Los Angeles is rich in modernist history, from the the iconic case study houses, to the seminal work of Richard Neutra dotting the Californian coast. Neutra's fellow Austrian immigrant, Rudolph Schindler, played an equally crucial role in developing Californian modernism's distinctive style.
Born in Vienna in 1887, Schindler moved to Los Angeles in 1920 via a collaboration with Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he admired since studying the influential Wasmuth portfolio, a collection featuring that most prominent (at the time) American architect's projects. In the private houses he built around Los Angeles between the 1920s and early 1950s, the architect connects Wright's nature-inspired sensibility with the European modernist austerity and spatial experimentation.
The Van Dekker house was designed in 1939 for Tony Award-winning and prolific character actor Albert Van Dekker, his wife and three young kids. The Van Dekkers moved in in 1940 – the house was one of the first major modernist residences in its neighborhood. For Schindler, the project became an exceptional opportunity to design the largest residential commission of his career, totaling 3,756 sq ft over four acres of nature, with a separate garage and workshop.
Schindler introduced some of his revolutionary construction principles to the project, including a dramatic composition of protruding exterior volumes, a sloped copper roof and oblique geometries. His unconventional work on the house included a bold colour selection and an impressive double height wooden ceiling.
In the early 1950s, Van Dekker became an outspoken critic of Senator McCarthy's tactics to expose communists in Hollywood and became blacklisted. He needed to work on Broadway, so he sold the house to his friend and collaborator, prolific film noir screenwriter AI 'Buzz' Bezzerides, who occupied the house until his death in 2007.
Following years of neglect and a successful listing as LA City Historic Monument, the house has now been succesfully restored by its current owner Frank Gamwell, CEO of PCM, a construction management and development firm, who bought the house in 2013. The intention of the renovation was to restore the property back to its original condition, while incorporating minor changes to the interiors that would update the house to 21st century standards.
The renovation is now completed and has just received the prestigious 2016 Preservation Award, granted by the Los Angeles Conservancy.
The sensitive restoration scooped the 2016 Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy
The house features many Schindler signature gestures, including an impressive double-height wooden ceiling
When the Van Dekkers moved to New York, the house was bought by screenwriter AI 'Buzz' Bezzerides, who lived there until his death in 2007
Following years of neglect, the Van Dekker house is now successful listed as a LA City Historic Monument
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Los Angeles Conservancy website
Photography courtesy of Frank Gamwell and David Crane
-
For a taste of Greece, head to this playful new restaurant in London’s ChelseaPachamama Group’s latest venture, Bottarga, dishes up taverna flavours in an edgy bistro-style setting
-
Lucy Dacus on her Renaissance-inspired new album cover and intimate museum tourLucy Dacus' fourth album, 'Forever Is A Feeling', is an intimate exploration of love with visuals inspired by the romanticism of classical art
-
At Milan Design Week, 'Material Alchemists' marks the Wallpaper* Class of '25Our own exhibition brings together 20 emerging designers from around the world giving matter form with magic
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s last house has finally been built – and you can stay thereFrank Lloyd Wright’s final residential commission, RiverRock, has come to life. But, constructed 66 years after his death, can it be considered a true ‘Wright’?
-
Heritage and conservation after the fires: what’s next for Los Angeles?In the second instalment of our 'Rebuilding LA' series, we explore a way forward for historical treasures under threat
-
Why this rare Frank Lloyd Wright house is considered one of Chicago’s ‘most endangered’ buildingsThe JJ Walser House has sat derelict for six years. But preservationists hope the building will have a vibrant second act
-
Buy a slice of California’s midcentury modern history with this 1955 Pasadena houseConrad Buff II Residence has been fully restored and updated for the 21st century
-
How to protect our modernist legacyWe explore the legacy of modernism as a series of midcentury gems thrive, keeping the vision alive and adapting to the future
-
Step inside a writer's Richard Neutra-designed apartment in Los AngelesMichael Webb, invites us into his LA home – a showcase of modernist living
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st CenturyThanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
