1. Was there a formative project that turned your career towards architectural preservation?
KD: My first project right out of architecture school was at the Scripps College campus, a site on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed in the 1920s by Edward Huntsman Trout and Gordon Kaufmann, I understood immediately that I had arrived at a place with a formative vision that was so powerful, its fundamental design character and Mediterranean spirit was intact after generations. This sprit included equally compelling, though stylistically different, buildings of the 1960's and 1970's such as those by the firms of Criley-MacDowell or John Carl Warneke working in a later modernist-vernacular styles. Importantly, the College and alumnae recognize this continuity of place as part of the Scripps experience.
That was it - I found my path!
KD: I like to think we connect people across time. Our design approach for both new and historic projects is to celebrate the richness of history and create unique environments that enhance human connections and provide memorable experiences.
3. The Studio has participated in projects for the Ebell of Los Angeles, the Mission San Gabriel and Manzanar National Historic Site to name a few. There is also your personal volunteer work with places like the Schindler House and the Rubel Castle in Glendora. What would you say connects these diverse sites?
KD: All of our projects are envisioned by their owners or stewards as places of interesting, thoughtful and timeless continuation of use.
4. We understand the Schindler House on Kings Road is turning 100 this year! Can you tell us a little bit about the building's specific needs?
KD: The house is very fragile. There is no exterior finish or cladding separate from the structure, so it is very vulnerable to weather. The house was also altered over time with interior changes, landscape changes, and some additions. Bob Sweeney and the Friends of the Schindler House, including Schindler's descendants, have worked for decades to reverse these changes - removing additive elements, stabilizing the exterior fireplaces, reversing the interior changes to the main living spaces, and completing the beautiful gardens to Schindler's original design. The next steps are to preserve the building structure for the future, so that RM Schindler's vision can continue to inspire generations of artists and architects. This includes betterment of seismic response and structural repairs, with the most immediate needs being new roofing and wood treatments to protect the house and prevent further deterioration.
5. What do you hope to pass on to the next generation of heritage architects working in Los Angeles?
KD: Heritage conservation is thought-provoking and challenging in ways I'd not anticipated as an architecture student. With training in science and engineering, I was somewhat prepared for the uncertainty of this process, but have learned it is by no means essential to the success and gratification of being an architect on heritage projects. Creativity, vision, and purpose drive all design projects and success is when people walk in and feel the inspiration and awe of the moment in that place at that time. To work together with amazing teams of people to create that moment is worth all of the hard work, every time.
Want to hear more from Kaitlin? She will discuss the Schindler House project in person with Peyton Hall this Saturday, June 25th during Friends of the Schinder House's Centennial Celebration. For more information, click here.
You can also hear Kaitlin and fellow Drisko Studio architect Bob Knight talk about repairs to the Mission San Gabriel after the devastating fire in 2020. Watch here.
