The Neutra VDL Research House II stands as Richard Neutra's bold experiment in high-density living, built in 1932 with a no-interest $10,000 loan from Dutch philanthropist Dr. Cees Van der Leeuw, who had previously funded Rotterdam's avant-garde Van Nelle Factory. Designed as his third American commission, the structure served triple duty as the Neutra family home, architecture office, and research laboratory on a compact 60x70-foot lot that housed three families total.
The original 2,000-square-foot International Style glass house rose three stories from its concrete foundation, featuring a steel frame with wood infill and continuous wooden frames fitted with steel windows that mimicked European construction. Sliding steel doors opened to rooftop and balcony gardens, while innovative mirrors and glass walls created an illusion of spaciousness within the stark cubic form. After an electrical fire destroyed much of the structure in March 1963, it was rebuilt between 1964 and 1968 as a new glass-walled wooden building on the surviving foundation, now featuring an H-shaped plan with two parallel wings connected by a narrow element containing children's bedrooms and an open central patio garden.
plan your visit
- INTERIORMUSEUM
- ADDRESS2300 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039, USA
- HOURSSaturdays
- PARKINGlimited
- PHOTOGRAPHYAllowed
- WEBSITEneutra-vdl.org
