph Brand, and Grace Poillucci examine the Buck House. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Looking from the entrance hall into the dining room, with a translucent screen on the left. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Peyton Hall, FAIA with Materials Conservation students in the Buck House dining room. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Interior detail of the Buck House, where a translucent screen meets clerestory windows. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Buck House living room. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Looking from the Buck House patio toward the living room, with its wall of windows. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
(l-r) Peyton Hall, Yan Su, Vasilia Tsoukalis, Sam Malnati, Leslie Dinkin, Cindy Olnick (kneeling), Nadia Estrada, Jocelyn Gibbs, and Jude Zoubi in the Buck House living room. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Part of the Buck House backyard, with a small dining area. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Co-host Cindy Olnick interviews student Leslie Dinkin in the Buck House living room. Photo by Danielle Armstrong. 
Co-host Cindy Olnick interviews Buck House owner Jocelyn Gibbs, with a copy of a rendering of the house on the wall.
Featuring
Sam Malnati is pursuing a dual-degree Master of Heritage Conservation and Urban Planning at USC. Growing up in New England, Sam’s love for historic buildings led them to study digital methods of architectural preservation during undergrad at Mount Holyoke College. Sam currently interns at AQYER, working with 3D technologies such as laser scanning and photogrammetry to document heritage sites around Los Angeles.
Leslie Dinkin is a dual-degree Master of Landscape Architecture and Heritage Conservation candidate at USC. She received a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology from Colorado College. Her design work prioritizes community accessibility through direct engagement with residents, rooted in their histories. Leslie believes the most powerful way to experience a place is through walking. Her current research focuses on exploring the possibilities for co-authorship in reimagining large landscape infrastructure.
Peyton Hall, FAIA is Adjunct Professor, School of Architecture, University of Southern California and Principal Architect Emeritus of Historic Resources Group. He serves on the Board of the Angelino Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone and Chairs the Preservation Committee of the Schindler House. Current projects include the Netflix Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Jocelyn Gibbs is an archivist and architectural historian. She was Head of Special Collections Cataloguing at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles; Associate Director for Collections at the Canadian Centre for Architecture/Centre Canadien d’Architecture, Montreal; and most recently, served as Curator of the Architecture and Design Collection at the Art, Design and Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara. She lives in R. M. Schindler’s J. J. Buck House (1934-35), Los Angeles.
Co-host Cindy Olnick is a communications pro specializing in heritage conservation. After fourteen years leading communications at the Los Angeles Conservancy, she formed her own practice in 2018.
Cindy chairs the communications committee of the National Preservation Partners Network. She also serves on the board of Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library (for whom she wrote the 2017 book, Los Angeles: Lost and Almost Lost).
The Wachsmanns
The Buck House has had many residents over the years, including world-renowned architect Konrad Wachsmann (1901-1980), who lived there with his family in the mid- to late 1970s. A German architect whose early designs included a summer home for Mr. and Mrs. Albert Einstein, Wachsmann emigrated to the U.S. in 1941 after fleeing Nazi Germany. He partnered with fellow exile Walter Gropius in advancing the prefabrication of building components. Wachsmann lectured around the world and taught at USC from 1964 to 1974, leading its Building Research Institute. Wachsmann’s wife Judith was an accomplished furniture designer who created much of her work in the Buck House. Their daughter Ray took wonderful photos of the house during their residency and generously shared them with us for the slideshow above.
Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:
[Historic-Cultural Monument] No. 122 – Buck House, Big Orange Landmarks
Rudolph M. Schindler (biography), MAK Center for Art and Architecture
“To Schindler, the act of dwelling is one of the most basic and continuing human activities,” Dan O’Neil, The Architectural Review, 12 April 1973
Konrad Wachsmann lecture (video, Part 1), with introduction by Shelly Kappe, 1977, SCI-Arc Media Archive (Part 2)
Tribute to Konrad Wachsmann (video), including remarks from his close friend Esther McCoy, 1981 (Part 1 of 2)
“Almost Lost, Then Found,” Susan Morgan, MODERN magazine, January 25, 2017 — about Dr. Fritz (Fred) Block, who took the Kodachrome slides in the slideshow above
USC Heritage Conservation Programs
Credits
Episode produced by Willa Seidenberg with help from Cindy Olnick
Original theme music by Stephen Conley (stephenconleymusic@gmail.com)
Additional music for this episode by Teddy Seidenberg
Photos of the Buck House by Danielle Armstrong
Website assistance by Steven Fimbres
Save As logo designed by Fern Vargas, USC School of Architecture
More about the Save As team on the About page
