Exiled in L.A.

In 1936, Leopold Fischer (19011975), in exile from Nazi Germany, arrived in California, where he created a small but distinct oeuvre of mostly domestic architecture. In contrast to his famous peers Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, immigrants whose Southern California buildings are frequently examinedand who, like Fischer, studied with the modernist architect Adolf LoosFischer and his California structures have, until now, escaped the attention of architectural history. Exiled in L.A. examines Fischers important, yet overlooked, contributions to Southern California architecture. As the whereabouts of Fischers archives remain unknown, Volker M. Welter grounds the designers California works in comparison with his pre-exile projects and the compositions of fellow architects in California. In the 1920s, Fischer created experimental working-class housing estates in Germany that pioneered ecological construction and living practices. Comparable to their predecessors, Fischer's California buildings revolve around the functioning, the organization of a home, as he defined domestic architecture in 1926. Featuring new photography and detailed architectural plans, this book is an original contribution to the literature on Southern Californias built heritage.