ARCHITECT | DESIGN | BUILD 12.19.2014 69
EAMES HOUSE
EAMES HOUSE
STAHL HOUSE
STAHL HOUSE STAHL HOUSE
Between 1945 and 1966, Arts & Architecture magazine commissioned
some of the most prominent architects of the era to design and build
affordable and practical houses for the throngs of veterans returning from
World War II. The likes of Richard Neutra, A. Quincy Jones and Pierre
Koenig responded to the call.
The result was a total of 36 designs, not all of which where built, with the
majority being located in Los Angeles. Most of the homes appeared on
the pages of Arts & Architecture in atmospheric black-and-white photos
by photographer Julius Shulman. Some of Shulman's images were on
display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's "California Design:
1930-1965: 'Living in a Modern Way'" exhibition in 2012. Here are two
classic Case Study Houses.
Eames House
203 North Chautauqua Blvd., Pacific Palisades
Case Study House No. 8
Part industrial loft, part Partridge Family color-block box, architects
Charles and Ray Eames designed the home as their own live-work
residence. The living room of the home was recreated—with actual
knick-knacks from the home—for the LACMA "California Design" exhibit.
Considered one of the most successful of the Case Study homes in terms
of functionality and as an architectural statement, the Eames home is
most recognized for the geometric façade composed of primary-color
rectangles of varying sizes.
The Stahl House
1635 Woods Drive, Los Angeles
Case Study House No. 22
With its glass walls, flat roof and precarious overhang, the Stahl
House seems to float over Los Angeles, a sleek, elegant time capsule
preserving a moment in 1959 when Danish modern sofas, geometric
lines and a clutter-free aesthetic offset the voluminous folds of the
cocktail dresses worn by two young women gazing out on the lights
of the city. Julius Shulman's famous photograph captured Mid-
Century Modern in a way that continues to inspire today's period
films and television series. Designed by Pierre Koenig in 1959, the
home was among the top 150 buildings in the American Institute of
Architects' "America's Favorite Architecture" list.
cas e st udy ho u s es
