The R. M. Schindler papers contain the work of the Viennese-born American architect, Rudolph Michael Schindler (1887-1953), primarily from his time in California. Schindler trained in Vienna at the Technische Hochschule, from which he graduated in 1911 and at the Akademie der bildenden Kunsteunder where he studied under Otto Wagner. He also came under the influence of Adolf Loos and his informal salons in Vienna. Schindler emigrated to the U.S. in 1914. Between 1917-1921, he worked with Frank Lloyd Wright, first in Chicago and Taliesin, then in Los Angeles where he moved in 1920 to help supervise the Barnsdall Hollyhock house. In 1921-1922 he designed and built his own house on Kings Road in Los Angeles. The collection includes personal papers, correspondance and specifications, product literature and publications, manuscript writings, photographs and drawings. The bulk of the Schindler collection was acquired in 1967 from Schindler's son. Most of materials are in English, however there is a significant amount of material in German. The collection includes original photographs and negatives taken by Schindler of his buildings, travels, the work of other architects (especially Frank Lloyd Wright) and his family and friends. His drawings document most of his circa 150 realized architectural projects, though many project files only contain a few drawings. The archive is arranged in four series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Office Records, and Project records.

Rudolf Michael Schindler (1887-1953) was born in Vienna, Austria, where he studied architecture and engineering, graduating from the Royal Technical Institute and the Academy of Art. He also studied briefly with Otto Wagner and was part the circle of architects around by Adolf Loos. In 1914 he came to the United States where he worked first for the Chicago firm of Ottenheimer, Stern and Reichert, and then, from 1918-1919, with Frank Lloyd Wright in Spring Green, WI. He moved to Los Angeles in 1920 to supervise the construction of Wright’s Aline Barnsdall commission. There he set up his own architectural practice, working briefly with the engineer, Claude Chase (1921-1923), and as a partner with Richard Neutra in The Architecture Group for Industry and Commerce (1926-1927). In his lifetime he completed about 150 buildings, most of them in Los Angeles. His uncanny ability to design three-dimensional spaces (he called himself a “space architect”) sets him apart from most other modern architects. His house, which he designed and built on Kings Road in Los Angeles, is considered by some historians to be the “first modern house.”

175.0 Linear feet (52 boxes, 36 flat file drawers, 1 oversize drawing)