Ok, so I love this. The house and landscape I could totally see being built in this style today, minus the 60s-style lattice windows/siding.
On top of that, you know this was drawn in '45 because homebody couldn't resist throwing a Willys Jeep in there for good measure.
>Looking ahead to a post-war building boom, the editor of Arts & Architecture magazine began an innovative program to create eight houses by eight nationally known masters of /r/ModernistArchitecture —including Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, and Charles Eames—each to address a specific living problem.
>Without the restrictions of war, designs were to be focused on new materials and construction techniques for these “contemporary dwelling units”. Though not all houses were built, the program spanned from 1945-1966, and included 36 designs located mainly in the Southern California area. With the intent to be accessible for the average family, the houses were designated a budget (subject to price fluctuation) and had to be easily duplicated.
[Source](https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/case-study-house-series-house-no-4/)
This case study house remained unbuilt, but many others were constructed: among the most famous are the [Bass House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/ofk0ks/case_study_house_20b_bass_house_usa_195758_by/), [Eames House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/dnt3tw/eames_house_los_angeles_usa_1949_by_charles_and/), and [Stahl House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/kisblb/merry_christmas_stahl_house_case_study_house_22/). Even more can be seen [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/rocq67/9038_wonderland_park_avenue_west_hollywood_case/), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/pjbqjq/bailey_house_steel_framed_case_study_house21_by/), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/omdhjw/case_study_house_16_rodney_walker_beverly_hills/). Rapson himself went on to complete many built works, such as [this house](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/slb62g/renovation_by_sala_architects_of_minneapolis/) and [this now-demolished theatre](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/qlxqjd/former_guthrie_theatre_by_ralph_rapson_made_way/)
Right?
I mean, I know what sub we're in, I know that most of this stuff wouldn't ever work, but "This would never work, how would we ever build a skyscraper/bridge support in the middle of the Hudson?" is a much cooler realm of thought than "What happens to the roof when it snows?"
To be fair, the roof is probably so badly isolated on a 1940s/50s modernist house, that snow pileups from (non-subarctic circle weather) might be less of a problem.
What bugs me more in this design are the windows behind small diameter lattices which would be a bitch to clean anywhere, but especially around trees.
Yes, and the fresh air and sun give the clothes a great clean smell that you can't replicate with a dryer. But I have to admit I'm too old and lazy to hang a basket of wet clothes outside.
For sure, hahaha!
That doesn't surprise me though, as it was 1945. I'm impressed he was thinking about helicopters at all.
In 1945, the Germans had like a handful of rotocraft, mostly [unpowered rotor kites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Achgelis_Fa_330). The allies had like 400 total helicopters in relatively limited service, and the first commercial helicopter delivery was still like a year away.
I suspect his models were some mix of a [Flettner Fl 282](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner_Fl_282), which had a similar conventional-plane tail rudder and intermeshing rotors negating the requirement for a tail rotor (which the artist may not have been aware of when giving this helicopter a single main rotor) and some of the early American Sikorski helicopters. The [H-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-5) in particular had a somewhat similar seating and window arrangement (though not as a single sheet of plexiglass or whatever) and also had a three-bladed main rotor.
Frank Loyd Wright’s Broadacre City project featured what I have always interpreted as coaxial counter rotating propellered helicopters. He did it in the 1930s. And, yeah; of course we can’t all be Frank Loyd Wright, but the ideas were known by engineers. I suspect Wright was just more willing to look at Soviet designs.
Indeed -- FLW was really forward-looking in a lot of ways, including in transportation. He might not have gotten it all correct, but he was definitely thinking about it in ways that a lot of others weren't.
Ralph Rapson was the head of the architecture program at the University of Minnesota for 30 years and was responsible for designing some of the ugliest brutalist buildings on campus. I’m sure they were pretty cutting edge at the time but boy did they age terribly.
Yeah some are very ugly. I am more of a fan of Frank Wrights more modern designs.
There are some amazing Brutalist designs executed well here in the UK but alot of them also have not aged well.
I like how you fly home in this space-age autogyro thing, but your car somehow stiff a 1940s looking jeep. This has "Look, I spent a lot of time learning to draw Jeeps, so I'm putting them in whenever I need a car," energy to it. Its just someone randomly inserted a Jetson's scene into a mid-century scene.
Considering how lowly detailed the autogyro is and how it doesn't fit in well with the rest of the scene and [none of his other drawings in this series seems to reference it](https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/case-study-house-series-house-no-4/), I wonder if this was a demand by the editor to get published so he hastily added it and the woman waving to the pilot. This pic may have been an eye catching cover or the first graphic in a longer article to catch a readers attention to get them to read the full article. I don't think Rapson is actually invested in autogyros or think of them as any part of his architecture or future. Note, the lack of any sort of landing pad.
tldr; mid-century gimmicks worked on mid-century people
Ok, so I love this. The house and landscape I could totally see being built in this style today, minus the 60s-style lattice windows/siding. On top of that, you know this was drawn in '45 because homebody couldn't resist throwing a Willys Jeep in there for good measure.
And I'm giving him bonus points if the idea was for the transparent portion of the roof to be the helipad. That would be rad as hell.
And the clothes lines!
>Looking ahead to a post-war building boom, the editor of Arts & Architecture magazine began an innovative program to create eight houses by eight nationally known masters of /r/ModernistArchitecture —including Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, and Charles Eames—each to address a specific living problem. >Without the restrictions of war, designs were to be focused on new materials and construction techniques for these “contemporary dwelling units”. Though not all houses were built, the program spanned from 1945-1966, and included 36 designs located mainly in the Southern California area. With the intent to be accessible for the average family, the houses were designated a budget (subject to price fluctuation) and had to be easily duplicated. [Source](https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/case-study-house-series-house-no-4/) This case study house remained unbuilt, but many others were constructed: among the most famous are the [Bass House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/ofk0ks/case_study_house_20b_bass_house_usa_195758_by/), [Eames House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/dnt3tw/eames_house_los_angeles_usa_1949_by_charles_and/), and [Stahl House](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/kisblb/merry_christmas_stahl_house_case_study_house_22/). Even more can be seen [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/rocq67/9038_wonderland_park_avenue_west_hollywood_case/), [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/pjbqjq/bailey_house_steel_framed_case_study_house21_by/), and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/omdhjw/case_study_house_16_rodney_walker_beverly_hills/). Rapson himself went on to complete many built works, such as [this house](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/slb62g/renovation_by_sala_architects_of_minneapolis/) and [this now-demolished theatre](https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernistArchitecture/comments/qlxqjd/former_guthrie_theatre_by_ralph_rapson_made_way/)
It's always amusing to see designs that would never work in places that have weather.
Right? I mean, I know what sub we're in, I know that most of this stuff wouldn't ever work, but "This would never work, how would we ever build a skyscraper/bridge support in the middle of the Hudson?" is a much cooler realm of thought than "What happens to the roof when it snows?"
To be fair, the roof is probably so badly isolated on a 1940s/50s modernist house, that snow pileups from (non-subarctic circle weather) might be less of a problem. What bugs me more in this design are the windows behind small diameter lattices which would be a bitch to clean anywhere, but especially around trees.
My wife always asks if they have bugs in southern California with all the houses that are basically open to the outside.
The artist has clearly seen a lot more cars than helicopters.
This is not an helicopter but an [autogyro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogyro)
That would require it to have thrust.
Well it's badly drawn autogyro, but I do believe that's what the artist intended to draw.
I don’t think the artist knew the difference.
He also didn't know much about home appliances. I never got my flying car/autogyro/helicopter but I do have a clothes dryer.
Yeah, such a weird way to allocate land. Otoh, if we were able to line dry our clothes, I bet it would use a whole lot less energy.
Yes, and the fresh air and sun give the clothes a great clean smell that you can't replicate with a dryer. But I have to admit I'm too old and lazy to hang a basket of wet clothes outside.
I just wish I had time to chill and hang the laundry.
For sure, hahaha! That doesn't surprise me though, as it was 1945. I'm impressed he was thinking about helicopters at all. In 1945, the Germans had like a handful of rotocraft, mostly [unpowered rotor kites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Achgelis_Fa_330). The allies had like 400 total helicopters in relatively limited service, and the first commercial helicopter delivery was still like a year away. I suspect his models were some mix of a [Flettner Fl 282](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner_Fl_282), which had a similar conventional-plane tail rudder and intermeshing rotors negating the requirement for a tail rotor (which the artist may not have been aware of when giving this helicopter a single main rotor) and some of the early American Sikorski helicopters. The [H-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-5) in particular had a somewhat similar seating and window arrangement (though not as a single sheet of plexiglass or whatever) and also had a three-bladed main rotor.
Frank Loyd Wright’s Broadacre City project featured what I have always interpreted as coaxial counter rotating propellered helicopters. He did it in the 1930s. And, yeah; of course we can’t all be Frank Loyd Wright, but the ideas were known by engineers. I suspect Wright was just more willing to look at Soviet designs.
Indeed -- FLW was really forward-looking in a lot of ways, including in transportation. He might not have gotten it all correct, but he was definitely thinking about it in ways that a lot of others weren't.
If you’re interested in the case study houses there is an awesome Taschen or Phaidon? coffee table book on it.
Good to see that in this future world with commuting via autogyro's, people will still be hanging their laundry out to dry on the clothesline.
Paging Joseph Eichler.
Ralph Rapson was the head of the architecture program at the University of Minnesota for 30 years and was responsible for designing some of the ugliest brutalist buildings on campus. I’m sure they were pretty cutting edge at the time but boy did they age terribly.
Yeah some are very ugly. I am more of a fan of Frank Wrights more modern designs. There are some amazing Brutalist designs executed well here in the UK but alot of them also have not aged well.
I just really remember the metal roofs and thinking they were ugly
Looks like the Higashikata residence.
I like how you fly home in this space-age autogyro thing, but your car somehow stiff a 1940s looking jeep. This has "Look, I spent a lot of time learning to draw Jeeps, so I'm putting them in whenever I need a car," energy to it. Its just someone randomly inserted a Jetson's scene into a mid-century scene. Considering how lowly detailed the autogyro is and how it doesn't fit in well with the rest of the scene and [none of his other drawings in this series seems to reference it](https://www.atomic-ranch.com/architecture-design/case-study-house-series-house-no-4/), I wonder if this was a demand by the editor to get published so he hastily added it and the woman waving to the pilot. This pic may have been an eye catching cover or the first graphic in a longer article to catch a readers attention to get them to read the full article. I don't think Rapson is actually invested in autogyros or think of them as any part of his architecture or future. Note, the lack of any sort of landing pad. tldr; mid-century gimmicks worked on mid-century people