From what I can ascertain talking to the friends and family of the late Charles Haertling, the Boulder-area architect was passionately devoted to the natural world and to radical, forward-thinking architecture. His designs blend the two into an organic style totally his own, unabashedly. I wrote a portrait of Haertling and his work for the Archive section of this month's Dwell. I think it captures his iconoclastic dedication to architecture. I couldn't have done it without the help of my lovely and talented friends, graphic designer and artist Laura Haertling (his daughter) and photographer Cody Andresen, who directed me the work and connected me to the rest of the family and to clients. Thank you.
Below, Brenton House, 1969, a foam and steel wonder that made a brief appearance in Woody Allen's Sleeper.
Here is a black and white PDF of the piece, sadly, it isn't online and my copy of Dwell hasn't arrived to get a crisp color version.
Download Dwell_retrospective_july_august_2008.
Update: now available online!
HE WAS VISITING INSTRUCTOR @ CU IN THE MID-60S...HE WAS THE MOST FUN TEACHER WE HAD. HE ORGANIZED BROWN BAG LUNCH SEMINARS, INVITED CREATIVE THINKERS OF ALL DISCIPLINES TO INTERACT WITH STUDENTS.
MY FIRST JOB WAS AT HIS OFFICE. I'M AFRAID I DIDN'T DO TOO WELL; NO RELFECTION ON HIM...HE WAS GREAT. I REMEMBER HE DESIGNED A HILLSIDE HOME FOR A LOCAL BOULDERITE; WHILE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, THE BUILDER BROKE A CITY WATER MAIN.
THE BUILDER (EXCAVATOR)WAS REAL PROUD, THOUGH...HE MOVED BOULDERS AROUND, CREATED A WATERFALL HE THOUGHT CHUCK WOULD BE "REAL PROUD OF".
I REMEMBER MR. HEARTLING DID MANY CHURCHES...TOLD ME IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ARCHITECT TO PLAY GOD.
WHEN I WORKED FOR HIM, HIS KIDS WERE VERY YOUNG. I THINK HE WAS IN HIS 40S. IT WAS WHEN HE RAN AND WAS ELECTED TO THE BOULDER CITY COUNCIL.
Posted by: HOWARD SPECTOR | June 25, 2008 at 02:10 PM
Great photos of Haertling's work can be found here:
http://www.modmidmod.com/index.php?s=haertling
Posted by: Shannon Stanbro | August 08, 2008 at 04:42 PM