Walls of glass and landmark status
With its walls of glass and connection to the outdoors, architect Richard Neutra’s VDL Research House on Silver Lake Boulevard has long been considered a Modernist landmark. Now, it’s official.
The U.S. Department of the Interior recently named the home a National Historic Landmark along with 23 other sites.
Built in 1932, the glass box overlooking the now-drained reservoir is a classic example of Midcentury California design that remains timely. According to a department press release, the VDL Research House is “the only property where one can see the progression of his style over a period of years and is among the key properties to understanding the national significance of Richard Neutra.”
The Austrian-born architect lived and worked in the clean-lined experimental house with his family until his death in 1970. It is owned by the nonprofit Cal Poly Pomona Foundation. The house had fallen into various states of disrepair over the years, but the foundation has completed a number of restoration projects since 2008.
In a statement, outgoing U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said each of the 24 selected landmarks represents a different facet of America. “These 24 new designations depict different threads of the American story that have been told through activism, architecture, music and religious observance,” said Jewell. “Their designation ensures future generations have the ability to learn from the past as we preserve and protect the historic value of these properties and the more than 2,500 other landmarks nationwide.”
Other new landmarks, which will also be named to the National Register of Historic Places, include Chicano Park in San Diego, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Chapel in San Jose.