Edward Frank, 87; Early Retailer of Eames Style
Hyfler/Rosner
BYLINE: Mary Rourke, LA Times Staff Writer
Edward Frank, who was among the first Southern California
retailers to feature contemporary Scandinavian furniture as
well as designs by such architects as Charles and Ray Eames
and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at his store, Frank Bros. in
Long Beach, has died. He was 87.
An internationally recognized name in home furnishings,
Frank died Monday of pneumonia at Los Alamitos Medical
Center, according to his nephew, Ron Frank. He had been a
resident of Seal Beach.
Along with the retail outlet, Frank Bros. operated an import
division called Moreddie that Edward Frank oversaw. His
brother, Maurice, directed the retail business.
To keep up with international trends, Edward Frank went on
buying trips to Scandinavia starting in the 1940s and later
to Milan, as well as to the showrooms of such California
designers as the Eameses. Although the Franks were committed
to contemporary furniture by architects, most of the
inventory consisted of mass-produced contemporary designs
made in Scandinavia.
Frank's passion for the field and his sophisticated tastes
made Frank Bros. a magnet for architects, interior
decorators and magazine editors. In the 1950s he was invited
by John Entenza, editor of Arts & Architecture magazine, to
furnish model houses designed for the Case Study Program
that Entenza directed, to promote Modernist architecture.
Frank's high school friend, Edward Killingsworth, an
architect involved in the Case Study Program, remodeled the
Frank Bros. store on Long Beach Boulevard in 1961. Frank
also commissioned him to build him a private residence, Case
Study House No. 25, on Naples Island in Long Beach.
Frank decorated the house sparsely, making two
chrome-and-leather "Barcelona" chairs by Mies van der Rohe
the centerpiece. In his view, furniture was like costly
jewelry: One good piece made all the difference.
At their store, the Frank brothers introduced new lines by
exhibiting them in special displays, providing information
about the designer and manufacturer.
"The Frank brothers were curators, not just businessmen,"
said Peter Longhrey of Los Angeles Modern Auctions. "What
they decided was good taste became what people came to think
of as modern design."
By looking at Frank Bros. ads in old issues of Arts &
Architecture magazine, Longhrey said, a younger generation
is getting an education in Modernism. The ads included
photographs and referred to each piece of furniture by the
name the designer gave it, whether it was easy to grasp or
not. "The 'LTR' chair by Eames, for example, was not the
most marketable name" for the chair, Longhrey said.
Although the Franks moved among the sophisticates in the
furniture industry, they catered primarily to customers who
were not particularly wealthy. They allowed shoppers to pay
in installments on a layaway plan.
"The idea was to carry a complete collection of the best,
from Eames and Mies van der Rohe down to the least expensive
furniture possible," said Ron Frank. "The philosophy was
that you don't have to pay more for good design. That was a
legacy of Edward and Maurice Frank."
Born in Alberta, Canada, Frank moved to Long Beach with his
parents when he was 2 years old. He went into the family
business after high school, and in 1938 he and Maurice took
it over. They decided then to specialize in contemporary
design.
Frank moved to New York City about 1978 after Maurice died,
and Ron Frank took over the retail business, which he sold
in 1982. Edward Frank worked for a few years in New York
City for Dux, a Scandinavian import furniture business. He
returned to Long Beach in the late 1980s and became a
consultant for furniture manufacturers until he retired at
about 83.
Frank's survivors include his three sisters, Bernice
Friedland, Sylvia Miller and Goldeen Fellman, all of Seal
Beach, and many nieces and nephews.
Contributions in his name can be made to Temple Beth Shalom,
3635 Elm Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807.
GRAPHIC: PHOTO: EDWARD FRANK The businessman ran a family
store in Long Beach that helped introduce contemporary
Scandinavian and American furniture to Southern California.