The land Mr. and Mrs. John T. Upton bought in one of the older, crowded neighborhoods of New Orleans wasn't really a building site at all. Just 50' by 138', it had been the side garden of the house next door. How the architects utilized this city lot is an outstanding lesson in site planning, for the Uptons' fine little house and its walled courtyard literally occupy all the land the law allows. The courtyard walls of random width cypress are a structural extension of the house itself, and they enabled the Uptons to have their three main wishes: privacy from the street, a garden where they might cultivate camellias and a conscious awareness of three lovely live oaks growing near the street. They also have a house designed with taste, planned for comfort. Though small, the house suggests spacious- ness, mainly because of the courtyard and a generous terrace in the rear.

The plan of the house and plot shows how economically. the land was used for greatest possible living space, indoors and outdoors. Setback of front courtyard wall and both side walls of house is minimum required by local ordinance. Built on a concrete slab, house is divided from front to back into three distinct zones, with kitchen and utility areas separating bedrooms and living- dining room. Bathrooms are cleverly planned for full use of space.

A business couple, Mr. and Mrs. Upton wanted a house that required little care. "We couldn't be more satisfied," they say. "We have a servant for five hours once a week, and we let the gardener go because we didn't need him." The basic materials were chosen for their simplicity and durability. Only two floor coverings are used- a thick cotton carpeting in the bedrooms and living room area, and vinyl asbestos elsewhere. The vertical cypress boarding of the outside walls is continued the length of one living-dining wall. Although every room has been furnished with antique pieces, Mr. and Mrs. Upton feel they "combine perfectly with the modern design of the house." Air conditioning, dictated by the New Orleans climate, allows the Uptons complete flexibility in entertaining. They use their rear terrace all year long, retreating indoors only when the humid summer days grow uncomfortable.

The kitchen area is large enough (9' x 23′ 6") to include a breakfast table seen here from rear terrace and laundry at opposite end. Wall in background is papered in a design that seems to shorten the long walls and "draw the room together." Appliances are white and stainless steel, thus permitting the Uptons to achieve color accents through acces sories. Countertops are charcoal gray, and vinyl asbestos tile flooring is a mottled black, white and brick against a pink-beige background. Doorway in left foreground opens directly to rear terrace. The dining area, opposite page, also has door to terrace, which is enclosed at back by fence.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | March 1958

 

Before this clean-lined house was built in Beverly Hills, the site looked about as promising to the designer as a "goat's trail." Its 73' x 125' dimensions are not particularly skimpy, as building sites go these days in Southern California, but a slope rising precipitously from the front took up most of it. Another slope, converging from the side , aggravated the designer's problem. The solution is a rectangular house, snug against the hillside behind and boldly extended over the front slope. To the street, the house presents a solid white, stucco-walled façade, interrupted only by a double-door entrance painted black for contrast. A handsome grillework wall extends the front and screens the guest-bedroom patio. Though outdoor living space is limited, the house makes the most of the usable ground. A center patio contributes outdoor space which is private and enlarges the living-dining room. From the living-dining room, a fine view of the city below may be enjoyed. Aside from its good looks, this house satisfies a couple's wish to enjoy both the convenience of an apartment and the pleasures of outdoor living and gardening.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | March 1958

 

Rocky crags, tall trees, a precipitous slope would seem to compose an impossible building site, but this house proves otherwise. Indeed, the drawbacks are now a delight as the owners view them from various rooms and outdoor decks. They give the house unique quality. But this delight, to be sure, had to wait on the successful solution of many problems. Only one part of the land was comparatively free of rocky ledges and tall trees, but it sloped steeply. The house was edged onto this area with the south end cantilevered out over the hill. The garage was located at the north end where the land was level and a road could be brought in at the hilltop. The living room was built a full two stories high with windows to the roof on three sides; tree tops and rock ledges create a mural summer and winter. An outdoor terrace, flanking the living and dining rooms, runs along the east and there is a secluded deck on the west side sheltered by rock boulders. A third terrace, on the lowest level of the property, is partly covered by the cantilevered living room and terrace above. Well apart from the general rooms and insulated from them, the bedrooms and study are on the top level, which is the house entrance.

The interior of this house is as dramatic as its site on the side of a cliff.

The stairs lead down from the entrance hall at the top level to the living room below. From great windows on three sides the wonderful views for whic the house was designed can be fully enjoyed. On the lower level, the dining area.

right, has warm natural colors which combine well with the surrounding outdoors. This is the decorating approach throughou the house. Floors are red oak; the redwood of exterior walls is used for the entrance gallery balustrade. In the living room, below, walls are white, the ceiling is painted Cerulean Blue and curtains are blue and off-white. Furniture is largely Scandinavian in warm walnut. The long sofa is a deep blue and rugs are off-white.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | March 1958

Anchored on either side of a woodland stream, this house is an extraordinary bridge straddling the flowing water. The three arches over the bridged section are designed to suggest a sense of fluid motion, in contrast to the four flat-roofed wings branching from its corners. Glass walls on both sides not only give the 47' living-dining area the open effect of a bridge but also allow the owners to enjoy a view of the brook, its pools and falls, both upstream and down. In fair weather, they may sit outside on balconies running the width of the bridge. Each of the four wings is a distinct zone with direct access to the living-dining bridge. Each has its own bath, and the walls of these wings, in contrast to the bridge, are largely solid for privacy.

Like its exterior profile, the interior of this house has distinction, free from arbitrary rules that dictate what must go with what. For instance, the vaulted ceiling sections, rising to a height of 13' and finished in gold leaf, are a classic feature. Yet they contrast agreeably with such "modern" materials as the gray-black terrazzo flooring of the living-dining area and the glazed brick of the fireplace. Against the rear wall of the fireplace is a fine Sheraton desk-cabinet housing a collection of porcelain from the Orient. On either side of it is a Victorian rosewood chair. In the living room, the seating pieces were chosen for everyday comfort and contemporary appearance. And in the dining area is a rosewood table with Chippendale fretwork. The kitchen and baths are efficiently planned with modern materials for contemporary living needs. Though the bridged area of the house is glass-enclosed on both sides, the living area is well screened from the entrance by a storage wall containing a bar and hi-fi system. Each of the four wings, standing almost independent of the rest of the house, has exceptionally generous storage facilities.

There are moments in history when an entire generation finds its hero.
And for millions of Americans in the 1980s and 1990s, that hero was Hulk Hogan.

With the rip of a t-shirt, the flex of a bicep, and the sound of Real American blasting through the arena, Hogan became more than just a wrestler — he became a symbol of strength, hope, and patriotism.
He told us to train, to say our prayers, and to eat our vitamins. And somehow, as kids, we believed every word.

Inside the ring, he was unstoppable.
Crowds from Madison Square Garden to WrestleMania watched in awe as the Hulkster pointed to the heavens, cupped his ear to the roar of the fans, and brought Hulkamania crashing down on giants of the sport.
When he said, “Whatcha gonna do, brother, when Hulkamania runs wild on you?” — we didn’t just hear it. We felt it.

But Hulk Hogan’s story wasn’t written only inside the ropes.
Hollywood called, and the Hulkster answered. He gave us No Holds Barred — a gritty, larger-than-life story that blurred the line between fiction and wrestling reality. He made us laugh as the unlikely babysitter in Mr. Nanny. He took us to the stars as a stranded warrior in Suburban Commando. And he brought Saturday mornings to life with Thunder in Paradise, a mix of action, adventure, and pure 90s fun.
Through it all, he proved that his charisma, his humor, and his American spirit were too big for just one stage.

Hulk Hogan was more than an entertainer. He was Americana itself — wrapped in the red and yellow, draped in the stars and stripes, carrying the hopes of kids who believed that good could conquer evil, that pride could overcome doubt, and that heroes still walked among us.

Today, we look back with nostalgia, not just on the matches, the movies, or the memories — but on the feeling. That feeling of hearing the crowd explode, of watching a larger-than-life hero stand tall, and of believing that maybe, just maybe, we could be stronger, braver, and prouder too.

Because Hulk Hogan wasn’t just wrestling. He wasn’t just Hollywood.
He was a piece of our culture, a reminder of an America that dared to dream big, fight hard, and never give up.

Hulk Hogan will forever be remembered as more than the man in the ring. He will be remembered as a true American icon. A hero of our youth. A champion of our spirit.

And as long as the memory of Hulkamania lives, he will always be… a Real American. 

 

"In 1955, when we set about designing a new house for ourselves, we had out-grown two previous ones. There were five Hiss children in two age groups: Valerie was 21 and soon to be married: Michael was 14. The small ones were Philip, 4, Shirley, 3, and Larry, 1. All of them had lived with modern design since birth, and we only learned the full extent of their appreciation for it when we sold our home and moved into a pleasant but old-fashioned house while the new one was being built. They called the place "gloomy" and "awful," and the older two protested that they couldn't live in it. They did, of course, but their outburst reassured us that they preferred to live in a contemporary house.

Our building site on Lido Shores in Sarasota stretched 250 feet between a busy waterway and a main highway. It was quite bare and flat, with no old trees or interesting contours. But the beauty of the water more than compensated: moreover, almost anything can be made to grow in semi- tropical profusion in a remarkably short time. The design possibilities were great, even though the problems were many and sometimes contradictory: our needs were for a relatively large house on a small lot, privacy from the outside world and for each of us indoors, a civilized yet practical design in a sub-tropical climate of well defined rainy and dry seasons and occasional hurricanes. We wished most of all for a dramatic and stimulating environment in which architecture does not overpower the individual but instead becomes a disciplined, orderly and beautiful background, even for the prosaic affairs of everyday life.

A number of architectural solutions were considered and rejected. We preferred a two-story plan, and the smallness of the lot finally dictated it. The desire for visual openness and through ventilation in the spring and fall, when the house would not be closed for heating or air conditioning, suggested a plan one room deep. In essence, the rectangular form of our house is quite simple. It is based on a 31' module. All doors and windows are this size, and bay sizes are a multiple of this basic unit. Thus the house is 105' long and 35' wide, with all bays measuring 14' x 21' except for the central bay, which is 21' wide. Despite the basic simplicity of design. there is much detail to arrest the eye; and preciseness of structure is contrasted with the rich color of tropical planting."

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source: House and Garden Magazine | October 1957