AIA Los Angeles’ new home tour series — The Modernist / Contemporary Tour — will host its next tour this October 7 at a Rudolph Schindler duplex built in 1939 and renovated by Ehrlich Architects in 2010. The two homes sit on a 5,400-square-foot lot in Inglewood, CA, and amazingly enough, one of the units was purchased through an ad on Craigslist. “What would Schindler do today?” was Ehrlich’s guiding question when trying to honor Schindler’s work while also adding modern amenities for contemporary living.
The Agency’s Billy Rose, who is currently the listing agent for a home in Schindler’s El Pueblo Ribera Court (see below), discusses the significance of the Schindler duplex:
In 1923, Le Corbusier (one of the most influential pioneers of Modernism) stated that a “house is a machine for living in.” What I love about these tours is that it highlights how well the basic tenets of modernism still serve us today. The Schindler duplex, for example, was built some 80 years ago, and yet it still works for the way we live today. With only minor tweaks by Ehrlich Architects (mostly to take advantage of technological advances), the Schindler duplex has been, essentially, “serviced in the shop” (like a classic car) and still remains a relevant “machine for living in” today.
AIA Los Angeles’ Modernist / Contemporary Tour explores the architecture that put Los Angeles on the map from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. From September thru December, the series is spotlighting modernist projects each month that have been renovated by a contemporary AIA|LA Architect member. The series pays homage to Modernist California architecture by including vintage projects that incorporate the sustainable technologies often used in more contemporary homes. Featured projects are designed by such founding fathers of California Modernism as Schindler, Gregory Ain and Harwell Hamilton Harris.
“Our take on Modernism has a contemporary twist. Projects featured in this tour series are renovated gems that are by no means obscure, but are not necessarily at the forefront of peopleʼs minds as being suited to fit today’s needs and lifestyles,” said AIA|LA Associate Director, Carlo Caccavale, Hon. AIA|LA.
From the International Style to the Case Studies, get ready to see some of the best renovated Modernist projects that LA has to offer.
Tickets are $25 (AIA|LA Members) or $35 (Non Members) To purchase tickets, go here.
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Rudolph Schindler’s El Pueblo Ribera Court, listed by The Agency
El Pueblo Ribera Court in La Jolla California is one of only a few Schindler projects outside of the Los Angeles area (and one of only two beach projects existing). Expanding on his famous King’s Road house (in which both Schindler and Neutra lived together), Schindler cleverly utilized concrete poured in movable forms to create the now 6-unit Pueblo Ribera Court in La Jolla. Perched just above famous surf spot Windansea Beach, with ocean views and sounds of waves crashing, this concrete and redwood two-bedroom/two-bath (plus office/bedroom with bath) functional piece of art has been sensitively restored and enhanced.