William Krisel (November 14, 1924 - June 5, 2017) was an American architect best known for his pioneer designs of mid-century residential and commercial architecture. Most of his designs are for affordable homes, especially tract housing, with a modern aesthetic.
Video William Krisel
Early life and education
Krisel was born in 1924 in Shanghai, China. He moved with his American parents to Beverly Hills, California, in 1937. His father worked as a distributor for United Artists in and brought the family back to the United States after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War He returned to China during WWII, acting as an interpreter.
He attended the University of Southern California and graduated in 1949.
Maps William Krisel
Work
With Dan Palmer, Krisel formed Palmer & Krisel architects. Krisel designed more than 30,000 homes throughout Southern California; the total number of houses and condominiums designed by the firm probably exceeds 40,000. 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.
In the 1950s Krisel helped to nearly double the size of Palm Springs by building 2,500 tract homes that still exist today. 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. 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.
Krisel designed the iconic Del Prado condominium tower on Balboa Park for San Diego developer Bill Starr.
Krisel was a member of American Institute of Architects.
Selected Works
Krisel's works include
- 1954, Garden Grove North, Garden Grove, CA
- 1955, Garden Grove East, Garden Grove, CA
- 1955 Krisel House, Brentwood, CA (Demolished)
- 1955, Corbin Palms, San Fernando Valley, CA
- 1956-1958, Twin Palms,Palm Springs, CA
- 1957, Ocotillo Lodge Hotel, Palm Springs, CA
- 1957-1958 Ramon Rise, Palm Springs, CA
- 1958-1962 Racquet Club Estates, Palm Springs, CA
- 1958-1965, Sandpiper condominiums, Palm Desert, CA
- 1958, Coffee Dan's Coffee Shop, Las Angeles, CA
- 1959, College Glen Estates, San Diego, CA
- 1959-1960, Flair Homes, Tucson, AZ
- 1960, Alexander House (Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway), Palm Springs, CA
- 1960-1964, Paradise Palms, Las Vegas, NV
- 1960, 135 West Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, CA
- 1960 Loma Starr Building, San Diego, CA (now Peninsula Center)
- 1961 Beth Israel School of Religion, San Diego, CA
- 1963 9255 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA
- 1964, Black Mountain Estates, Henderson, NV
- 1968-1970, Kings Point, Palm Springs, CA
- 1976, Fidelity Federal Savings and Loan Building, Glendale, CA (now US Bank)
Archives
The Getty Research Institute houses the William Krisel papers, 1935-2014.
Death
Krisel died June 5, 2017 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 92.
References
Further information
- William Krisel, Architect (2010)
- Menrad, Chris; Creighton, Heidi, eds. (2016). William Krisel's Palm Springs: The Language of Modernism. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423642329.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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