RAY
KAPPE
KING OF THE CALIFORNIA
OPTIMISTS
//
WORDS CAROLINE RYDER
Once upon a time, in 1950s America, the future seemed bright. Original
ideas in art and architecture existed in abundance. Industrial innovation,
superimposed upon the blank slate of a humbled postwar world, provid-
ed a new blueprint for living. American cities were being reimagined in
steel, glass and light. Homes were to be functional but pleasant, unclut-
tered cradles within which the new generation would thrive. Amid the
blooming ideals of modernism, a brighter and more harmonious future
for humankind seemed guaranteed. Sixty years on, hope has devolved
into uncertainty. But modern architect Ray Kappe is still optimistic.
PORTRAITS BY STEVE SHAW / ARCHITECURAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY HUNTER KERHART
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