Estate & Architectural Directors
Los Angeles is a unique and diverse city and it’s Architecture is just as varied and exciting. David Gebhard and Robert Winter authors of Architecture in Los Angeles call it “ the richest architectural region in the world” From the bizarre to the sublime, from historical Adobe Bungalows to grand Andalusian Style Estates it’s all here to enjoy in the City of Angels.
So whether you fancy a Mid-Century Neutra in Silverlake, a Fred Smathers Hacienda in Nichols Canyon or a Legendary Charles Toberman Mediterranaean in Outpost Estates, we know where to find that special home for you.
Forward your e-mail address to us and we can also let you know about Monthly Walking Tours of Historical Homes and Buildings, Special Screening and Museum events.
Want to support L.A.’s rich cultural and architectural history? Then join at any level and become a member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and be a part of their preservation efforts for the restoration of Classic Hollywood theatres, restaurants and other L.A.landmarks such as the Downtown Orpheum and Broadway Theatres, Union Station and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis house in Los Feliz. For more info see links below
- Think green when building or remodeling and find alternative and recycled housing materials at globalgreen.org
- Your own environmentally conscious business? Use the on-line resource center for eco building and development; greenbiz.com
You can research the Case Study Architects, Modern Design influences and other exciting Architectural topics at these websites;
www.loggia.com
www.greatbuildings.com
www.usc.edu/architecture
www.neutra.org
www.architectureweek.com
www.dwell.com
www.laconservancy.org
A few of Architectural styles found in the Hollywood Hills..
The International Style
The architectural style that developed in Europe and the United States in the 1920s and '30s and became the dominant tendency in Western architecture during the middle decades of the 20th century. The most common characteristics of International Style buildings are rectilinear forms; light, taut plane surfaces that have been completely stripped of applied ornamentation and decoration; open interior spaces; and a visually weightless quality engendered by the use of cantilever construction. Glass and steel, in combination with usually less visible reinforced concrete, are the characteristic materials of construction. The term International Style was first used in 1932 by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson in their essay entitled The International Style: Architecture Since 1922, which served as a catalog for an architectural exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art.
The International Style grew out of three phenomena that confronted architects in the late 19th century: (1) architects' increasing dissatisfaction with the continued use of stylistically eclectic buildings—e.g., ones incorporating a mix of decorative elements from different architectural periods and styles that bore little or no relation to the building's functions; (2) the economical creation of large numbers of office buildings and other commercial, residential, and civic structures that served a rapidly industrializing society; and (3) the development of new building technologies centring on the use of iron and steel, reinforced concrete, and glass. These three phenomena dictated the search for an honest, economical, and utilitarian architecture that would both use the new materials and satisfy society's new building needs while still appealing to aesthetic taste. Technology was a crucial factor; the new availability of cheap, mass-produced iron and steel and the discovery in the 1890s of those materials' effectiveness as primary structural members effectively rendered the old traditions of masonry (brick and stone) construction obsolete. The new use of steel-reinforced concrete as secondary support elements (floors, etc.) and of glass as sheathing for the exteriors of buildings completed the technology needed for modern building, and architects set about incorporating that technology into an architecture that openly recognized its new technical foundation. The International Style was thus formed under the dictates that modern buildings' form and appearance should naturally grow out of and express the potentialities of their materials and structural engineering. A harmony between artistic _expression, function, and technology would thus be established in an austere and disciplined new architecture.
The International Style grew out of the work of a small group of brilliant and original architects in the 1920s who went on to achieve great influence in their field. These major figures included Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Germany and the United States, J.J.P. Oud in The Netherlands, Le Corbusier in France, and Richard Neutra and Philip Johnson in the United States.
Gropius and Mies were best known for their structures of glass curtain walls spanning steel girders that form the skeleton of the building. Important examples of Gropius' work are the Fagus Works (Alfeld-an-der-Leine, Ger.; 1911), the Bauhaus (Dessau, Ger.; 1925–26), and the Graduate Center at Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.; 1949–50)—all of which show his concern for uncluttered interior spaces. Mies van der Rohe and his followers in the United States, who did much to spread the International Style, are most clearly identified with glass-and-steel skyscrapers such as the Lake Shore Drive Apartments (Chicago; 1949–51) and the Seagram Building, done jointly with Philip Johnson (New York City; 1958). Oud helped to bring more rounded and flowing geometric shapes to the movement. Le Corbusier, too, was interested in the freer treatment of reinforced concrete but added the concept of modular proportion in order to maintain a human scale in his work. Among his well-known works in the International Style is the Savoye House (Poissy, France; 1929–30).
In the 1930s and '40s the International Style spread from its base in Germany and France to North and South America, Scandinavia, Britain, and Japan. The clean, efficient, geometric qualities of the style came to form the basis of the architectural vocabulary of the skyscraper in the United States in the 1950s and '60s. The International Style provided an aesthetic rationale for the stripped-down, clean-surfaced skyscrapers that became the status symbols of American corporate power and progressiveness at this time.
By the 1970s, some architects and critics had begun to chafe at the constraints and limitations inherent in the International Style. The bare and denuded quality of the steel-and-glass “boxes” that embodied the style by then appeared stultifying and formulaic. The result was a reaction against modernist architecture and a renewed exploration of the possibilities of innovative design and decoration. Architects began creating freer, more imaginative structures that used modern building materials and decorative elements to create a variety of novel effects. This movement became prominent in the late 1970s and early '80s and became known as Postmodernism.
Tudor Revival houses (1910 to 1940) grew extremely popular in the 1920s and 1930s, a time when historic architectural styles were incorporated into single-family dwellings. Sometimes referred to as "Elizabethan" or "Half-timbered" houses, the Tudor Revival imitated building features popular during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) and King James I (1603-1625); named the House of Tudor.
While primarily derived from English Renaissance buildings of 16th and 17th centuries, many Tudor houses owe their origins to medieval cottages. Some were even built with false thatched roofs, while other Tudor homes incorporated more ornate features copied from late medieval-era palaces. These included steeply pitched roofs, overlapping gables, and beautifully patterned brick or stonework.
One of the main characteristics of Tudor homes is decorative half-timbering -- leaving the wood frame exposed with stucco inset around it. While wood veneer, stucco and stone were popular choices for exterior wall coverings, brick veneer was most popular after 1920, often featuring patterns such as diamonds. The houses typically were asymmetrical and one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half stories tall. Chimneys were large and placed prominently, such as on the front or side of the house, and often featured ornamental chimney tops. Window frames were tall and narrow, often displaying small leaded glass panes. Tudors enjoyed a second revival in the 1970s and 1980s, and are still revered by those looking to buy a home that is cozy and romantic.
Spanish Architecture
While early American architects primarily looked to England for inspiration, some late 19th and early 20th century builders -- especially those in Florida, the Southwest and California -- looked instead to Spain.
The Spanish craze began to spread in 1915, when the San Diego Exhibition showcased architect Bertram Goodhue's reinterpretation of Spanish Gothic buildings for the signature buildings of Balboa Park. The popularity of Spanish-influenced architecture dwindled in 1940, but not before leaving an indelible mark on suburbs nationwide.
Spanish Colonial Revival marked the most formal and historically accurate representation of all the Spanish styles. The architecture featured red tile roofs, spiral columns beside door and window openings, decorative tile trim and heavy, carved doors.
Drawing inspiration from early Spanish missions and churches, Southern Californian architects created Mission-style buildings. Massive stucco walls with broad, unadorned surfaces, shapely, scalloped parapets and arched windows
and doors are characteristics of this style. Both the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railways adopted this style for rail corridor buildings to provide a consistent theme to the Southwest for eastern travelers.
Combining elements of Spanish Colonial and Indian Pueblo architectural forms, the Santa Fe style was a reaction to
the Mission style and gave New Mexico a unique architectural identity. Prominent features include thick adobe walls that are slightly rounded and give a smooth stucco finish, and wood roof beams imbedded in the walls that project through to the exterior.
American Bungalow Architecture
Proponents of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th century rejected the Industrial Revolution's ornate, machine-made products in favor of modest and handmade goods. This climate gave birth to the American Bungalow, whose structural simplicity, efficient use of space and understated design fostered a lifestyle closer to nature.
While bungalows were originally designed for use as country homes, their inexpensive building costs, coupled with continued Western expansion, created "bungalow mania" in the 1910s and 1920s. This marked a rare occasion when progressive architecture was made available to the masses.
Although originally associated with California, the bungalow spread across the United States, due, in part, to kit homes that companies shipped virtually anywhere for homeowners to assemble on the spot. Sears was the most prominent supplier of these kits, and reportedly sold more than 100,000 homes between 1908 and 1940. Sears bungalows are now highly prized by bungalow fans.
Bungalows are usually one story tall, featuring broadly pitched, street-facing gables that create a roof-line reminiscent of a child's drawing of mountains. The front door opens directly into the living room, which streams into the dining room to create a free-flowing space that extends into the kitchen. Throughout the interior, designers showcased wood, such as built-in cabinets, bookcases and benches.
While most modern home styles are more grandiose, the modest bungalow -- with its low profile, simplicity and efficient use of space -- still represents the American ideal of independence.
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