Neutra Office Building
Encyclopedia
The Neutra Office Building is a 4800 square feet (445.9 m²) office building in the Silver Lake
section of Los Angeles, California
. The building was owned and designed by Modernist
architect Richard Neutra
in 1950. It served as the studio and office for Neutra's architecture practice from 1950 until Neutra's death in 1970. The building has been declared a Historic Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It was listed for sale in 2007 at an asking price of $3,500,000.
on Frank Lloyd Wright
's Barnsdall Park project. In 1929, Neutra became famous in his own right with the completion of his landmark Modernist Lovell House
in the Los Feliz
section of Los Angeles. Over the next 20 years, Neutra became one of the recognized innovators and leaders of Modernist architecture.
has said of the building's significance, "The real importance of the office is that it provided the creative environment in which Neutra produced all of his now famous homes." In fact, his early works pre-date the building, but it was in this building that Neutra designed many of his landmark buildings, including the U.S. Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan, the Los Angeles Hall of Records, the Gettysburg Cyclorama Building
, the Orange County Courthouse, and the Huntington Beach Public Library
. The building remained the site of the Neutra architectural practice even after Neutra's death in 1970—as Dion Neutra continued the practice at the site until the 1990s.
in 2004.
: "I'm hoping to find a suitable steward while I'm alive that would take care of the building into the foreseeable future." The marketing brochure compared the building to works of art by Gustav Klimt
and Jackson Pollock
and went so far as to say: "The purchase of this icon would be equivalent to acquiring the last remaining Leonardo da Vinci
masterpiece." One critic wrote of Dion's "delusional price comparison of his father's office building to the paintings of Klimt & Pollack." As of July 2008, after 20 months on the market, the Neutra web site continues to list the building for sale.
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
section of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The building was owned and designed by Modernist
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
architect Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
in 1950. It served as the studio and office for Neutra's architecture practice from 1950 until Neutra's death in 1970. The building has been declared a Historic Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It was listed for sale in 2007 at an asking price of $3,500,000.
Richard Neutra
Architect Richard Neutra (1892-1970), a native of Vienna, Austria, moved to Los Angeles in 1925 to work with Rudolph SchindlerRudolph Schindler
Rudolph Schindler may refer to:* Rudolph Schindler * Rudolph Schindler...
on Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's Barnsdall Park project. In 1929, Neutra became famous in his own right with the completion of his landmark Modernist Lovell House
Lovell House
The Lovell House or Lovell Health House is an International style modernist residence designed and built by Richard Neutra between 1927-29. The home, located at 4616 Dundee Drive in Los Angeles, California, was built for the physician and naturopath Philip Lovell...
in the Los Feliz
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is an affluent, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
section of Los Angeles. Over the next 20 years, Neutra became one of the recognized innovators and leaders of Modernist architecture.
Construction and architecture of the Neutra Office Building
Neutra built the Silver Lake office building in 1950 to house his own architectural practice. Neutra designed the building with his son, Dion Neutra, acting as project architect and Red Marsh as the contractor. The one-story office building includes two reception areas, two conference rooms, and a large open office space. The building also includes two residential units with an enclosed garden at the rear of the building. The building has been carefully preserved by Neutra's son, Dion Neutra. Many original built-ins and design details remain intact, including custom strip lighting, acoustic tiles, exposed ducting, operable louvers, and blue Aklo glass.Operation as Neutra's design studio
The building has been called "a piece of L.A. history since most of (Neutra's) L.A. buildings were probably dreamed up in this very office." Jay Platt of the Los Angeles ConservancyLos Angeles Conservancy
The Los Angeles Conservancy is an historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. The Conservancy is the largest membership based historic preservation organization in the country...
has said of the building's significance, "The real importance of the office is that it provided the creative environment in which Neutra produced all of his now famous homes." In fact, his early works pre-date the building, but it was in this building that Neutra designed many of his landmark buildings, including the U.S. Embassy in Karachi, Pakistan, the Los Angeles Hall of Records, the Gettysburg Cyclorama Building
Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building
The Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg is a vacant concrete and glass Mission 66 structure dedicated November 19, 1962 by the National Park Service to serve as a Gettysburg Battlefield visitor center, to exhibit the 1883 Paul Philippoteaux Battle of Gettysburg cyclorama and other artifacts, and to...
, the Orange County Courthouse, and the Huntington Beach Public Library
Huntington Beach Public Library
The Huntington Beach Public Library and Cultural Center is located in Huntington Beach, California. This medium-sized public library offers free wireless access, online databases, books, children's programs, computers, DVD movies, CD music for the residents of Huntington Beach, California....
. The building remained the site of the Neutra architectural practice even after Neutra's death in 1970—as Dion Neutra continued the practice at the site until the 1990s.
Historic designation
Known mostly for his residential designs, the Neutra Office Building in Silver Lake is Neutra's only surviving commercial structure with Neutra's original design. The Neutra web site describes the building as "the only surviving example of Neutra commercial design that is still intact." Marketing materials for the building call it "a pristine example of the work of one of the seminal architects of the Modernist movement" and "the only remaining example of Neutra commercial design, still with its original look." The building was designated a Historic Cultural Monument (HCM #676) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 2000 and listed in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2004.
Listing of the building for sale in 2006
After 56 years of being owned by the Neutra family, Dion Neutra listed the building for sale in November 2006 at an asking price of $3,500,000. The sale was conditioned on the buyer accepting a protective conservation easement, which Dion Neutra considered essential to prevent his father's work from disappearing. He told the National Trust for Historic PreservationNational Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
: "I'm hoping to find a suitable steward while I'm alive that would take care of the building into the foreseeable future." The marketing brochure compared the building to works of art by Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects...
and Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
and went so far as to say: "The purchase of this icon would be equivalent to acquiring the last remaining Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
masterpiece." One critic wrote of Dion's "delusional price comparison of his father's office building to the paintings of Klimt & Pollack." As of July 2008, after 20 months on the market, the Neutra web site continues to list the building for sale.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Richard NeutraRichard NeutraRichard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
- Neutra VDL Studio and ResidencesNeutra VDL Studio and ResidencesNeutra VDL Studio and Residences, the home of architect Richard Neutra, is located at 2300 Silver Lake Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California. It is also known as the Neutra Research House, the Van der Leeuw House or the Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House II. It was designed by Richard...
operated by the California State Polytechnic University, PomonaCalifornia State Polytechnic University, PomonaCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona, or Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university located in Pomona, California, United States...
(Cal Poly Pomona)