VDL Research House II

At a time when Mission-Mediterranean was the style of choice in Los Angeles, architect Richard Neutra (1892-1970) built himself a Modernist home/studio in 1932, with the sponsorship of Dutch industrialist C.H. van der Leeuw, after whom the house was known as the VDL Research House. Neutra's own home emphasized his belief that the "skeleton" of a structure should be readily visible. The three-level structure is marked by floor-to-ceiling window walls, narrow support columns, interlocking volumes, and private outdoor spaces. Gutted by fire in 1963, the house was subsequently rebuilt (hence the addition of "II" in the name) by Neutra and his architect son and partner, Dion Neutra. Although California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, took over the site in 1990, when the house was included on the World Monuments Watch in 2000, no substantive work had been carried out on the house save for the replacement of its roof in 1998. The house was plagued by a suite of conservation problems—asbestos, faulty electrical systems (a likely cause of the 1963 fire), dry rot, termite damage, and deteriorated windows and doors. Currently, Cal Poly Pomona is struggling to raise sufficient funding for restoration. If that fails, the house may have to be sold to a private party, with a distinct possibility that, contrary to the Neutra family's wish, public access would end. More on Modernism at Risk. Please help support work at sites like VDL Research House II by donating to WMF's annual campaign.