In architecture school, we are required to study many of the most famous buildings in the world to understand how they were put together, why they are important and what makes them so great. During my first year of school, I was assigned architect Richard Neutra’s Lovell Health House, located in Los Angeles, CA. This was called a ‘precedent’ study where I had to dissect the building to understand its incredible design, its use of repetition, volumes, light, interlocking forms.

The Home that Put LA Architecture on the Map

The fascinating home was built for the physician and naturopath Dr. Philip Lovell. Charles Moore, the famous architect and author once described it as a “Mondrian painting come to life.”

When LA Architecture and Art Tours announced an exclusive tour, I jumped at the opportunity.  Only cell phone cameras were permitted but all photos and drawings in this post are mine.

Post update! The home is now listed for sale at a “to be determined” price.

The International Style

Designed and built between 1927 and 1929, the house was built in the International Style.  The Getty Research Institute defined the International Style as “the style of architecture that emerged in Holland, France, and Germany after World War I and spread throughout the world, becoming the dominant architectural style until the 1970’s.  The style is characterized by an emphasis on volume over mass, the use of lightweight, mass-produced, industrial materials, rejection of all ornament and color, repetitive modular forms and the use of flat surfaces, typically alternating with areas of glass.”  (source: Wikipedia/ International Style) These were principles that were developed by Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright.

First Steel Home in the United States

This certainly sums up the Lovell House. Neutra, who had worked in Chicago for a large architecture and engineering firm, was familiar with steel construction. The first steel frame home in the United States, the house was added to the National Record of Historic Places in October 1971.  Neutra, a bit of a control freak, served as the contractor in order to manage both cost and quality.

The Three Level Floor Plan

Entering the House

The three level house projects out from the cliff, perpendicularly attached by a large tension cable, while pilotis – thin columns best exemplified by Le Corbusier in his Villa Savoye – support the cantilevered structure.  A concrete walkway acts as a bridge to the upper level where the living quarters are.

Immediately to the left is the magnificent stairwell, surrounded by glass and forever views. In his nod to industrial materials, so often a part of the International Style, the stairwell includes two Ford Model-A headlights. 

The Mid-Level

The dramatic staircase leads to the mid-level, the living area, library and kitchen.  The living room is a light, airy, sparsely decorated volume encased in glass, overlooking views of Los Angeles (I can imagine how beautiful it must be at night!)

During our tour, we were not permitted to see the entire house. On the second level, we were able to see the main living room, the kitchen and dining room only. We were not permitted to see the lower level.

The Top Level

Upstairs, we were able to see Mr. Lovell’s office, the master bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is completely original from the 1920’s and in very good condition. Much of the upper level is wrapped in wood paneling, a technique used to warm up an otherwise sparse home.

The Exterior

Outside, we were able to examine some of the other fascinating details of the house.

The Pool

We were not permitted to go to the lower level or see the famous pool, half of which is inside the house. We learned however that the pool was fresh water only (no saltwater or chlorine) and every two weeks, they emptied it out to water the immense yard. Apparently, water bills were not what they are in Los Angeles now. This went along with Mr. Lovell’s philosophy of healthy, natural living.

We were able to visit the garage and view the house from there. Inside the garage, we viewed the ceiling exposing the original structure of the house. The Lovell house is known as the first home in the US to use steel beams – and there in the garage, we were able to see the original steel beams and web joists that make up the house, an architecture nerd’s dream.

While the 90-year-old house certainly needs some refurbishing, overall it is in remarkably good shape with many of the original furnishings, fixtures and built ins.

For more information about tours of Neutra’s Lovell Health House, contact L.A. Architecture and Art tours.

Lovell House Diagrams

Here are a few more of my drawings which diagram the various formal aspects of Richard Neutra’s Lovell Health House:

The International Style directly impacted the mid-century modernist style of the 1950’s and 60’s. I’ve seen several incredible examples of the mid-century style out in Palm Springs, CA as part of Modernism Week. One particulary favorite is architect Albert Frey’s Cree House.

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