A 2007 portrait of Shulman in his Hollywood Hills home. Photo: John Ellis for Metropolis. Click the image to launch a slide show of Shulman’s work.

Metropolis was saddened to learn this afternoon that the legendary architectural photographer Julius Shulman passed away last night, just a few months shy of his 99th birthday. We’ll be posting more about Shulman’s astonishing career in the coming days. In the meantime, we thought readers would like to revisit Paul Makovsky’s 2007 story, “The Photographic Memory of Julius Shulman,” in which the photographer discusses the genesis of some of his most remarkable images. You can also view the photos and read Shulman’s commentary in a slide-show format by clicking the image above.

This is the second of two reports from a recent daylong retreat at Philip Johnson’s iconic residence. Click here to read part 1.

Photos: Belinda Lanks

A small cadre of design professionals came together last Wednesday at Philip Johnson’s Glass House to discuss the thornier issues of Modern preservation. The site was a perfect setting for such a conversation: Johnson guaranteed the survival of his 47-acre compound in New Canaan, Connecticut, by transferring it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which opened the grounds to the public in 2007. Among the compelling questions raised were: What steps should be taken to ensure the survival of important postwar structures, and how can architects find new lessons in those buildings while respectfully moving beyond them? Read more…

This is the first of two reports from a recent daylong retreat at Philip Johnson’s iconic residence. Click here to read part 2.

The Brick House (left) sits across the lawn from the Glass House. Photo: Timothy Hursley

Last week I attended the Architects Retreat at Philip Johnson’s Glass House. Before the full-day program began, we took a now familiar tour of the spectacular property in New Canaan, Connecticut. When we got to the Brick House, the smaller companion to the Glass House across the lawn, we were warned not to go in. Mold has taken over this cozy 1949 structure to the point where everything therein is now covered with it, including the classic Gaetano Pesce chairs and the books on the shelves. Now empty, waiting for remediation and restoration, the Brick House is about to become a test case for the National Trust’s new approach to preserving Modernist buildings in the age of sustainable design. Read more…

The best thing about the International Style today is the paradox of patina on what were supposed to be forever-new buildings. Looking at Oscar Niemeyer Buildings, the recently released Rizzoli monograph of the great 100-year-old Brazilian architect’s work—with new color photos of his nearly 300 buildings—I’m struck by how quickly Modern structures start to look like ancient monuments. Read more…

J. Crew shot its recent catalog at Richard Neutra’s iconic Kaufmann House.

Last spring, Banana Republic launched an advertising campaign featuring architects at work—or at least vaguely intellectual-looking twentysomethings sitting in Eames chairs near architectural models. Read more…