Death of a Friend: Stephen Kanner
Stephen Kanner
A move to another country is a huge undertaking and the newcomer is dependent on the kindness of strangers to ease his or her passage into a new life. At least, that was my experience. My transition to life in America was enabled by many good people, one of whom I am devastated to learn died Friday. He was Stephen Kanner, architect, tireless advocate for the architectural community in LA, and co-founder of the A+D Museum.
I met Stephen not long after arriving here, when I was editing L.A. Architect, the monthly publication for the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, now known as Form. I was responsible for the layout as well as content and chose to put a picture of an apartment building in Koreatown, for which he had just won an AIA/LA design award, on the cover. Stephen, who had recently become a partner in his father Charles “Chuck” Kanner’s office, was so thrilled he came to the office to thank me personally. It happened to be pouring torrentially with rain when he arrived, and I was about to get soaked. Stephen chivalrously gave me his only umbrella. I promised I would return it, and he departed, not minding if he got soaked.
A few months later I got the chance to return the umbrella, when he and his wife Cynthia found that a houseguest of theirs was an old friend of mine and we met for dinner. That was the start of a friendship with the entire, extended, and very close, Kanner family, which included his mother Judith, an interior decorator, screenwriter and colorful matriarch; his daughters Caroline and Charlotte (just recently 15-year old Caroline had started designing with her father); Stephen’s sister Catherine, an illustrator; her husband Winston Chappell, also an architect, and their two daughters.
After leaving the editorship of L.A. Architect, I needed to extend my visa. Stephen and Chuck volunteered to let me work in their office, on my own projects as well as help develop theirs, and they sponsored me for a visa. I am indebted to them for doing this.
Stephen was never a cutting-edge LA architect in the sense of being avant-garde but he was certainly a very good one. He inherited a firm that been first established in 1946 by Chuck’s father, Herman, designer of clean-lined, commercial, modern buildings. Chuck and Stephen both loved that aesthetic and it flavored the work that was to come, in houses and housing as well as public buildings like the East Los Angeles Courthouse.
Stephen grew up in Brentwood and retained immensely fond memories of the cheerfully futuristic landmarks of his childhood, like Pacific Ocean Park and young Disneyland. When I first got to know him he was pushing the firm into a colorful, playful version of LA Modernism, earning popular acclaim for the red and yellow In “N” Out Burger in Westwood, that cleverly took its shape from the company’s logo. He explored these concepts in amazing, vivid images, reflective of a gift for painting as well as an innate ability to imagine a building in three dimensions. He was also an unusual person, combining professionalism with an innocent and infectious enthusiasm for people and things that charmed him.
26th and Santa Monica Boulevard Housing for CCSM
While he toned down the color in recent years as the firm grew more prolific, and highly regarded, he remained true to the midcentury source, at the same time creating buildings that were sustainable in the traditional sense: well-built, practical, full of natural light and air. Among recent notable designs were his Jetsonian gas station on Slauson at La Brea, a lovely low-income housing complex at 26th and Santa Monica Boulevard for the Community Corporation of Santa Monica, and a sleek condo building fashioned out of a defunct commercial tower, now called Sunset Vine Tower in Hollywood.
Even as his firm got busier, he poured enormous amounts of time and energy into advocacy for the architectural community in LA (hear him on DnA, talking up other architects and “enlightened developers”), with his greatest legacy being A+D Museum, a showcase of architecture and design that he co-founded ten years ago with his great friend and collaborator, the Ghanaian architect Joe Osae-Addo, and others.
Since its founding the museum had been a permanent pop-up, bouncing from one location to another, reliant on meager funding but gradually building a loyal following drawn to its guerilla MO. I last saw Stephen in April at a proud moment: the opening of A+D’s first permanent location, on Wilshire Boulevard in Miracle Mile. Stephen, surrounded by family and supporters of the museum, just weeks before being overcome by the cancer that felled him, seemed joyful. While his death at 54 is painfully premature, this was a fitting, final, public moment for a man who got to make a large mark in a short time.
A+D Museum will hold a memorial for Stephen, opening November 4, 2010 until January 16, 2011. They have also established a memorial fund in his name.
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I met Steve on one of his visits to Ghana to see Joe, and along with the folks who met him, came to consider him a friend. Everyone who knew him is utterly shocked by the news, from the tennis pros he played doubles with to those of us he did a little bit of business with.
Great shame.
Our condolences to his family.
Words escape me. Much like Frances, I was "adopted" by the Kanner clan following my marriage to Stephen's great friend and fellow architect – Joe Osae Addo – and my subsequent relocation to LA with a brand new baby in tow. Stephen was warm, witty and utterly gracious, and he and his entire family made sure that I never ever felt lonely in a new city!
I continued to see Stephen on his frequent visits to Ghana and always enjoyed time spent with him. He became part and parcel of our Ghanaian family and my family members who met him have expressed total disbelief at his passing.
He will truly be missed …….
I never met Stephen but always admired his wit and work. Our planet has one last star of enlightenment. Thanks Frances for this tribute.
This is a sad sad shock. A dear soul whom let my puppies lay under his desk at meetings.
Deepest Sympathy to the Kanner Family
[...] Death of a Friend: Stephen Kanner, by KCRW’s Frances Anderton [...]
thanks, Frances, for saying it so well. I was glad to spend some time with him working on A plus D. What a good soul.
Rats. he was a very nice man.
This is truly sad news. We were in discussion with him to build his striking house at The Houses At Sagaponac in Long Island, NY. Sadly this will be a tougher hill to climb now.
He will be missed . . . .
Thank you Frances. I feel very grateful to have met Stephen and to have been a part of his vision and goals for the A+D. Stephen was a thoughtful, kind and generous man, and he always took the time to empower younger professionals in the design community. He will be greatly missed.
I think I only met Steve once or twice, the last time deejaying the opening of the new museum. But I liked him right away. I am saddened by his passing.
“The good die young”, “a life lived by lofty ideals” and many more come rushing to the fore. May he rest in peace.
What a wonderful article and a beautiful remembrance. While I only worked at Kanner Arch for a brief time, it was my first real architecture job out of school and Stephen and Chuck and the entire Kanner clan were an interesting bunch to meet and get to know. I remember Frances joining the office rather mysteriously one day but there were always new faces at that office and that was part of the charm and energy that made it a fun place to work. I'm shocked and saddened to learn of Stephen's passing. Long live the googie architecture that he loved so much.
I met Stephen through Joe Osae Addo on one of his visits to Ghana and immediately concluded that this must be a real gentleman.Very cool and charming.My condolences to the Kanner family and all colleagues.
While he was not that nice to me when I contacted him, I can see that this dude was a major talent! Loved all the Venice works that I see every day.
Sorry to see him go. A real westside treasure!
I knew Stephan at Berkley College of Environmental Design, back in 1975. We were in drawing class together and became good friends. His great tallent and his enthusiam was large and so enjoyable. He helped me through our final assignment. Our class layed out on the ground in the Wurster Hal entrance while Toni- ur instructor photographed us from the roof. We were in funny clothes hats ect. The photo was girided out to make a large mural on the entry wall of the school. Each of us had a 4'x4' plywood panel of ourselves to paint. He said that I painted a great hat which gave me incouragement. While installing the very large murral. we were drilling into the concrete wall of the entry to mount the panels. It somehow felt good. We had such a good time. I am deeply sorry for his death, my condolences to his family.
Steve was just the kindest, most self-effacing gentleman, whose enthusiam for architectureand his fellow architects never seemed to wane. I'm sorry not to have known him better, but believe his vision for the A+D Museum will make an indelible contribution to Los Angeles and eventually architects everywhere.
As a film director, who oftentimes feels to be in a cut throat direct competition with other film directors, I marvelled at Mr. Kanner's generous support he gave other architects. I witnessed this repeatedly at A+D Museum shows that provided new and/or emerging architects a place to strut their work. I remember thinking, Kanner's got a little touch of the Buddha going on there, I should try that. It showed me a new way to conduct myself in "Hollywood" (on my better days). Something to strive for anyway. Thank you, Mr. Kanner.
Stephen Kanner will be sorely missed by me and I send my deepest condolences to the Kanner family. Stephen introduced me to Bernard Zimmerman and Joe Addo many years ago over lunch at one of their favorite hang-outs. They inspired me to join them in building a museum dedicated to showcasing the talents of rising and seasoned architects and designers. Stephen’s enthusiasm and optimism was contagious, myself and many others followed him from one museum location to another, each time building the museum from scratch and with no funding. At every new location volunteers put on bigger and better exhibits. All of the different museum locations and nearly all the events were built from the generosity, support and good will that Stephen miraculously cobbled together from builders, architects, designers, graphic artists, building material manufacturers, engineers, students and the list goes on.
After the last board meeting two days before the grand opening of the museum at its present location, Stephen looked at me, beaming and declared: “We did it!” He was so happy. I know the board shares my view that our work continues and our resolve is hardened in the memory and generous spirit of Stephen Kanner.
A sad loss for the City of Los Angeles and our entire Architecture community. He will be missed, but he left a wonderful legacy with the A+D Museum that he worked so passionately for. Our condolences to his family.
Your tribute to Steve spoke volumes about his character, commitment and generous personality. While I did not know him well, I knew he was for real, just like his father, who along with Bob Kennard warmly welcomed me to LA as a fledgling architect in the late 70's. In these days of starchitects, it is especially poignant and sad that a supremely talented, passionate colleague with a genuine soul died way to soon.
Brenda Levin
My condolences to both Stephen's family and friends. I had complete respect for him as an Architect and more so for his passion and work ethic. Although we weren't close as friends, we worked together on many projects and I'm grateful to have known him.
What a sad loss for the LA architectural community. Thank you Frances for a wonderful tribute. I didn't know Steve very well, but your piece helps us better understand that his impact on our community and the City of Los Angeles has been important in so many ways.
He will be sorely missed.
I worked in his office for a short time, several years ago. I remember Stephen to be fair, patient and attentive to everyone, regardless of their professional experience or social standing. He was truly a very kind man and an extremly creative individual. His body of work is unique, and greatly contributes to the architectural style of Los Angeles. He will be missed.
John McNeil
Frances,
You’ve done a wonderful job of articulating a man that has left us too soon. However, in his short time here he truly lived a full life. A talented architect, he will be missed by many.
I was terribly saddened to hear this news, and to not have had a chance to say to Stephen how much I appreciated the energy and talent he brought to our architecture community and to our city. He will be sorely missed on many levels, and we lost him way too early. I hope his daughters and his wife, who unfortunately I have never met, know what a profound impact Stephen had on all he touched professionally, as that is the way I knew him – a passionate and skillful architect who created things of beauty on tight budgets, and loved what he did. I am so lucky to have worked with him.
I was fortunate appraise Mr. Kanner's design at 20851 Big Rock, for a Malibu client, not just once, but twice. I appreciated his designs and energy very much, and always looked forward to meeting the man. We are lucky to have such a spirit in our lives. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Stephen was such a wonderfully spirited man. We shared a respect for each other's architect fathers, and that design era, and he unfailingly asked about my dad even in the throes of losing his own to cancer. I was fortunate enough to have written about some of his projects, and the prospect of working with him again always thrilled me, as he just so much loved what he did. What a loss to Judith, Cynthia, his girls and, certainly, the rest of us.
He was a star — always shining. A man of grace, kindness and enthusiasm for life.
If Stephen were here now he would be quick to credit Tom Hinerfeld and his team for their dedication and hard work in bringing A+D to fruition.
i didn't have much contact with stephen in the last few years…it was about 7 years ago when a+d museum was still at the bradbury building. i had an idea for a 3-series roundtable discussion (rural studio in urban la..is this possible). liz martin took my idea to stephen & the board. stephen didn't know me and i didn't have any experience in creating/organizing anything like i had in mind but they supported me. the roundtable series was successful and became a group called urban studio later to be known as cityworks losangeles. stephen again supported us (as did tom hinerfeld) giving cityworks los angeles the space to have an exhibition and to hold smaller events and group meetings (at the new location at sunset plaza). thinking back on this…his giving me his approval for the roundtable discussion forced me to enter new territory reaching out to my architectural community (and beyond) and gave me the opportunity to meet a group of people who are to this day important to me as friends and colleagues. i am happy to say we are still out there (no longer as cityworks los angeles but together and apart) trying to make difference. a few weeks ago at an a+d event at the new permanent space i had one last brief chat with him. i feel so sad that i did not say this to him then instead saying this in his honor. thank you stephen. may you rest in peace.
Too soon and so sorry to learn of his passing. A great talent and kind-spirited man.
Frances – a great tribute to a kind and generous man and a talented Architect. Such a sad loss.
A fitting tribute, Frances, to a kind and talented colleague. My fondest memories are gathering together in the evenings at Stephen's office year after year with friends Joe Addo, Bernard Zimmerman, Ray Kappe, Martin Gelber, Marvin Rand, Nick Seirup, Mehrdad Yazdani, Bob Hale and others to dream-up and plan 100/100, New Blood and Millennium exhibits before the A + D was born. Stephen was the passionate leader and facilitator, and his office was the clubhouse. He was dedicated to showcasing the talents in LA. He always kept us moving forward, and we will dearly miss him.
I have known Steve for over twenty year's, he was a great support to the profession, he saw the enjoyment of embracing all things design!. I will miss his enthusiasm, public outreach, and his friendship.
My condolences to his family.
Edmund M. Einy, FAIA
tragically and suddenly, steve kanner has died. it's a shock and a real blow because stephen was one of those rare guys who was exceptionally gifted at calmly doing many pressure loaded activities simultaneously. he made that stuff look easy but it’s not really. he could take care of growing his own practice and had plenty of energy and time and generosity left over to support others and shepherd the A+D around LA until it found a permanent home. if you asked him how he did it, which i did once, he would tell you that he was doing it because he thought it was kind of fun.
Stephen Kanner was a kind and generous man, filled with love for his family and his community (or communities, for he was involved in so many things), and unafraid to share it. I was touched by Stephen's thoughtful concentration, his rare ability to focus in the moment, his ability to be present for those around him. Whenever I met with Stephen, he made me feel like I was the most important person in the world to him, and our conversation was the only thing going on for him at that moment – despite his larger-than-life role in the architecture community and his life as a family man. I was moved also by the family legacy that Stephen carried with him, the influence of his own father in Stephen's life, the close bond they shared with one another, and the positive impact that relationship had on Stephen's relationship with his own family, children and others.
Stephen seemed to radiate a confidence and stability grounded in those primary relationships, perhaps providing the foundation that allowed him to mentor young architects and others in such a selfless, giving manner. I consider Stephen's premature death to be a huge personal loss, and I know this void will be felt across the architecture and design communities and the greater City as well. My thoughts are with Stephen's wife Cynthia and their lovely daughters. Stephen Kanner remains an inspiration!
My condolences to his family. What a sad loss for LA. I drive by his projects often and am reminded about what a dedicated kind gentleman he was. His work was always strong and inspiring. The loss to our architectural community will heartfelt.
Stephen was a very good architect and a true gentleman. We lost him way too early… RIP…
Inadvertently, Stephen Kanner speerheaded my career and reputation as an architect who had been working very hard in Palm Springs, with virtually no recognition, by being instrumental in having our work exhibited in the A+D Museum NewBlood/NewGen in 2006. Since then, our office has not only succeeded but has continued to be faithful to the Utopian principles that has lured so many young architects to pursue our craft with a burning passion while maintaining an uncompromising integrity, ethics and high moral standards. God Bless his family, friends and collaborators. Rest in Peace and thank you Stephen for being such an inspiration.
Ana Escalante, AIA
escalante architects
I knew Stephen my whole life. I have never met another man who was kinder and more gentle than Stephen. We first met when his mother brought him across the street looking for a new playmate as they had just moved into the neighborhood. We were 4 years old. We played just about every day for the next 8 years, after school and on weekends – indeed a very long time when you are that age. His tragic and untimely passing has made me remember all the many amazing adventures we shared during those formative years. Too many to recount here!
We went to different middle and high schools and drifted apart as a result. We re-connected in Boston when he was working for Cambridge 7 and I was training in surgery. It was as if no time had passed, such is the nature of a friendship like ours. My wife, Laurel, also came quickly to appreciate his goodness as we shared ski adventures, funny movies, and Lancers wine with spaghetti. She is a medical artist and Stephen was fascinated by her work, though he told her he would prefer to think the inside of the human body was made of "blue plexiglass." In his honor, I am going to obtain a beautiful cube of blue plexiglass and keep it on my desk as a reminder of his gentle spirit whenever I gaze at it. Such a sad day….
I did not know Steve personally, however our paths have crossed over the years, he was just ahead of me at CED in Wurster Hall, and as a fellow architect, I followed the firms work since as gauge of my own progress. He will be missed in this town immensely, my thoughts and prayers to his family.
In Stephen Kanner, Los Angeles and its community of architects has lost a great advocate for civic pride and design excellence. His tireless efforts through the A+D Museum summarize Stephen's generosity and enthusiasm for people and their ideas. An altogether rare case of selflessness that shall not, in perpetuity, go unnoticed.
I just finished a book on mid-century modernism and Stephen was a big part of it. He stepped up to the plate and introduced me to many LA architects that I included in my book. He was kind, open and extremely forthcoming and helped me greatly. What a wonderful guy and a great loss for LA.
[...] and the late Stephen Kanner, who died of cancer at 54 this month. (Anderton wrote this tribute to Kanner, who is represented in the show by his 26th Street housing complex in Santa Monica, soon [...]
I am late in learning of this tragedy – I have known Steve for many years and I've worked with him in many capacities. He recently finished a project on the corner of Lincoln and Venice – a project that I passed every day on my way to work. It was a catalyst for my latest project, and I called him to talk about the concept. He, of course, was kind and helpful and seemed delighted that his project has inspired me. When I finished my project, coincidently we met in an elevator in my building, where I had finished that project – I invited him to come walk through it with me – he was on his way to a doctor's appointment – he looked well – it was mid June. He came and looked at everything with me. I was honored – he has now apparently died a few weeks later. How lucky we all are to have had him in our lives. What a sad loss. My condolences to his family and to all of us.
what a sad news,a wonderful man gone too soon steve was just a kind and nice person to go so fast he saved my life and i think he is with GOD right now he is very close friend and i ll miss him so much…friends,family,mother kinds and a wife u have left behind but know that we ll always remember u.
[...] write with immense sadness about another untimely death in the LA architecture community. Yesterday we lost John Chase, dearest friend to me [...]
[...] Death of a Friend: Stephen Kanner | Design & Architecture [...]
[...] be memorialized at the launch of an exhibit of his work at A+D Museum. As I wrote about Stephen here, he was central to the LA architecture community, not only as a design of talent himself but also [...]
Hi Efe, I am Christina, I am sure Stephen mention my name with you. It would be great one of these days you can email me almacristina007@gmail.com Thanks
[...] profiled Stephen Kanner of Kanner Architects when he passed away last [...]
[...] building at Lafayette Park (the last, and much-commended project by Stephen Kanner before his passing last year); a discussion at Atwater Village with Geoff Manaugh, Edward Lifson, Oliver Hess and Dutch design [...]
[...] building at Lafayette Park (the last, and much-commended project by Stephen Kanner before his passing last year); a discussion at Atwater Village with Geoff Manaugh, Edward Lifson, Oliver Hess and Dutch design [...]
kind of enjoyed this post
not every part of it – there are a few points that i found a bit off however altogether it was a pleasant read, thank you for the post! =) Regards, weekend resa
Material like this is rare. Must say , an interesting read. Keep up the good work.
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Really like stephen kanner!
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Frances Anderton, along with hosting DnA, is a producer for Warren Olney's Which Way, L.A.? and To the Point on KCRW. In addition, Anderton is the L.A. Editor for Dwell magazine.
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