Fig 1Tischler house front and north sideFig 2 The house while it still had all the furniture made by my Dad and attached to the walls. Very spacious and minimal room. NOTE: Upper 2/3 of alsynite roof has been covered up by Adolph Schindler by the time of this photo.Fig 3Duo place setting designed by Adolph Tischler and manufactured in black vinyl and stainless steel.Fig 4Nth table setting designed by Adolph Tischler and produced in stainless steel.Fig 5ADRA place setting designed by Adolph Tischler and produced in sterling silver and rosewoodFig 6Covered serving platter in hammered aluminum with rosewood handles. Designed and made by Adolph Tischler.Fig 7Hammered brass candle holder designed and made by Adolph TischlerFig 8Sterling silver table setting designed and made by Adolph Tischler
Steve Wallet: Many people find Schindler’s buildings, particularly his later buildings like your house (Fig 1), to be unpleasantly strange. Do you understand that view, or has the house always looked beautiful to you? Has living in the house affected your view of other non-mainstream, unconventional art and architecture?
Diane Garver: I never found the house unpleasantly strange, different but it is what I knew and was used to. I found normal houses strange, dark, flat, exposed to the streets and the public. My friends didn’t know it was raining unless the sky had opened up. When I moved in with people who liked to move furniture around in the house I was utterly conflicted.
Fig 1 The living room with the original gloss black painted walls and aluminum trim between the panels. Fireplace is complete but this is a temporary furniture setup, probably late 1952. NOTE Walls were later painted beige by Adolph Tischler.Fig 2Living level floor plan Arrows with numbers indicate positions where photos were takenFig 3View from the front showing two stories of entry stairs from street to the living levelFig 4View of front from north “Studio” room is one floor above the garage/studio and one floor below the living level. It is entered over a short bridge from the exterior flight of stairs shown in Fig 3 Fig 5View from loft out the exterior door, from the southern bedroom. Open folding doors between the two back bedrooms are visible in lower right corner. The loft ladder hardware, built from wood scraps, is visible at top center and right cornerFig 6View from the dining area towards the kitchen, entry and living roomFig 7 The circles were coral, almost cantaloupe orange, striking against the blue ceiling panels. The panels were totally open then, all blue for many years. The disks were there at the beginning as I recall and since I can remember standing on the table with my sister and pushing them to swing and try and collide they must have been up for at least 7 years. I would guess that pic might be from about 1955. Walls were black and the fireplace seems so shinny and new. Disks were designed and built by Adolph Tischler, to provide shade to the interior. Fig 8 Me standing near the framed house but I can’t for sure say where I am, in the back I am sure because I recognize the neighbor’s house through the framing. Probably circa 1949. (I was a great help) In front of the south wall, at the rear of the house. The angled ceiling opening at the two rear bedrooms, visible in Fig 5, can also be seen here at the top, middle of the photo.Fig 9View from living to dining. Furnace is under a shelf added by Adolph Tischler NOTE The high glass above the blue-green painting lets light and space into the master bedroom. The play of light in this space makes this glass look like a mirror that reflects the front living room windows.
