MAK Tour of the Valley

Struckus House 

In 1920, renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright sent his Austrian-born protégé Rudolph Schindler to Los Angeles to oversee construction of the now world-famous Hollyhock House. Seeing the potential here, Schindler decided to stay in L.A. and built his own equally famous house on Kings Road, in West Hollywood, where he lived and worked until his death in 1953. 

The Kings Road house is now home to the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, which offers an annual tour of architecturally-significant buildings in the L.A. area. Yesterday's tour featured five phenomenal houses—two of which were designed by Schindler himself—in the south end of the San Fernando Valley. Not only do we love Valley homes "south of the boulevard" [i.e. Ventura Blvd.], as Tim likes to say, but we also love Schindler's work. So we were there.

Struckus House

Designed by Bruce Goff in the 1980s, the Struckus house is a four-story, bug-eyed redwood-clad cylinder that blends in perfectly with its rustic setting. We entered on the ground floor, through an amazing front door, and then climbed up a spiral staircase that led to the living room at the top. Each floor is open—that is, there is no barrier preventing someone from falling to the bottom—so a net was installed to catch any stray visitors. As you can see, the home was absolutely fascinating.

Looking upward from outside

Front door with stained glass inlay

Looking down the spiral staircase

Standing on the third floor, looking up at the living room, 

through the netting

Van Dekker House

Rescued from near demolition in 2008, this massive house was designed by Schindler  for actor Albert Dekker, who was best known for his role of the movie Dr. Cyclops. Built in 1940 when there was little else occupying Woodland Hills, the house features seven small bedrooms and four baths. But its most spectacular space is the living room, which opens up to the second story and is covered in wood and stone to match its outdoor surroundings. Furnishings are sparse, because the owner is still renovating the interior as well as the exterior.

Van Dekker house exterior

Magnificent living room

Schindler-designed dining room set

Exterior detail: green copper roof

Looking down on the living room from second floor

Phineas Kappe House

Typical of most mid-century modern L.A. homes, the Phineas Kappe house, built by architect Ray Kappe for his parents in 1956, features a glorious open floor plan and post-and-beam frame. Huge glass windows and a small reflecting pool, in the main living area, create an outdoor-indoor feeling. I loved this house. 

 

 Phineas Kappe house exterior

Open living area

Reflecting pool in entrance

Barsha House

Built in 1959 and renovated in 2007, the Barsha house, also designed by Ray Kappe, offers another wonderfully open common living area and fabulous views of the Valley.

Looking down on the living room from the second story

Spiral staircase connecting first and second floors

Living room detail

View of the Valley from second floor

Goodwin House

A much smaller home than the Van Dekker house, the 1940 Goodwin home reflects Schindler's interest in integrating the outside environment into human living spaces. Built on the side of a hill, all west-facing windows look upon trees and nature.

Main living area and outside view

Built-in dining table

Schindler efficiency: built-in beds with storage underneath