Richard Lee Dorman
Architect | 1922 - 2010
While Dorman is widely known for his work of the 1950s-80s in the Los Angeles area, the architect's vacation home for tennis champion Bobby Riggs on the San Vicente Golf course, was an eye-catcher - especially as witnessed through the lens of photographer Julius Shulman who shot the house in 1974.


Richard Dorman was born to Charles Lee and Bertha Mae (Stanton) Dorman on November 27, 1922 and raised in Los Angeles. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on August 10, 1942 – flying a B-24 Liberator bomber named ‘Tropic Night’ over the Pacific theater.
Following time at the University of Illinois in 1946, he leveraged the GI Bill to secure his Bachelor of Architecture at USC in 1951.
Between 1951-1956, Dorman served Welton Becket and Associates as the firm’s chief designer before launching his own firm Richard L. Dorman & Associates (in 1956). In 1962, he was included on the cover of the 1962 issue of LIFE Magazine featuring the piece ‘The Take-Over Generation’.
In 1968, he was named one of America's top Architects by The American Institute of Architects and launched and launched Dorman-Munsell Associates. By 1975, the architect had relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico and launched the partnership Dorman and Breen Architects.
Dorman, Richard Lee was born on November 27, 1922 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Son of Charles Lee and Bertha Mae (Stanton) Dorman.
Partial List of Projects
Beber Restaurant (1963)
Los Angeles
Briggs House
Los Angeles
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Dorman House (1971)
Santa Monica
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Garland, Beverly House (1959)
Briar Summit Drive, Hollywood Hills
Glazier House (1960)
4422 Grimes Place, Encino
*Published in House and Home and Sunset magazines
Hyatt House (ca. 1961)
Seattle
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Ivory Tower restaurant (1960)
Los Angeles
Keller House (1968)
Los Angeles
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Lake Arrowhead Country Club (1964)
Lake Arrowhead, California
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Lakenan Residence (1958)
Los Angeles
Los Angeles International Design Center (1964)
8899 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Malibu United Methodist Church (1966)
Malibu
Norwood House (1973)
Beverly Hills
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Papermate Building
Santa Monica
Placerita Canyon Nature Center (1972)
Santa Clarita
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Riggs, Bobby House (1974)
24001 Vista Vicente Court, Ramona
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Sepulveda Rose Apartments (1959)
11131 Rose Avenue, Los Angeles
Siedenbaum House (1966)
Los Angeles
Siedenbaum Restaurant (1966)
Los Angeles
Sperry Investments (1981)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
*Photographed by Julius Shulman
Stone Canyon Residnece (1961)
1711 Stone Canyon Road, Bel-Air
Trousdale Estates Homes
1510 Loma Vista Dr., Beverly Hills
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