Interview with Mr. Tischler, Commisionar of a private residence from architect Richard Schindler.
Florian Haas, Martin Schmidl: We are interested in how you met Schindler the first time and how you got the idea to commission this house from him?
Tischler:
Let me see. We had a lot. It was a hillside lot. Difficult to built
on by a regular contractor. They didn`t like it. Schindler loved it.
Because it gave him the chance to play with the idea. However. The
way we came across Schindler... to begin with...we talked to one contractor
and he mentioned Schindlers name. At that time in 1948/49 "Art and
Architecture" was a popular magazine and they featured a lot of Schindlers
work. We run around. I talked to Schindler and we liked him. And I
also talked to Neutra and Craig Ellwood as some general contractors.
Well the general contractors were very unsatisfying. You know. Neutra
was very concerned about budget. We had a low budget and we weren`t
particularly happy with them being unsympathetic. But Schindler was
very sympathetic to a low budget. He said, he is used building for
artists and musicians, and they have very rare money. And also I felt
very comfortable with Schindler. I saw him at his office which was
in the King`s Road House at that time. And I was very impressed from
that. And Schindler and I seemed to strike a good report. I felt very
comfortable with him. So I asked him about doing our house. He said
well, I come and look at the lot first. He wouldn`t commit himself
until he saw the site. Then he came back and said that he saw the
lot and good possibilities and the only restriction that he found...
he looked up... You can`t have a flat roof. And that didn`t bother
him at all, because he didn`t intend to make it flat. So we said okay
to him to go ahead and do our house. We gave him some requirements.
Not necessarily how the house would be built, but what we would like
to see in the house. Well, we said okay, lets make preliminary plans.
And he wouldn`t take any money from us until we approve the preliminary
plans. 
That`s
the way he was. He didn`t built for someone who would have too many
restrictions and want him things that he didn`t approve on. The kind
of houses that he did was very natural. Probably usually inexpensive
materials. He never tried to built a pretentious home. However, we
saw the preliminary plans and we approved them. And by then he could
see we got along and accepted some money. The way Schindler liked
to work was, that he also liked supervising the contractors. We didn`t
have a general contractor. For an extra 5% Schindler did the supervising.
He arranged, he had companies that he was used to working with. And
of course he had some other contractor for the concrete work, the
brick work, roofing, painting... so on. However he did mention that
he wanted to use fiberglass. We were kind of weary that, because we
didn`t know what it was. He said he`ll show it to us before we use
it. And the plans were such that parts of the house were composition
roof. He didn`t mention anything on the plans about using other than
composition. You know? However, because of unorthodox design of the
house We were trying to get some private loans... some people that
he knew. But we were unsuccessful. After six trying, Neutra lectured
the Savings Loan League of Los Angeles. And he criticized them for
not being sympathetic. And talked about South America being very much
in favor to some of the modern houses. So anyway, they decided to
make a children loan. And I was informed of this. I was ready on place.
I was a silversmith at that time. In fact I was doing silverware when
I first got Schindler do our house. Then I met Schindler and he came
to see me in my shop a couple of times. Anyway, the owner was a member
of that league. He suggested that I go to the Beverly Hills Savings
and Loan and try it. And they gave me a loan who was a sort of a children
loan. Who was much less than what I would`ve liked. So we were short
to begin with and let us even shorter. But we were so glad to get
anything. Anyway, the house: as far as the fiberglass goes. Even on
the plans... we weren`t around... it didn`t show fiberglass. Then
when the house was in the construction status, we still didn`t see
the fiberglass. I had no idea how it would be. We finally saw it when
it was in place. (laughing) He wanted to make sure that we had no
objection to it. And of course as the house progressed there was nothing
on the lot, no landscaping, no trees, nothing. 
Some
of the neighbours objected it... In fact the woman next door. She
didn`t know that we knew that. But she tried to get a petition to
stop the house from being built. She was unsucceßssful. However.
She did give that house to her son. Later, about 20 years later, when
she was visiting him, she turned around on the drive way and she said:
"Mr. Tischler, I must tell you, your house is simply beautiful." (laughing)
She didn`t know that I knew she tried to stop the house. Anyway, it`s
true. It looked a lot different when the landscaping was in. It was
pretty stuck to begin with. After the house was finished, because
we were short of funds, a lot of things left off that we would have
liked. Such a garbage disposal, dishwasher and so these things were
left off. The room down below was finished later. It was meant to
be sort of an office for myself, to see clients. We couldn`t finish
it at the time that he was building the house and he came back about
two years later and supervised the putting in of the glass windows.
The room still was unfinished when he died. But I did a lot of the
finishing later. But he fortunately, when the house was built he put
in the rough plumbing. So we were able to finish that room and put
in a bed. The rough plumbing would have been the hardest part... that
was in. Anyway. We were very happy with the house. We raised two daughters
here. The house was small. We had daughters, teenagers. They had all
their friends over, and the telephone. So Mrs. Tischler and I moved
downstairs and gave the house to the kids. Just to get away from the
noise. I wanted to go down, and she said, I want to go with you. (laughing)
So, kids got married... the girls got married and moved away. And
then we stayed in the house because it was pretty comfortable for
us and we knew, we couldn`t find anything like this. Living in this
house is really an experience. It`s not like an ordinary house. In
fact it`s no enclosure. Where ever you look there is something nice
to see. And no matter how long you live in that house, it`s sort of
a new experience each time you see it. Like my friend described it
really well. Years ago when he was studying to be an architect. One
thing about a Schindler house, he says: "You don`t know exactly what`s
happening. But you know, something is happening when you walk in.
It`s alive!" And it`s true, the house is alive. It`s like a person...
not perfect... little things... All in all what he has given us is
a house that has a living quality that we were unable to find in any
other place.
You said, you finished some parts yourself because Schindler could only do a very rough version?
Oh! This was only in the room downstairs. He was able to finish the house here. Except for garbage disposal, dishwasher... things like that. But the room down below... we didn`t have funds enough. It was left unfinished. Rough plumbing was in. I added the bathroom later. But he came two years later and partially finished... he rough finished the room. And I did some of the furnishing later. But Schindler wanted to make sure that the design was right. Windows weren`t put in then. But they had an unusual shape. So, he wanted to make sure that we did it right.
Did you have the idea to get a designer house from the beginning?
Well, the house is Schindlers design. An architect like Schindler had to go along. That`s what I say. He wouldn`t take any money before you approve the preliminary plans. You had to go along with him. Each house he built was a signature of it`s own. And it`s a reflection of about the work he does. So that you have to really go along. And we did.
Was Schindler interested in your ideas? Did Schindler make a house for your personality or your need?
Well, somewhat. But it`s mostly Schindlers house. When he saw the site, You know, he did design a house to this site. In my case he did do some things that were on a personal basis. He tried to introduce silver. Because I was a silversmith at that time. So the fireplace and a few other things didn`t quite work bad. The alsvenite (fiberglass) to begin with was very hot. It was an experiment that Schindler did and thought of a high ceiling and living in Westwood close to Santa Monica it would be all right. But it was hot. So he tried different things to get rid of the heat and the light. Finally he felt, that if the trees grew up, and we had a line, we wouldn`t need it. But you know, for trees to get that high, it takes like twenty years. So we finally settled on covering the top two thirds (of the roof). Took paneling on the inside. But it was mostly our requirements. And one thing about Schindler... No matter what he did say to me, he never did say no. He just didn`t do it.(laughing) But it`s Schindler who did the house here. We sold a lot we had in Beverlywood. It was a new section and a lot of lots. And I didn`t like what was happening because most of the houses were pretty much like they were built by contractors. So I sold that lot to a contractor and bought this lot. I was able to sell that lot for more money than this lot. But this to me is a much better lot, a much better neighbourhood. But the other was flat, reasonably flat. So, a contractor could built on. We bought this from an individual who didn`t have money to build a house. His family was growing. So he bought a house that was already built. And then he needed money and I bought this lot.
Have you been close to the idea to have a designer house because you worked as a silversmith at this time?
When we first contacted Schindler, I didn`t contact him because he was famous. You know. He is more famos now, than he was at that time. We contacted him because I liked what he did. That`s mainly what I considered. The type of person I was and the type of houses he built. I thought he was the one for us.
So, Neutra and Ellwood were more famous at that time?
Well, Yes. Neutra was very famous. Craig Ellwood became famous later and he gave up architecture. He is doing sculpture. Idon`t know if he is still alive. But Neutra at that time was the architect. He was the one that was getting all the notoriety. His plans were very detailed and could have a contractor built a house. Schindler liked to play with it. He preferred to do the supervising and his plans were not very detailed. He would come to the site. He was here in frequently and would make changes. Maybe not big changes but little changes. How things would fit. How things would work. It`s pretty difficult to built a house like this, because see, it`s not made like a regular house. Most carpenters and contractors they know how windows fit. How to do a roof and so forth. But this house is very different. There isn`t anything that is standard in it and we did have trouble with some leaks to begin with. But they have all been corrected now. And it`s fine. I think, I don`t know... as far as Los Angeles... the way it`s suited... Schindler because he felt the climate and he could built the kind of houses he wanted. Things like double paints and you know, if there is real cold weather double windows, would give him problems installating a house... and heating and so forth. Those things disturbed him. Schindler in my estimation was really an artist architect as opposed to an engineer architect. He looked at it like an artist. And I think that`s the way he thought about Los Angeles. And I think Los Angeles is a kind of city people do things that they may not do back East in the place where they grew up. A lot of people would come and leave their family and friends behind and fell free and do anything what they want. I think Schindler recognized that in Los Angeles. He liked it. I came from Atlantik City in New Jersey and I liked California for that reason. Particularly Los Angeles. The kind of house that I built... or got Schindler to built for us, he couldn`t do back East where it was cold. It only can be done in Southern California.
In the MAK brochure there is a line where it says, that the atmosphere in the main room was uncomfortable because of the blue light?
It was. See, this blue used to go all the way up, and that was too much because it was too hot and too blue. See, that was blue up front too, the two verticals. I had to replace that fiberglass and I was gonna spray it blue because I couldn`t get any blue at that time. And then we liked it the way it was. So we just left it. But when the blue went all the way up top it was little too much. As I say, it was an experiment for Schindler. And then he realized himself that it was a problem. But he was determined to try to make it work. Because, you know, just visiting it... if you see it late in the day or early in the morning it was fine. But if you were here in the middle of the day when the sun is high, it was just too much. He definetly knew that... after it was done. We all experimented with different things. We tried to, you know, fix it.
When did you change it? Very early?
Yes. But Schindler was dead at that time.
But as you said, he was always working on it. He thought a lot about the change of the house. So, it was not against his kind of thinking?
No! He wanted to make a translucent house and was determined to try to make the work. And he felt, if we had trees planted shading would be enough. But it wasn`t. A lot of things weren`t done. Well, it takes twenty years to really finish a house. And then Schindlers house! It took longer fo the trees to grow. And then it still wasn`t enough shade. At the very top, you see, that`s so high, and the way it`s backed from the trees there was no way. So that seemed to work out really funny. And we liked the blue. Youz know, what it shows. It`s very interesting the way the leaves and the shadows... we know every time of the day it changes.
But the blue wasn`t your choice, your colour? Schindler took this colour for you?
He thought the blue would work with the silver good. So the only thing was, that we never saw it before it was done. Because we were little weary of that. That was sort of experimental. We had never seen how that could be. Of course we liked to go along with Schindler. He wanted to make sure, so he didn`t show it to us before it was finished.
Fiberglass was a new material at that time?
Yes, it was new. They began to use it. He began to use it before this for subside panels for remodeling he did. I think it was Esther Mc Coys place. Must have been 47-48. And then he used it here in 1949. He had ordered it special. They didn`t make it in blue. And he ordered special weight. It`s made by the alsvenite people at that time. I don`t think that they`re any longer in business. So these are the original panels. I have to keep refurbishing them once in a while. To spray them.
But is it very resitant?
What happens is the weather...the sun brings some of the fibers to the surface. Then it's not very transparent. It looks kind of muddy. So I spray it. It keeps some of the fibers in place.
Did you get any earthquake damages here?
No, not at all Because it's a wooden construction?
Well, I don't know. May be. It's more than just wood.See, we have a lot of glass. Maybe it's the neighbourghood. All the houses down the street had a lot of damage. Slipped off it's foundation. But I think it's probably the way the house was built.