WORLD ARCHITECTURE / WILLIAM F. CODY RETROSPECTIVE

J.B. Shamel residence, 1963. Award of Merit winner in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Homes for Better Living by the A.I.A. in cooperation with House and Home and the American Home Magazines.
Photo: Julius Shulman, via A+D Museum, LA.

When it comes to mid-century residential and commercial architects, who worked the Southern California deserts, William F. Cody’s name will be brought up by those who appreciate modern design.  Outside of the region many others will not recognize his name.

Nonetheless, William F. Cody is a giant among American mid-century architects working in that genre.  Below we repost Mr. Cody’s career credentials, but the news for now is the fact there will be a retrospective of his work now through September 25, 2016 at Los Angeles’ Architecture and Design Museum in L.A.

Del Marcos Hotel, Palm Springs

Titled, Fast Forward: The Architecture of William F. Cody, which will feature color renderings and photos of long-long structures as well as personal sketches—all coinciding with his 100^th birthday.

In announcing the exhibit, the Los Angeles Times pointed out “during Palm Springs’ heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, odds were likely that you’d pass by or walk into a restaurant, hotel or country club designed by architect William F. Cody.

“Unfortunately many of Cody’s Midcentury Modern designs have gone the way of the wrecking ball. That includes his quirky Googie-style Huddle’s Springs Restaurant, as well as the Palm Springs Spa Hotel’s translucent canopy-covered walkway,” said the LA Times

EXHIBIT VENUE:

A+D Museum, also known as Architecture and Design Museum, Los Angeles, is a museum for architecture and design in Los Angeles, California. It is located in Downtown Los Angeles Arts District at 900 E 4th Street.

EXHIBIT BIO:

William F. Cody (1916 – 1978) was a legend in his own time. His architectural practice was prolific, diversified, and engaged a celebrity clientele that included Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. His projects ranged from residential homes and condominiums, to commercial centers and industrial complexes, to city and community master planning. Although a majority of Cody’s built work was concentrated in California and Arizona, he had commissions in Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Hawaii, Mexico, Honduras, and Cuba. This exhibition is the first comprehensive overview of Cody’s architecture based on primary archival research. It is a tribute to one of the “giants” of the midcentury modern movement and celebrates Cody’s centennial.

Cody’s projects were published internationally, and he was widely acknowledged as a forward-thinking, urbane architect who merged luxury with technology to achieve a high-style experimental modernism. A master renderer with an eye for art and interior design, Cody also pushed the boundaries of engineering and space planning. His career ended early when he died at the age of 62, at the prime of his practice. With the recent reassessments of midcentury architecture that embrace a broad understanding of modern design—from dynamic planning to rich interior decoration. Cody’s work is increasingly recognized as a formative contribution to architectural history.

Cody left behind a legacy of important contributions and his influence continues to serve as inspiration for successive generations of designers. The objects on display created by architecture students of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, inspired by the designs of William Cody, are a testament to Cody’s relevance to the ongoing dialogue of architecture.

El Dorado Country Club

Palm Springs Spa and Hotel, Palm Springs.
Photos: Julius Shuman via A+D, Los Angeles

MORE ON WILLIAM F. CODY

From Wikipedia:

William Francis Cody (June 19, 1916 – August 29, 1978) was an influential desert modern architect working in Palm Springs during the peak of the Modern Architecture Movement. Like many of the architects during the mid-20th century, Cody designed almost anything Palm Springs allowed him to; houses, cluster housing, churches, offices, restaurants, schools, hotels, and club houses. His residential projects illustrated simplicity of form, natural light, and large windows displaying a smooth connection between interior and exterior. Cody maintained a diverse practice in the Coachella Valley of California. His work included designing country clubs, residences, hotels, a library, and church projects in Palm Springs, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and in southern California, Arizona, Mexico, and Cuba.

While attending Santa Monica Junior College, Cody worked for architects Heath Warton and Asa Hudson. In 1943 Cody worked for an Oakland based engineering firm on a Kaiser Steel, a.k.a. Kaiser Ventures, plant in Fontana, California. During this year he also worked for the San Francisco firm of Blanchard, Maher, and Ward on Navy installations on Treasure Island.

In 1944 he worked primarily on National Design Award- winning elementary and high school buildings in California and Arizona for Marsh, Smith, and Powell in Los Angeles. It was also in 1944 that Cody worked for Cliff May, a leading southern California building designer, on May's influential Pace-Setter House.

In 1945 Cody was retained to alter the Desert Inn in Palm Springs. By 1946 Cody was licensed to practice architecture in California and Arizona, and in 1946 Cody received his first independent commission for completing the Del Marcos Hotel, winning him a "creditable mention" award in 1949 by the southern California chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Cody capitalized on Palm Springs becoming a retreat for the rich and famous by moving his practice there. In 1950 he was retained to convert the Thunderbird Dude Ranch into the Thunderbird Country Club. This successful conversion led to Cody being commissioned to design or alter clubhouses, recreational facilities, and residential developments at Eldorado Country Club, Tamarisk Country Club, the Racquet Club, the Tennis Club and the Seven Lakes Clubhouse.

Cody began, nearly a decade of work, altering and expanding upon the Palm Springs Country Spa Hotel in 1960. Cody's specialization in country club clubhouses along with associated residential developments led to his being commissioned in California, Arizona, Texas, Cuba, and Mexico.

Cody's latest commissions of note are located in Palm Springs: St. Theresa Catholic Church and Convent, and buildings for the Palm Springs Planning Collaborative including the Palm Springs Library.

Work with Robert P. McCulloch. When Robert P. McCulloch founded Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Cody designed, expanded upon, and altered McCulloch Corporation's chainsaw plant there. He went on to design residential developments in Lake Havasu City and Fountain Hills in Scottsdale. He also designed an Eldorado tract in Indian Wells, California.

Finally, Cody designed a corporate complex for McCulloch near LAX as well as making alterations to a house at Thunderbird Country Club for McCulloch and his wife.

Residences:

Levin, Palm Springs

Samuel & Gladys Rubenstein, Rancho Mirage

Weir McDonald, Scottsdale, AZ

William Pearlberg, Palm Springs

Shamel, El Dorado CC Estates

Cannon, El Dorado CC Estates

William Cody personal residence, Palm Springs

Texas Private Residence

London Apartment Bldg.

Institutional:

Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church

Malibu Catholic Church

Audio Visual Media Bldg., CSU San Bernardino

Shopping Center & Offices:

Valleywide Shopping Center, Palm Desert

Atikian Retail Office Bldg., Palm Springs

Commercial | Hospitality & Private Country Clubs:

El Dorado Country Club, Cottages and Cottages West, Indian Wells

Mission Valley Country Club and Hotel, San Diego

Villa Real Country Club and Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Commercial | Hospital:

Palm Desert Cancer Treatment Center and Hospital

Restaurant:

The Springs Restaurant, Palm Springs

Hotels:

Palm Springs Spa and Hotel (design architect)

L’Horizon Hotel (original and restored architectural plans/drawings/photographs)

Industrial:

McCullogh Chain Saw Factory, Havasu City, AZ

Bechtel Steel Design Architect for various projects

A+D Architecture and Design Museum

ABOUT EXHIBITIONSFAMILY + EDUCATION PROGRAMS GIVE + JOIN GET IN TOUCH VISIT BLOG

Fast Forward: The Architecture of William F. Cody

BODY OF WORK:

Commercial | Hospitality & Private Country Clubs:

El Dorado Country Club, Cottages and Cottages West, Indian Wells

Mission Valley Country Club and Hotel, San Diego

Villa Real Country Club and Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Commercial | Hospital:

Palm Desert Cancer Treatment Center and Hospital

Restaurant:

The Springs Restaurant, Palm Springs

Hotels:

Palm Springs Spa and Hotel (design architect)

L’Horizon Hotel (original and restored architectural plans/drawings/photographs)

Industrial:

McCullogh Chain Saw Factory, Havasu City, AZ

Bechtel Steel Design Architect for various projects

Residences:

Levin, Palm Springs

Samuel & Gladys Rubenstein, Rancho Mirage

Weir McDonald, Scottsdale, AZ

William Pearlberg, Palm Springs

Shamel, El Dorado CC Estates

Cannon, El Dorado CC Estates

William Cody personal residence, Palm Springs

Texas Private Residence

London Apartment Bldg.

Institutional:

Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church

Malibu Catholic Church

Audio Visual Media Bldg., CSU San Bernardino

Shopping Center & Offices:

Valleywide Shopping Center, Palm Desert

Atikian Retail Office Bldg., Palm Springs

WILLIAM F. CODY PROFESSIONAL AWARDS

1944-46: Two first place national awards from the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) for the Suva Elementary School and Corona Del Mar Elementary School while head designer the firm of March, Smith & Powell in Los Angeles, CA

1949: Certificate of Honor for exceptional merit in its class for the Hotel Del Marcos, Palm Springs, CA by the Southern California Chapter of the A.I.A.

1962: Design Award by the A.I.A. in cooperation with House & Home and Life Magazines for the W. & J. Sloane Display House, La Quinta, CA

1962: Honorable Mention by the A.I.A. in cooperation with House and Home and Life in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Homes for a Better Living

1963: Recognition Award by the A.I.A. in cooperation with House and Home and the American Home Magazines for the Robert Cannon Residence, Palm Desert, CA

1963: Honor Award by the Southern California Chapter of the A.I.A. selected by an International Panel of Judges for the Cannon Residence, Palm Desert, CA

1964: Two Design Awards by the A.I.A.; one for the Robert Cannon Residence and other for the J. B. Shamel Residence, Palm Desert, CA

1964: Award of Merit in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Homes for Better Living by the A.I.A. in cooperation with House and Home and the American Home Magazines

1965: Recognition Award for outstanding aesthetic design in structural steel by the American Institute of Steel Construction for J.B. Shamel Residence

1965: Award by the American Institute of Steel Construction for Western Savings & Loan Association, Phoenix, AZ

1965: Appreciation Award as Citizen of Distinction for Public Services by the People of the City of Palm Springs

1965: Elected to the College of Fellows by the A.I.A. for Achievement in Design

1966: Valley Beautification Award by the Valley Beautiful Citizens Council, Inc. for the Western Savings & Loan Building at 525 East Mill Avenue, Tempe, AZ

1969: Outstanding Civic Award by Desert Beautiful for exceptional Architectural Beautification

1974: Award of Merit for outstanding design through the use of masonry by the Masonry Institute of the Inland Empire for the Palm Springs Tennis Club Hotel

1974: Certificate of Excellence Award by the Inland Chapter of A.I.A. for Andreas Hills development

1979: Palm Springs Golden Palm Award by Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce for St. Theresa’s Catholic Church