Seven Things You Should Know About Craig Ellwood: The California Mies van der Rohe.

1.       Craig Ellwood is often referred to as the California Mies van der Rohe because of his crisp, finely detailed minimalist buildings. The floorplans and massing of his buildings were often simple rectangles and boxes. Ellwood was strongly opposed to arbitrary formalism in architecture and “playing with shapes” as he stated in an interview in 1976. He believed that the moment form becomes arbitrary or only style, it becomes something other than architecture. He believed that the technology and materials used in a building should dictate the form. His buildings utilized mainly steel glass, plastic and masonry. Ellwood was fascinated by the efficiency and fabrication techniques of steel and other industrial materials of the time.

2.       Ellwood was born as Johnie Burke in Clarendon, Texas in 1922. He would end up changing his name to Craig Ellwood informally, then legally in 1948. The name “Ellwood” came from a liquor store across the street from the office he used to work out of. He would design the persona of “Craig Ellwood” as half Architect half movie star. Ellwood was a car fanatic and drove a red sportscar with the license plate “VROOM.”

3.       Ellwood partnered with his brother Cleve who was a licensed contractor and a student draftsman named Pete Peters. They would open a construction company in 1948 called “Craig Ellwood” which only lasted for two years. After closing the construction company, he would go on to work as a cost estimator for Lamport Cofer Salzman. During his time as an estimator here he would meet John Entenza. In 1949 he would open Craig Ellwood Associates. In 1951 Entenza invited Ellwood to take part in the Case Study House program.

4.       John Entenza selected Ellwood to design three houses for the Case Study House program. Case study houses 16, 17, and 18. All three would be built between 1952 and 1958. The case study houses Ellwood designed were flat roofed, post and beam structures. Their profiles were generally long and horizontal in elevation. The details of the houses were thoughtful and well executed.  

5.       Elwood was not a licensed Architect. He was trained as an engineer through a series of night classes at UCLA although never formally earning his engineering degree. It is said that he rarely would exceed his client’s budgets due to his background in engineering and cost estimating. Ellwood would rely heavily on his staff to carry out the designs in his office. The would cause tension within the firm and result in several of his lead designers and architects leaving the company.

6.       Two of the most well know projects from Ellwood’s office were beach houses in Malibu. One for the Pierson family and the other for Victor and Elizabet Hunt. The Hunt’s found Ellwood after seeing the completed Pierson house. Ellwood was a marketing genius and was able to get the Hunt house published eight times between December 1958 and 1960.

7.       Ellwood would retire in 1977 and move to Italy to pursue painting and sculpture. He would become alcoholic and pass away in 1992.

References:

Architecture of the sun: Los Angeles modernism, 1900-1970 Thomas Hines - Rizzoli – 2010

Modern architecture since 1900 William Curtis - Phaidon - 2013