Preservation: A Conversation with Leo Marmol, FAIA

Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, which was restored by Marmol Radziner. Leo Marmol, the firm's managing principal, will speak on the restoration of Modern architecture on Thursday in Los Altos, California. Photo by David Glomb.

To hear Leo Marmol, FAIA, speak on the restoration of Modern architecture is to hear one of the most accomplished, thoughtful practitioners of the craft. With the award-winning restoration of Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, he and Ron Radziner, his partner in the firm Marmol Radziner, established themselves as key players in the then-nascent realm of Modernist preservation. Where before little attention had been paid to the significant structures (resulting in countless sad losses), the work they undertook was part of a groundswell of appreciation and awareness. On Thursday, March 14, Marmol will speak on Modern preservation in Los Altos, California, as part of the Los Altos Neutra House Architecture Speaker Series. We had the chance to talk with him recently about his firm’s restoration work, his philosophy on restoration, and why living in an historic building doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice modern conveniences for authenticity.

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The Strathmore Situation

The controversy continues in Westwood over Richard Neutra's Strathmore Apartments. Residents of the 1937 complex, including FORM contributing writer Michael Webb, are trying to stop a Dallas-based developer from moving forward with its plan of building a five-story rooming house, intended for nearby UCLA students, directly across the street. The project has been approved by the City Planning Department, and residents are preparing a final appeal to the Area Planning Commission. For more information visit: neutralives.org