San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....Karl Kundert Medical Building, San Luis Obispo ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 25, 2006, 10:43 pm Source: Unavailable Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/karlkund77gph.jpg Image file size: 135.3 Kb KARL KUNDERT MEDICAL BUILDING 1106 Pacific Street, San Luis Obispo History and Description: The Karl Kundert Medical Building is a typical Frank Lloyd Wright design which was completed in 1956. Flow chart studies of Doctor Kundert's patients were taken, and utilized in the final outcome of the design. These extensive studies started in 1950 and it was not until 1954 that plans for the building were started. In the center of the building is a central island where the receptionist acts similarly to a control tower at an airport, directing traffic. The total construction time of the building was four to five months. It was originally going to be made out of Usonium Block, but the 5an Luis Building Codes would not allow it. Frank Lloyd Wright was unable to observe the construction of the building because he was working on the Marin Center in Marin County. So instead he sent one of his colleagues, Mr. E. Green, to inspect the progress. During the bad winter of 1967-1968, the San Luis Obispo Creek rose to a height of fifty feet. Doctor Kundert might have lost his building if it were not for Mr. Wright's knowledge of stress forces. For when the building was under construction he placed an "L" shaped slab of concrete, which ran down the side of the building and underneath the creek, to take up any seismic load. Composed of red brick with cut-out design in the windows, the building is offset from the lot and the back patio has a block wall around it which runs out into San Luis Obispo Creek. Wright utilizes nature by seemingly bringing the trees and background into the building. The roof of the building is flat, and the only leakage that ever occurred was near the fireplace. It was discovered after a while that the brick at the third level was loose and the water would seep through the mortar and inside after a heavy rain. On one occasion, the leaves from the surrounding trees clogged the gutters and the roof filled up with one foot of water. Yet the roof held firm. As you enter the building, the concrete walk is colored to the texture of the brick. The waiting room is completely open and the windows fold back so that the patio becomes a part of the inside. There are no molding strips around the doors and the building is broken up into many offices and rooms for patients. Sources: Louisiana Dart, Curator, San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum Doctor Karl Kundert Additional Comments: Extracted from Discovering San Luis Obispo County by Carleton M. Winslow File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/karlkund77gph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 3.3 Kb