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Example of Butterfly Roof
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ELIZABETH DANIELS
THOMAS ALLEMAN
Krisel in 2009
studios on Asian soil in the 1930s and '40s, resulting in a life alternating between living abroad in Shanghai, China for young William (where he was also born) and growing up with the film forerunners in Beverly Hills who initially put Hollywood on the map, such as Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Fred Astaire, Jack Benny, and so on. Yet, despite seeds that were rooted in an
“I'm an ethical person, who is environmentally concerned. I've done what is best for the public when designing a building—in terms of aesthetics and function—to improve the vicinity, while staying within the context of the area with respect to its ecology. I've always stuck to my principles as an architect, never
Designed by Krisel in the 60s
PAOLA THOMAS
THE MAN WHO HELPED THE BUT TERFLY ROOFS TA K E W I N G I N S O C A L
affluent lifestyle since birth, Krisel never became complacent, rested on his laurels, or cast aside his dream of becoming an architect—a profession that has served his creative spirit for over 60 years. Krisel, who exclusively spoke to Southern California Life, has a lilting voice that is laden with everlasting youth and well-earned confidence. He is as sharp and passionate as ever, able to cobble together insightful sentences about his life and work without nary a strain or break. His architectural accomplishments, moreover, are illuminated within the breadth of his stance on artistic integrity, still as robust as ever.
compromising them or caving into the whims of the builder-developer, and I've never taken a job if it wasn't aesthetically viable,” Krisel calmly, but firmly, states. Certainly practical in its own way, the butterfly roof design first entered Krisel's consciousness when he lived in Japan for a time and became acquainted with Raymond's modern-Japanese take on it. However, the implementation of the design didn't come to fruition until he had finished his WW2 duty as a Chinese-language interpreter, and graduated from USC in 1949. “I started in 1950 with the roof, trying it on roughly five custom houses after graduating as an architectural student. I believed it still had to fit the criteria of the site and needs of the clients, like if they wanted a certain amount of privacy, light coming in overhead, high windows, or if they lived in the desert and wanted their roof to collect the rain efficiently. I also built a chain of 'Interior 400 Motels' using the design, and of the 40,000 homes I did, nearly 6,000 of them had butterfly roofs, particularly in Palm Springs, as well as in San Diego, Northridge, and West Los Angeles,” Krisel clarifies. Unfortunately, the butterfly roof has become an artifact of a time capsule from a bygone era, but Krisel is unaffected by this and the effect this has on his legacy. His resume, for one thing, far surpasses the design, and includes the Sunset Tower Hotel, various con- H MAY.JUNE2015 - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LIFE
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