Modernist Architecture Tour - Form & Function

Los Angeles Modernist Architecture Tour

I am in LA on a “six day, five night, heart-pounding Modernist architecture tour”, to quote our guide, North Carolina Modernist Houses founder George Smart. And when I mention exclusive houses that generally don’t allow visitors, I am not exaggerating. My tour mates and I have been awed and prone to audible gasps, and we are only at the half way point.

Hollyhock House

We began at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, sadly unopened as it goes through a multi-year renovation. Thus, the exterior was a tease to what is hidden inside.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Hollyhock House — The narrow passageway compresses you on the way in which is signature FLW

Beautiful windows on the exterior which again taunted us

Motif repeated — FLW created the hollyhock motif, the homeowner’s favorite flower

...and more... — Here are more examples of the Hollyhock

Hollyhock House — The fountain at Hollyhock mesmerized us.

Windows into the master bedroom area — Windows that peek into the master bedroom area.

Richard Neutra Modernist Architecture Tour

Next we did a walking tour of the Neutra Colony in the Silver Lake neighborhood (recently named LA’s best neighborhood and one of the best “hipster” neighborhoods in the country), touring the interior of one (no photos allowed inside).

Neutra Colony, Silverlake neighborhood, Los Angeles — Exterior of Neutra house we toured.

Neutra, Silverlake — Neutra Colony with the “spider leg” beams.

Neutra Exterior…loved the Japanese inspired elements.

Neutra Place, Neutra Colony — Street recently renamed to honor the architect.

exterior of one of Neutra's houses in the colony — Exterior of one of Neutra’s houses in the colony.

Rudolph Schindler Elliot House

From there we head up into the hills of Silverlake to a Rudolph Schindler designed home, the Elliot House. It is currently owned by a designer and a famous vintage couture clothing store owner who have executed a wonderful restoration and continue to maintain this gem.

Rudolph Schindler, modernist architecture — Our host regales us with stories about the Schindler designed Eliot house.

Schindler, modernist architecture — Lovely tablescape displayed in the Schindler house.

Schindler, modernist architecture, Elliot house — The backyard retreat looked mighty appealing.

John Lautner Sheats-Goldstein House

The afternoon began with a tour of John Lautner’s Sheats-Goldstein house. You may recognize it from several movies, including the The Big Lebowski (and even a porn film…see more in Lautner link, if you dare), many magazine fashion shoots and an Architectural Digest feature in the 90s. It is an iconic LA house and the owner very generously opens the house for modernist architecture tours.

Sheats Goldstein house, Lautner — This sculpture is an homage to John Lautner.

sheats goldstein house — Every home needs an entrance like this

modernist architecture tour sheats goldstein house — our group, lounging about the iconic living room

sheats goldstein, lautner — Lautner blurs the line of outside and inside…in this case, nature makes its way inside on the walls and ceiling

Lautner, architecture — the Lautner roofline

retractable deck, sheats goldstein house — retractable deck to reveal the hot tub, but of course

some of my group, posing on the edge...literally — some of my group, posing on the edge…literally

Hiding behind leaves, watching a Lacoste photo shoot...felt like paparazzi — Hiding behind leaves, watching a Lacoste photo shoot…felt like paparazzi

Joseph Eichler Balboa Highlands

We ended the day in the Balboa Highlands neighborhood in Granada Hills, featuring several Eichler homes. The neighborhood comprises mostly neat, tidy homes centered around atriums. The homes we toured had wonderful flow and separation of living and sleeping quarters. We toured one house where two young children lived. It was such a happy home, large by California standards at 2000+ square feet, with a spacious backyard for the kids to romp around…