Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles - first edition hardcover

First edition, first printing in the scarce hardcover format.

Architects Stefanos Polyzoides, Roger Sherwood, James Tice and photographer Julius Shulman thoroughly document thirty case studies of deluxe L.A. courtyard housing. Includes historical context, typological analysis, diagrams, comparative studies, details, and excellent plan drawings. An exemplary architectural investigation.

Former owner has added the address of most case studies in pencil, an added bonus. Otherwise, pages are clean and crisp. Linen boards have tiny area or fading at spine edges and very minor wear. Dust jacket is significantly rubbed, worn, and price clipped. Five short tears to the dust jacket have been repaired with archival glue. Very good + book in good jacket. Good + condition overall.

“The courtyard housing of Los Angeles ranges from the humble to the opulent. from simple bungalows grouped around a central court to elaborate buildings combining Italian, Spanish, and North African influences. The courts do more than meet the physical need for housing in a dense urban area. They also satisfy their inhabitants' spiritual need for a sense of a private dwelling and the illusion of green space. Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles records this integral part of the city's building history in 355 photographs and architectural drawings of California fantasies transformed into tangible realities.

During their heyday in the 1920s and the 1930s, the courts were occupied by everyone from movie stars to retirees from the Midwest. They are still very much a part of the urban atmosphere of Los Angeles. The physical character of courtvard housing remains seduc-tive. The tile roofs, fragrant gardens, fountains, white walls, and spacious interiors of the numerous Spanish Revival courts evoke strong responses from residents and passersby. Arguing that "when people lose their emotional connection to the buildings they occupy, all architecture ends," the authors find in the organization and style of the courtyards architectural lessons that Modern Architecture, with its discarding of precedent and tradition, has overlooked. The principles that underlie the courts' achievement of collective urban housing responding to human needs should no longer be ignored, as cities struggle with housing shortages.” - from the dust jacket flap

8.5 x 8.5 inches