The Robinson Residence was initially built for the first black physician hired at the Los Angeles County General Hospital and his wife, Doris Robinson, a prominent writer and TV/Radio Host. The Architect was said to have been a Black Architect; however, the original plans have only the initials “T.D” which is something that isn’t too out of character for a time when Black Architects had to study under white Architects and sometimes even had to hide behind the names of white architects to practice, We have since moved on from this style of practice, but we wonder how often and how much this happened.
The current owners of the Robinson Residence, Marc and Catherine, are history buffs and have completely fallen in love with the story of the home. They are doing everything they can to share its story and preserve its history. When they purchased the house, there were several things they had to do to bring it up to city code, which would have been a bit easier if they had taken away some of the characteristics that were initially built. Still, they wanted to preserve the legacy of the home. Today, it is one of the only modernist homes in a neighborhood primarily overrun by historic Craftsman.