Carl L. Maston (born Carl Mastopietro, June 17, 1915 – May 31, 1992) was an American architect known for his

mid-century modern Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...

architecture.

Biography

Maston was born to an Italian father and English mother. Ultimately choosing the architectural profession over a career in music, Maston designed more than 100 buildings, including private residences, apartment buildings, shopping centers and large-scale institutional projects. Upon graduating from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

he worked for the offices of Floyd Rible, A. Quincy Jones, Fred Emmons, Phil Daniel, and Allied Architects. After serving in World War II, Maston returned to Los Angeles and opened his first office in Beverly Hills. In 1946, he was commissioned to build the Pandora Apartments, marking the beginning of his experimentation with garden apartment design. In 1954, Maston completed his portion of the quintessential California apartment complex, the National Boulevard Apartments (Maston designed one building, architect Ray Kappe the other). In 1960, he designed the now demolished Valley Ice Skating Center which featured a barrel vaulted tensile concrete roof. Among his most noted accomplishments are the

Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design The Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design is a college part of the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). The college houses over 1,600 students; making it one of largest environmental design programs in the ...

, and the Creative Arts Building at the

California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Bernardino (Cal State San Bernardino or CSUSB) is a public research university in San Bernardino, California. Founded in 1965, it is part of the California State University system. The main campus sits on in th ...

. In the 1980s he married Edith Carissimi, who for four decades, ran Musso & Frank Grill,

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

's oldest restaurant and celebrity haunt.

Works

Of his residential work, the Thies Residence, the Hillside House, and the Maston Residence have been recently renovated by

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

creator Ryan Murphy and published. The

still stands in almost original condition. The only modification being a seismic retrofit which added several exposed concrete ties around the brick portions of the building. The

Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is a historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California that works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Los Angeles Conservancy is the largest m ...

noted "With its exposed concrete, brick, and glass, Maston's design expresses itself in a functional yet aesthetically pleasing place for students to practice their craft."

Notes

References

Carl Maston; Architect's Works Dot the Southland Landscape
''LA Times'', June 3, 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Maston, Carl Architects from California Modernist architects from the United States USC School of Architecture alumni 1915 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American architects