Oral History with Ray Kappe

A TEI Project Interview of Raymond Kappe Contents 1. Transcript 1.1. TAPE NUMBER: I, Side One (September 19, 1995) 1.2. TAPE NUMBER: I, Side Two (September 19, 1995) 1.3. TAPE NUMBER: II, Side One (September 26, 1995) 1.4. TAPE NUMBER: II, Side Two (September 26, 1995) 1.5. TAPE NUMBER: III, Side One (October 2, 1995) 1.6. TAPE NUMBER: III, Side Two (October 2, 1995) 1.7. TAPE NUMBER: IV, Side One (October 2, 1995) 1.8. TAPE NUMBER: IV, Side Two (October 2, 1995) 1.9. TAPE NUMBER: V, Side One (October 11, 1995) 1.10. TAPE NUMBER: V, Side Two (October 11, 1995) 1.11. TAPE NUMBER: VI, Side One (October 11, 1995) 1.12. TAPE NUMBER: VI, Side Two (October 11, 1995) 1.13. TAPE NUMBER: VII, Side One (October 17, 1995) 1.14. TAPE NUMBER: VII, Side Two (October 17, 1995) 1.15. TAPE NUMBER: VIII, Side One (October 17, 1995) 1.16. TAPE NUMBER: VIII, Side Two (October 17, 1995) 1.17. TAPE NUMBER: IX, Side One (October 17, 1995) 1. Transcript 1.1. TAPE NUMBER: I, Side One (September 19, 1995) SMITH Mr. Kappe, let's begin at the beginning. Why don't you tell me a little bit about your family background. KAPPE Well, I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1927. My grandfather [Herman Kapelovitz] was a house and barn builder in North Dakota. My father [Phineas Kappe] was a hairdresser, and my mother [Betty Gold Kappe] was a milliner and hat designer in her younger days. I lived there for the first nine years of my life. And I guess the only things that pertained to what I eventually became were, one, I drew a lot. I was always involved with drawing from the time I was a little boy. I went to the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a private art school. That formed somewhat the basis for my interest in the drawing aspect, at least, of architecture. I think Minneapolis is a special place in terms of the lakes, the parks, the trees, and the city. I think it's the general character of the city itself that has a certain amount of influence on my background as well.Other than that, when I was ten we came to California. We spent one year here at that time. It was the last period of time that I was involved in art classes. I went to Chouinard [Art Institute] when I was here while also attending school. Then, again, we went back to Minneapolis the following year, and we were there for another couple of years.I guess another influence upon my beginning was probably just the fact that, in traveling across the country back and forth, there were special places along the way that sometimes had an effect upon me. I especially remember stopping at some of the national parks and Glacier National Park particularly. The lodges always had a major effect upon me: I guess the spaces, the way they were built, the quality of the construction. Those things I remember having strong memories about. Also sometimes we would end up in some special little cabin over a creek. That was always quite unusual, because the majority of places in those days, in the late thirties, when you traveled across the country were little cabins that were not very interesting. So those are the important visions that I remember from my youth.My days in junior high and high school were really not involved with art much. I enjoyed math and sciences. I've always enjoyed sports. So I guess most of my energy and time was in those areas.In later years, I didn't take any additional art classes. I took some drafting classes, like many would. But it wasn't probably until about eleventh grade that I became really interested in architecture at all. Prior to that, I assumed I would probably go into engineering in some form or other, because that seemed to be my strength. But then I read an article on architecture, and it was spelling out what architects do and the combination of skills and talents that one needs. It seemed to me that it was about the only field that brought together my beginnings in art and then my later involvements in math and science. SMITH Before you get too far ahead here, I want to ask you a few more questions about your early family background. The grandfather that was the barn builder, was that maternal grandfather or paternal? KAPPE That was paternal. Actually, he passed away when I was just four years old, so I never really experienced any of his buildings. But maybe just the fact that he was both cabinetmaker and builder, maybe some of that was passed down. My parents, again being involved in areas that did concern themselves with hands and craft and the making of things or doing of things, probably had some effect as well. So I guess that aspect must have been inherited to some degree, but it was never as conscious as it should have been. Had I been around my grandfather more, I probably would have been affected even more so. But it's just sort of interesting to me that without having done that certain abilities seemed to be passed down in some form or another. SMITH Almost genetically or something like that. KAPPE Maybe. That's the only way I can think of it, because it was never a conscious thing, you know. SMITH Did your parents used to point out buildings that your grandfather had built? KAPPE No, because he was in North Dakota; we were in Minneapolis. My dad wasn't very much interested in the field. I guess it was that as a kid he would work with his father sometimes, but he didn't enjoy the work that much. Either that or he didn't enjoy working with his father. I guess it would have been the old European ethic where one would be usually fairly strict when they would deal with their children, rather than being sympathetic to how one would learn. SMITH So your grandfather was an immigrant, then? KAPPE Yes. Both families immigrated from Romania, which also has a strong wood tradition as well. So I don't know how all that plays, but it seemed to somehow. SMITH Were your parents from Romania or your grand-parents? KAPPE My mother was. My father was born here. My mother was from Romania. SMITH Okay. And what were your parents' names? KAPPE Well, my mother's name was Betty. Do you want both names or--? SMITH Sure. KAPPE Betty Gold [Kappe]. My father's name was Phineas [Kappe]. Actually, the name originally was Kapelovitz, and then it was shortened to Kappe because of my father's work, which was hairdressing. My mother felt that the name was too long, so it was changed. SMITH It wouldn't fit on the sign outside the store? KAPPE Right, right. Or it didn't sound as whatever. SMITH He had a shop, his own shop, in Minneapolis? KAPPE He had his own shop in Minneapolis, right. SMITH And your mother? KAPPE My mother worked with him. But prior to that, when she first came over from Europe as a young girl, where she apprenticed as a milliner, she worked in New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis in her field. But once married, for a while she worked in her own field and then worked with my dad after that. SMITH What was behind the decision to come to California for a year? KAPPE I guess just the weather. My dad wanted to come here. He liked it better here and came out when I was ten, and then went back. Then we came back out when I was about thirteen, and we stayed after that. SMITH And what city did you live in out here? KAPPE Los Angeles. Actually I ended up going to Emerson Junior High [School] and University High School when we finally settled. So we were in West L.A. SMITH You also mentioned about this early interest in drawing and going to the Walker institute and art school, I guess, back in Minneapolis. So is this something that your parents encouraged? Or was this more your own initiative? KAPPE No. I guess my parents encouraged it really. They knew I had the interest, and I guess they encouraged my going on to do more. Because, as my mother said, I was always drawing from the time I was a little boy. I was an only child, and so I had more time to myself. And maybe being a little more introspective at that time, I just enjoyed drawing. But you know that later it became very secondary in my life at certain stages, as I said. Through the junior high and high school years, it was pretty much sublimated. SMITH And that was because you became more interested in math and science or--? KAPPE I guess in other things. Maybe due to the fact that I'd spent so much time as a youngster drawing, and I just had other interests at that time, I didn't spend the time in that area. Architecture was really a later development. It's unlike many people in the field who, you know, are very much involved earlier and get inspired early. It wasn't that way with me. It was much later. SMITH And you said really it was this article that you read.

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