The Architects Buff, Smith, Straub & Hensman

This Award-winning firm has been a leader in contemporary residential design in Southern California for over 50 years. Thirty of their projects have received AIA design awards and they were chosen to design the California Governor's Residence. The firm's work embodies a classically elegant and modern aesthetic. The architects have not only shown a fine insight into the needs and desires of their clients, but also the ability to unite house and site into consistently excellent design.

Conrad Buff III, F.A.I.A. (August 5, 1926, Eagle Rock, California - 1989), was a graduate of U.S.C. School of Architecture in 1952. The firm of Buff & Hensman was organized at that time and simultaneously he joined the faculty, where for some ten years he was a member of the design curriculum. He was the son of the noted painter of the American southwest, Conrad Buff II, and both parents collaborated on very successful children's books. She wrote the stories and he illustrated them. Conrad attended local Eagle Rocks high school, and as he was growing up, the house was filled with art, culture and conversation. Family acquaintances included Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and opera singer Lawrence Tibbett. Redesigning the Buff II garage was one of Neutra's first architectural commissions. Conrad served in the Navy in WWII at a base in Maryland, which was where he met his wife Elizabeth (Libby), a skipper's yeoman in the WAVES. After the War, Conrad new he wanted to be an architect and decided to enroll at USC School of Architecture, where he met Donald Hensman, who had also returned from the War. In 1980, he was elevated to the position of Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his achievements in architectural design. Mr. Buff passed away in 1989.

Donald C. Hensman, F.A.I.A. (1924, Omaha, Nebraska - 2002), grew up in Hollywood, California. He served in the navy during World War II, as a parachute rigger in the South Pacific, and entered the USC architecture program by way of the GI Bill. It was at USC that Hensman met Conrad Buff. Hensman graduated from U.S.C. School of Architecture in 1952 and joined in the establishment of Buff & Hensman that same year. But prior to their collaboration, Buff, Straub and Hensman were prolific designers of tract homes for a number of regional developers. He returned to teach architecture at his alma mater, USC from 1952 to 1963. He was eventually made assistant professor within USC’s design curriculum and was chairman of the joint USC/American Institute of Architects education committee. After some eleven years he resigned to fully participate in the firm's practice. He was strongly identified with what was termed "the Pasadena School" — a generation of architects, many associated with USC’s School of Architecture, who combined an interest in new technology and experimental solutions with a sensitivity to the Southern California landscape and the history of modernism. In 1982, he became a member of the Fellows of the American Institute of Architects recognizing his significant achievements in the field of design. Mr. Hensman retired from the firm in 1997 but remained active in the Pasadena architectural community until his death. Mr. Hensman passed away December 9, 2002

Dennis G. Smith, A.I.A., was a student at USC's School of Architecture in the late 50's. Buff, Straub and Hensman were three of his design instructors. Like his fellow students, he was influenced by their teachings and their completed projects. Shortly after graduation in 1960, and service in the Army, Smith designed a house for his parents in Pasadena and for his family in Sierra Madre. Both post-and-beam houses were publish in the Los Angeles Times Home Magazine. Smith was offered employment at Buff & Hensman, and has spent nearly forty years with the firm. When work slowed in 1968, he worked for six years for three other firms, including Smith and Williams in South Pasadena. Smith returned to Buff & Hensman in 1974 when they won the competition to design Governor Reagan's residence in Sacramento. He became a partner in the firm in 1988, and president upon Hensman's retirement in 1998. He continues in that capacity at the firm's long-time headquarters in Pasadena.

Calvin C. Straub F.A.I.A.,(1920 – 1998) was born in Macon, Georgia. He studied at Texas A&M University and Pasadena City College before receiving his degree in architecture at the University of Southern California in 1945. After serving in the Navy, Straub lectured at USC from 1946 to 1961. Few architects and educators have had such a pervasive influence on architecture as Calvin C. Straub. He helped create an important body of work as a partner in the Firm Buff Straub and Hensman. He was also a highly respected and much beloved professor of architecture. His work was widely published and considered highly influential in shaping the vision and iconography of the post-world war II contemporary southern California style. It bridged the gap between the influences of the early arts and crafts architects and the early California modernists, creating a uniquely regional architectural form. According to Victor Regnier, former dean of the USC School of Architecture, "Every California architect educated in the 50's and 60's has been influenced by the work of this firm. Their legacy extends from the Case Study House Program to the development of post and beam residential construction. This incredibly rich career was prologue for his "second career" in Arizona. He moved to Scottsdale, AZ in 1961 and joined the faculty at the College of Architecture at Arizona State University. Straub shaped the hearts and minds of two more generations of young architects while creating some of the finest Sonoran region desert architecture and winning over 30 design awards in his career. His desert residences continued and extended the legacy of "design with climate" that he had begun decades ago in southern California and preceded the now popular "green movement" in architecture by some 30 years. Beyond all these accomplishments, many have noted that his most significant contribution may well be his contagious influence on liberal arts students taking his "World architecture "class for humanities credit. Well over 15,000 general university students have been touched by the magic of architecture because of Cal Straub's jovial and animated love affair with his students and art of environmental design. His extensive world travels informed his later work as one of the early proponents of a worldwise architecture. His innovations brought non-western forms and details into the architectural vocabulary. Until 1988 he held a professorship of design at Arizona State University in Tempe, He worked for the firm of A.B. Gallion before entering into a partnership with Conrad Buff and Donald Hensman (1956-61), and was a member of Schoneburger, Straub, Florence & Associates (1972-75). Straub also ran his own practice in Arizona. Apart from his work as an architect and lecturer, he also published Design Process and Communications (1978) and The Man-Made Environment: An Introduction to World Architecture and Design (1983). He retired in 1988 and died in 1998.

The Buff, Smith & Hensman office is on West Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. The reception area is lined from floor to ceiling with awards bestowed upon the firm. As many awards as there are, however, it does not express the size of the body of work produced by the firm. There are Buff, Smith & Hensman office buildings, medical buildings, and condominiums to be sure, however, the single-family residence is now, and probably always will be, their stock in trade. The count of custom residences numbers well into the hundreds, translating to thousands of privileged residents, over five decades of caring and excellence.
The openness, expression of structure and materials, and the broad expanses of glass distinguish a trademark Buff, Smith & Hensman residence. Also notable is their ordered design. The view of the observer and procession of the visitor are always studied and directed. Sometimes formal and symmetrical, sometimes not so visibly structured, there is always the sense of a place for everything and everything in its place.
They have designed numerous projects in such places as Malibu Beach and Palm Springs and boast a client list with such names as Garner, McQueen, Anka and Sinatra. More recently, the firm is enjoying the emergence of a new generation of clients anxious to acquire and restore their earlier works.


The Partnership
The Buff, Straub, and Hensman firm's first masterwork was Case Study House #20, the Saul Bass House (Altadena, 1958), which was considered innovative for its advanced technology. It was built of factory-produced stressed skin panels and plywood vaults so novel that they confounded city building officials. Despite thorough engineering calculations, the architects were not awarded a building permit until a sample plywood vault had been temporarily erected and loaded with weights. The Bass House integrates indoor/outdoor space to achieve a level of sophistication not seen in other Case Study Houses. Its open plan introduced the concept of zoning: the owner's zone with studio office, garden, master bedroom & bath; a formal zone with living and dining rooms and entry atrium; a family zone with kitchen, family room, dining terrace, two additional bedrooms and swimming pool.

Significant projects
1958 Saul Bass Residence (Case Study House #20), Altadena
1959 Frank Residence, Pasadena
1961 John Thomson Residence
1962 Sidney Fine Residence
1963 Harry Roth Residence, Beverly Hills
Penn/Walter Van der Kamp Residence, Los Angeles
1965 Case Study House #28
1967 McGill Residence, Pasadena


Awards
-Award of Merit - 1959 - Jared Residence, A.I.A., Sunset Competition
-Honor Award - 1959 - Mirman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Honor Award - 1960 - Edwards Residence, A.I.A., Life-Time Competition
-First Honor Award - 1960 - Bass Residence, A.I.A., Life-Time Competition
-Award of Merit - 1960 - Mirman Pavilion, A.I.A., Los Angeles Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1960 - Van De Kamp Residence, A.I.A., Los Angeles Chapter
-Award of Excellence - 1961 - Jared Residence, Architectural Record, Record House of 1961
-Honor Award - 1961-62 - Thompson Residence, A.I.A., Sunset Competition
-Honor Award - 1962 - Thompson Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1962 - Fine Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-First Honor Award - 1963 - Simon Residence, A.I.A., Central Arizona Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1964 - "Homes for better living", A.I.A., Life-Time 1964 Competition
-Award of Merit - 1965 - Saltman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1965 - Simon Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1965-66 - Dubnoff Residence, Western Home Awards
-Award - 1966 - Lawry Foods Office Building, Los Angeles Beautiful Commitee
-Award of Merit - 1968 - Gill Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1971 - "Single Family Residence", A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Citation - 1973-74 - Mirman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Honor - 1977 - Mirman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Merit Award - 1977 - Lieberferb Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Merit Award - 1978 - Narver residence, Pasadena Beautiful Foundation
-Award - 1979 - Marmac Residence, Beverly Hills, City beautification Award
-Merit Award - 1980 - Buff Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Merit Award - 1980 - Hensman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award - 1982 - Vista Grande Condominium, Pasadena Beautiful Award
-Award of Merit - 1983 - Harry Dorsey Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award - 1984 - City of Los Angeles Olympic Architectural Award to Donald Hensman by Mayor Tom Bradley
-Master Craftsman - 1987 - Given by the Gamble House and the U.S.C. School of Architecture to "honor excellence in the art and craft of design
-Award - 1989 - Department of Cultural Affairs Certificate of Appreciation to Donald Hensman by President Merry Norris, Cultural Affairs Commision
-Award of Merit - 1990 - Glover Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award - 1990 - Arroyo Terrace Condominium, Pasadena Beautiful 1990 Award
-Award of Honor - 1992 - Moseley Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award of Merit - 1997 - Shulman Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Merit Award - 2002 - Lohrer-Deluca/Massar-Birkle Residence, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Merit Award - 2002 - Moseley Residence #2, A.I.A., Pasadena Chapter
-Award - 2008 - King Residence - City of Pasadena Historic Preservation Award

Sources: Buff, Smith and Hensman architects, Wikipedia

Special thanks to Mr. Dennis Smith, AIA.

Saul Bass

The case study house #20 was originally built for Saul Bass, designer, and his wife Dr.Ruth Bass, a bio-chemist; they have three children. Bass collaborated on the design. “It is my business to visualize,” he said, “but the house was full of surprises. The architects must take full credit.

Of the vaults he said: “ They are an important visual aspect, but the beauty of the space does not depend upon them. They added the richness of curved space, and the sensuous satisfaction of volumes, but what was most pleasing were the vistas from every point. As in the piazza system of European cityscapes, you move around a bend and spaces are revealed. You wander through space.”

Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996) was an American graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, but he is best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences.
During his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including most notably Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Amongst his most famous title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, the text racing up and down what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of the United Nations building in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, and the disjointed text that raced together and was pulled apart for Psycho.
Saul Bass designed the sixth AT&T Bell System logo. He also designed AT&T's "globe" logo after the breakup of the Bell System. Bass also designed Continental Airlines' 1968 "jetstream" logo, which became the most recognized airline industry logo of the 1970s.

Read more about Saul Bass,
Design Museum
Wikipedia
Saul Bass tv

Sources: Wikipedia, Case Study Houses 1945-1962, by Esther McCoy, Hennesey & Ingalls editiors

John Entenza

John Entenza (1903 – 1984), born in Calumet, Michigan, was one of the pivotal figures in the growth of modernism in California. During his editorship, the magazine Arts & Architecture championed all that was new in the arts, with special emphasis on emerging modernist architecture in Southern California. Entenza's most lasting contribution was his sponsorship of the Case Study Houses project, which featured the works of architects such as Raphael Soriano, Charles Eames, Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen and William Wurster. Arts & Architecture also ran articles and interviews on artists and designers such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, George Nakashima, George Nelson and many other ground-breakers.

John was educated in esthetics at University of Virginia. Esther McCoy in her introduction to the second edition of Case Study Houses 1945-1962, wrote “Although he had not studied architecture he became intensely aware of it when young; he acquired a broad knowledge especially of the modern movement.” Under his editorship, California Arts and Architecture changed from a review of “nostalgic historism” presenting eclectic houses for the rich and the famous to an avant-garde magazine publishing low cost houses rich with social concern. Entenza had an extraordinary eye for creativity, which was itself creative.

Please read John Entenza's announcement about the case study house program as published in the January 1945 edition of Arts and Architecture magazine HERE.

Sources:
Wikipedia, Arts and Architecture magazine

The case study house program.

In the January 1945 edition of Arts and Architecture, John Entenza announced the case study house program. By doing so, he created a residential program so renowned architects of the day, could experiment and built houses that were innovative, efficient and inexpensive to built. The houses were conceived with low cost in mind, but inflation grew and prices for construction material soared. Even the used of standard elements use in construction didn’t help reduce costs. Most were built with an open plan in mind. Even though many firm of architects were commission by Arts and Architecture magazine, most, but not all, were designed with the same key elements such as: one story construction, flat roof, steel frame, use of plywood, acres of plate glass, indoor court, pools and more.
One of the obligations for the architect was to use new material, new design and construction technique, explore new way to build an inexpensive house for the average Joe. The program started in 1945 and ended in 1966. A decade that produced the most iconic and innovative houses ever built.
Read more here.

Sources: Wikipedia. Case Study Houses 1945-1962, by Esther McCoy, Hennesey & Ingalls editiors. Arts and Architecture magazine.