Kesling Modern Structures: Popularizing Modern Living in Southern California 1934-1962

An interesting overview of a minor Southern California architect who saw an opening in the market for inexpensive streamline homes. The author examines eight of these buildings in detail and when I saw the black and white photos it is obvious that Kesling had the good sense not to make them as simple or austere as the houses designed by Schindler, Neutra, Breuer, Keck and the other big names of thirties architecture. Houses designed by this elite group always ending up costing plenty. Apart from the eight houses covered (which all have ridiculously small floor plans in the book) David Gebhard writes an excellent introduction about Moderne/Streamline design. There are plenty of exterior and interior photos and the author provides an interesting chronology of projects that Kesling was involved with from 1935 thru 1948. I love any Streamline houses and a book I have always enjoyed is Classic Modern Homes of the Thirties: 64 Designs by Neutra, Gropius, Breuer, Stone and Others (Modern House in America) by James and Katherine Ford, a reprint of a 1940 book with 194 photos and 128 floor plans. Also worth a look is The Modern House Today by Nick Dawe, stunning color photos of sixty-three still standing in England. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Although not without errors this book is well illustrated and quite interesting. The fact that Kesling may or may not have been a bit of a scoundrel only makes it more interesting. So let's just say this is the best book on Kesling, ok?Seriously, the other reviews suggest the same snobbery that Kesling had to deal with when he was alive. I'm not an architect and therefore can only appreciate things that look good. But I must tell you, compared to the houses they build today, Kesling's look mighty fine to me. So lighten up, folks. Who knows, maybe Neutra or Schindler wrote a bad check or two!

William Kesling was as good at architecture (despite a lack of formal training) as he was bad at business. In the middle of the Depression, he popularized moderne-style houses, but his career in LA was destroyed by a vindictive client. He re-established himself in La Jolla as a builder of rational, low cost housing. This elegant study, with its bw photographs by Julius Shulman and David Sadofski, and its preface by the late David Gebhard, restores a lost reputation.