reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
[personal profile] reviews_and_ramblings
Lived: Del Playa Dr, Goleta, CA 93117, USA (34.40978, -119.869377)

The three houses at the end of Del Playa are historic mid-XX century international style homes by noted local architect Richard B. Taylor built in 1957, 1967, and 1968. The later two still exist; the first one (also called the Sunset House) was destroyed and replaced in 2013. They were built for UCSB professors, and they're among the few buildings designed in Isla Vista by significant architects and almost fifty years old or older.
Address: Del Playa Dr, Goleta, CA 93117, USA (34.40978, -119.869377)
Type: Private Property
Place
Two of the houses are called the Hodgkins and Skubic (or Scubic) Houses because they were built for Jean L. Hodgkins and Vera Skubic, two women who were a couple and professors at UCSB, Hodgkins in ergonomics and Skubic in physical education. The story, as told by a longtime resident of this end of Del Playa, is that they commissioned their first house (the middle brown one at 6881, called the Sunset House) in 1957 and lived in it for a while, then decided to commission a new house for themselves (the west blue one at 6885) in 1967 based on what they liked and disliked about living in the first one. A 1975 book called “Santa Barbara Architecture, from Spanish Colonial to Modern,” pretty much the authoritative book about local architecture, said "First Hodgkins and Scubic House. 1957 Richard Taylor, arch. 6881 Del Playa, Goleta. Built of steel, set on a block pedestal containing the utilities." and "Second Hodgkins and Scubic House. 1967 Richard Taylor, arch. 6885 Del Playa, Goleta. Upper portion opens to an ocean view, set prominently on a block pedestal, the building's ground floor. A simple and effective statement using common materials of redwood, block, and glass in its construction." A 1977 guidebook to architecture in Southern California also mentions these houses in its discussion of Isla Vista: "Architecturally, the only objects of note are three houses at the west end of Del Playa by Richard Taylor and the second Married Student Housing Project west of Los Carneros (1971-72) by Killingsworth & Brady. The 3 houses reflect three versions of the changing taste of the International style. The first, at 6881, is a metal box on stilts; 6885 is a wood shed-roof box suspended above the ground; 6877 is a sort of New-Brutalism concrete box on concrete stilts." This book was co-authored by David Gebhard, a UCSB professor and architectural historian. The earliest one, the middle brown house at 6881, was commonly called the Sunset House. In the 1990s and 2000s, it had been a rental house known for cooperative living, music, art, and friendly relaxed parties. Despite its historic significance, it was torn down in 2013 and replaced with new construction.
Life
Who: Jean Louise Hodgkins (October 29, 1914 – August 7, 1987) and Vera B. Skubic (January 7, 1921 – July 23, 1998), aka Elvera Scubic
Jean Hodgkins and Vera Skubic were professors at the University of California Santa Barbara -- Hodgkins in Ergonomics and Skubic in Physical Education. They commissioned this house from architect Richard Taylor at a time when the property was on the very edge of development. A 2003 Nexus article explains that Hodgkins and Skubic "both played major roles in the development of women’s athletics and ability to participate in recreational activities on American campuses during the 1970s. Prior to their arrival, the words “female” and “athlete” were not mentioned in the same sentence." Following Hodgkin's death in 1987, Skubic established an annual Jean Hodgkins Memorial Scholarship for outstanding women athletes at UCSB. Skubic died in 1998.



Queer Places, Vol. 1 edited by Elisa Rolle
ISBN-13: 978-1532901904
ISBN-10: 1532901909
Release Date: July 24, 2016
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/6228297
Amazon (print): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1532901909/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IZ1BU9K/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Profile

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
reviews_and_ramblings

December 2025

S M T W T F S
 12 3456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   

Links

Most Popular Tags

Disclaimer

All cover art, photo and graphic design contained in this site are copyrighted by the respective publishers and authors. These pages are for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement is intended. Should anyone object to our use of these items please contact by email the blog's owner.
This is an amateur blog, where I discuss my reading, what I like and sometimes my personal life. I do not endorse anyone or charge fees of any kind for the books I review. I do not accept money as a result of this blog.
I'm associated with Amazon/USA Affiliates Programs.
Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. However, some books were purchased by the reviewer and not provided for free. For information on how a particular title was obtained, please contact by email the blog's owner.
Days of Love Gallery - Copyright Legenda: http://www.elisarolle.com/gallery/index_legenda.html

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Dec. 5th, 2025 10:06 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios