Gordon Kaufmann Explained

Gordon Bernie Kaufmann
Birth Date:	19 March 1888
Birth Place:	Forest Hill, London, United Kingdom
Death Place:	Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation:	architect
Alma Mater:	London Polytechnic Institute
Known For:	Work on the Hoover Dam
Spouse:	Eva A. Kaufmann (two sons) Elsie S. Bryant^[1]

Gordon Bernie Kaufmann (19 March 1888 – 1 March 1949)^[2] was an English-born American architect mostly known for his work on the Hoover Dam.

Early life

On 19 March 1888, Kaufmann was born in Forest Hill, London, England.^[3]

Education

Kaufmann attended Whitgift School in south Croydon, and went on to graduate from the London Polytechnic Institute, circa 1908. Kaufmann then moved to Vancouver in British Columbia, where he spent the next six years.

Career

During Kaufmann's early career, he did much work in the Mediterranean Revival Style, which had become popular at that time. He was also the initial architect for Scripps College, a liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges.

Kaufmann, along with landscape architect Edward Huntsman-Trout, designed the general campus plan featuring four residence halls to be built the first four consecutive years of the College (1927–1930). The project's design is primarily in the Mediterranean Revival style.^[4]

While gaining recognition for Kaufmann's work on the Scripps campus, he was also hired by California Institute of Technology in 1928 to design the complex of dormitories now known as the South Houses, and the building for the Athenaeum, a private club located on the school's campus.^[5]

Later in his career, Kaufmann worked primarily in the Art Deco style, with a personal emphasis on massively thick, streamlined concrete walls which gave his buildings a very distinctive appearance. Kaufmann's buildings as a result took on a very "mechanical" appearance, often resembling huge versions of old-fashioned appliances. The Los Angeles Times headquarters is a perfect example of this. His work was also part of the architecture event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.^[6]

Projects

This is a selected list of Kaufmann's projects.

• 1920 Hacienda del Gato, Tradition Golf Club - 78-505 52nd Avenue, La Quinta, California, Architect^[7]
• 1924 Hale Solar Laboratory, California Institute of Technology - 740 Holladay Road, Pasadena, California, Architect^[8]
• 1926 La Quinta Resort & Club - 49-499 Eisenhower Drive, La Quinta, California. Architect.^[9]
• 1926 Milton Getz House (also known as Beverly Estate) - 1011 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Architect.^{[10] [11]}
• 1926 Scripps College for Women - 1030 Columbia Avenue, Claremont, California. Architect.^[12]
• 1928 Greystone Mansion – 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Architect.^[13]
• 1929 Holmby Hall – 921 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Architect.^[14]
• 1930 Athenaeum, California Institute of Technology – 551 South Hill Avenue, Pasadena, California. Architect.^[15]
• 1932 Harper Hall, Claremont Graduate University – 150 East 10th Street, Claremont, California. Architect.^[16]
• 1934 Santa Anita Park – 285 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, California. Architect.^[17]
• 1935 Hoover Dam
• 1935 Los Angeles Times Building – 202 West 1st St, Los Angeles, California. Architect.
• 1936 United States Post Office (San Pedro, Los Angeles) – Architect, with W. Horace Austin.^[18]
• 1939 Arrowhead Springs Hotel – 24918 Arrowhead Springs Road, San Bernardino, California. Architect.^[19]
• 1940 Hollywood Palladium – 6201 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California. Architect.^[20]

Personal life

In 1914, Kaufmann moved to California and settled in Fresno, California.Kaufmann's wife was Elsie Bryant Kaufmann.On 1 March 1949, Kaufmann died in Los Angeles California. Kaufmann is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

External links

• Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Gordon Kaufmann — projects and completed works
• Master Architects of Southern California 1920–1941: Gordon Kaufmann
• Architect Gordon Kaufmann (1888–1949) at modernlivingla.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gordon Bernie Kaufmann (Architect). pcad.lib.washington.edu. 23 September 2016.
2. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/306/ Pacific Coast Architecture Database
3. Web site: Gordon Bernie Kaufmann (Architect) . pcad.lib.washington.edu . 16 June 2019.
4. Web site: Scripps College Historical Timeline . https://archive.today/20121211130429/http://www.scrippscollege.edu/dept/about/timeline/index.html . dead . 11 December 2012 .
5. Web site: The History of the Athenaeum . 23 April 2013 . 22 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160322234618/https://www.athenaeumcaltech.com/default.aspx?p=dynamicmodule&pageid=342358 . dead .
6. Web site: Gordon Kaufmann . Olympedia . 11 August 2020.
7. News: Dodge . Marge . Old Town Artisan Studio Golden Circle gratitude reception . . February 4, 2017 . 2G . desertsun.com . June 19, 2022.
8. Web site: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, Hale Solar Laboratory, Pasadena, CA . washington.edu . 7 June 2022.
9. Web site: Extraordinary Meetings Happen Here . laquintaresort.com . 7 June 2022.
10. Web site: Getz House - About This Commission . usc.edu . 7 June 2022.
11. Web site: Flemming . Jack . 2021-08-20 . Once listed at $195 million, the famed Hearst estate is hitting the auction block . 2023-01-05 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
12. Web site: National Registry of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form, Scripps College for Women . nps.gov . 7 June 2022.
13. Web site: Greystone Mansion . beverlyhills.org . 17 June 2019.
14. Web site: Holmby Hall, Westwood, Los Angeles, CA . washington.edu . 7 June 2022.
15. Web site: California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Athenaeum, Pasadena, CA . washington.edu . 7 June 2022.
16. Web site: CGU History . cgu.edu . 5 June 2022.
17. Web site: Los Angeles Turf Club, Santa Anita . architecturaldigest.com . 7 June 2022.
18. June–August 1936 . Competition No. 1 . 10 . Bulletin . Washington, D.C. . . November 18, 2022.
19. Web site: Arrowhead Hot Springs Hotel #4, San Bernardino, CA . washington.edu . 7 June 2022.
20. Web site: Hollywood Palladium . laconservancy.org . 17 June 2019 . 25 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925220747/https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/hollywood-palladium . dead .