With our Frank Gehry buildings and iconic downtown landmarks, Angelenos know great architecture when they see it. Or at least great architecture in the sense of what’s conventionally accepted as pleasing to the eye. Few people would argue the magnificence of Union Station or the Walt Disney Concert Hall — these are the buildings tourists love to take selfies in front of and that professors nerd out over.
But what about the overlooked underdogs, the buildings that don’t make it onto lists of top architectural sites in the city? Surely they deserve some love, too.
The book, written with Max Christian Graeff and Michaela Haas, is a spirited and colorful story about the art of humor, as well as the power of hope in circumstances where there is no hope. Even in the Auschwitz death camp music gave Schumann hope, and he gave it to others in the message of his music.
Peter Sichrovsky presents eleven intriguing short stories that will leave the reader verklempt—or, according to the definition the author cites from the Yiddish Slang Dictionary,’choked with emotions.’ …
The Academic Study of Dingbat Apartments You’ve Been Waiting for Is Here
March 22, 2016 Chris Nichols Architecture
Finally, an academic treatise on the dingbat apartment! Dingbat 2.0: The Iconic Los Angeles Apartment as Projection of a Metropolis gathered a dream team of more than a dozen architects, critics, and photographers including Barbara Bestor, Aaron Betsky, and the late John Chase to explain the art, science, and economics of multi-unit living….
We spoke to editors Thurman Grant and Joshua G. Stein about what we can still learn from the lowly dingbat.
How did the Dingbat 2.0 competition come about?
“… This book should be emotionally draining, but it isn’t. It is sometimes funny and sometimes sad, depending on the page one is reading. On the other hand, the description of Coco’s life after the Holocaust resonates with a telling depth that seems to turn into an unbridgeable chasm as it unfolds….” http://ow.ly/ZzK7E
Panelists, including editors Thurman Grant and Joshua G. Stein, architectural historian Steven Treffers, and architect Barbara Bestor discuss the many aspects of dingbat architecture and ways in which the apartment building type – synonymous with LA’s rapid post-war urban expansion – might be re-envisioned for the 21st century. Cohosted by the Society of Architectural Historians Southern California Chapter.
Coco Schumann’s fascinating story has compelled many radio producers around the country and in Canada to feature interviews with Michaela Haas, Schumann’s coauthor, who has known him for over 20 years. Many thanks to “The Voice” in Charleston for sharing their audio file with us to share with you!
