William Krisel

A William Krisel-designed home featuring a distinctive butterfly roof in Paradise Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada

William Krisel (born 1924) is an American architect best known for his pioneer designs of mid-century residential and commercial architecture.[1][2] Most of his designs are for affordable homes, especially tract housing, with a modern aesthetic.

Early life and education

William Krisel House in Paradise Palms, Las Vegas

Krisel was born in 1924 in Shanghai, China. He moved with his American parents to Beverly Hills, California, in 1937. He attended the University of Southern California and graduated in 1949.[3]

Work

With Dan Palmer, Krisel formed Palmer & Krisel architects. Krisel designed more than 30,000 homes throughout Southern California;[4] the total number of houses and condominiums designed by the firm probably exceeds 40,000.[5] He frequently collaborated with the Alexander Construction Company. By the late 1950s, he and Palmer were working with seven out of the 10 largest homebuilders in America. In addition to Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and San Diego, large tracts of homes designed by the firm were built in Las Vegas, Florida, and Arizona.[3]

In the 1950s Krisel helped to nearly double the size of Palm Springs by building 2,500 tract homes that still exist today.[6] Beginning in 1956 with their first Palm Springs tract, Twin Palms, Krisel, the firm's lead designer for desert houses, used variation of orientation and roofline, integration of indoor and outdoor living, and careful use of standardized elements to make modernist design affordable.[7] The houses facilitated indoor-outdoor living in the desert with sheltered patios and pools and in some cases breezeways; clerestory windows improved air circulation while bringing light into the house. The interior designs included flexible room dividers to adapt the floorplan to the owners' preferences.[5]

Krisel is a member of American Institute of Architects.[8]

Archives

The Getty Research Institute houses the William Krisel papers, 1935-2014.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "William Krisel papers, 1935-2014". Getty Research Institute. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Union List of Artist Names". Getty Research Institute. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 Engel, Allison (Autumn 2012). "Modernism for the Masses". USC Trojan Family. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Ohtake, Miyoko. "Q&A with Illustrious California Architect William Krisel". Dwell.com. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  5. 1 2 Budds, Diana (2 August 2016). "Why Midcentury-Modern Architecture Endures". Fast Co.
  6. ↑ Levine, Bettijane (14 February 2008). "Modern's Everyman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Hess, Alan (2007). "Palmer and Krisel". Forgotten Modern: California Houses 1940–1970. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. pp. 102–09. ISBN 9781586858582.
  8. ↑ Singer, Mike (1 April 2011). "Palm Springs Residents Modernize Mid-Century Homes with Energy Savings and Sustainability in Mind". AIArchitect. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved 21 February 2015.

Further information


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