#428/The Complete Tom Kundig: Tom Kundig + Jim Dow + Musical Guests Veronneau

Tom Kundig of Seattle’s Olson Kundig is a superstar in residential architecture, and he’s got a new book, Complete Houses.  But you can’t have a world-class architect without a world-class builder, and we’ll talk with Kundig’s close friend and frequent collaborator, Jim Dow of Dowbuilt. Later, you'll hear Veronneau, a husband-and-wife duo whose tunes go around the world.

Back on the show is one of our favorite guests, YouTube architecture star Professor Stewart Hicks; Brian Horowitz revives the joy and nostalgia of pinball, that midcentury pastime that was going to rot our midcentury minds; and author Hillary Carlip shares the wonderful world of Willis Wonderland, a new popup book for all ages.

E. Fay Jones is a name most architects know but the public does not.  A student of Frank Lloyd Wright, Jones blurred the line between indoors and outdoors with careful use of wood, stone, and glass.  It’s like these buildings just emerge from the woods. Today, we’ve got three people dedicated to preserving Jones legacy. David McKee worked for Jones and is the go-to guy for restoring houses.  We’ll talk with Jonathan Formanek, who created the E. Fay Jones Conservancy, along with his partner, Andy Whitmore, who live in the Faubus house in Arkansas.  And back in the studio, we talk with influencer Maggie Weber, whose takes on bad design keep us laughing. 

We've got author and architect Peter Forguson celebrating Michigan’s extraordinary collection of bold, Modernist houses with the new book Contemporary Michigan, from the UK, Michael Diamant rants against Modernism, and later on, musical guest Brent Jensen serves classic tunes made famous by Paul Desmond.  

Kata Walters went from the catwalk to the construction site, changing from an international career in modeling to building Modernist houses.  Allison C. Meier shares her map of New York, uncovering hidden histories in architecture and culture from cemeteries to the streets. Kyle Bergman of the New York Architecture and Design Film Festival shares this year’s highlights, and from Sweden, musical guest Klas Lindquist.  

Tom shares exciting details of Moon Over Modernism, a benefit cocktail party Saturday, October 11, in Raleigh NC.  The next weekend, we'll host a jazz brunch a special Gates and Ford house in New Canaan CT. Tickets for both: www.usmodernist.org/tours.

We’re back with one of our most popular segments, Children of Genius. Them apples don’t fall too far from the tree, and today we’ll hear from two that dropped nearby, Toby Rapson and Ron Kappe. They grew up immersed in Modernist design with some of the most influential architecture of the 20th century, thanks to their fathers Ralph Rapson and Ray Kappe, tradition they continue today. Later, Modernist homeowner and musical guest Holly Cole.  

You all know we love midcentury modern houses in Palm Springs, but what about new ones?  These will be the houses we will tour and sip martinis at and give lectures about 40 years from now.  Today we’ll talk with one of those architects, Jill Lewis, about a new house in the Desert Palisades area of Palm Springs, along with the landscape architect for that project, John Hreno.  Then we’ll meet the leader of SOCOMCM, architect Edward Peck, plus returning jazz vocalist Jaimee Paul. 

Who’s the author of that architecture book on your coffee table?  It’s probably written by one of our guests, Dominic Bradbury and Adam Stech.  Later on, jazz with returning musical guest Elijah Rock. 

Today, it’s Bartlesville, Oklahoma, home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s skyscraper, the 19-story Price Tower, talking with new owners Macy Snyder-Amatucci and John Snyder, about their plan to bring the tower back to life. Then it’s on to Washington DC and the administration’s plans for architecture, with writer and critic Ian Volner. Next, World’s Fairs with Bill Cotter, and later, music from jazz pianist Lenore Raphael.