The steel case frame structure that he used on the Health House remained, as did his flat roofs, but subsequent projects saw low-slung, one-story, or split-level homes that do little to interrupt the scenic mountain vistas. It is considered the quintessential architecture of Palm Springs and was forever immortalized by Slim Aarons’s famous “Poolside Gossip” photo. This can be seen in his most iconic Kaufmann house in Palm Springs. While his first California project seemed to dominate its location, Neutra’s subsequent projects sought a more harmonious fusion of the West’s unique terrain and temperate climate. It is said that the pool has its own inner living climate imparted by the rock and is unlike swimming in any man-made pool. There is even a pool inside a boulder that the center was dynamited out to create the concave swimming hole.
Neutra was using words like sustainability in the fifties and implementing eco-friendly practices long before it was being used in the public lexicon. Neutra came to the property and fell in love with its topography and agreed to build this family home.Īs a way to save money and build sustainably, Neutra had Oyler collect rocks on the property that were then used to face walls on the interior and fireplace. Richard Oyler was a government employee who came to Neutra in his Silver Lake office and asked him to design a modest home for him on a parcel he’d purchased in the tiny desert town. An example of that is The Oyler House in Lone Pine, California.
Neutra not only worked with wealthy clients who could afford to take on massive projects but he was also known to take on a modest project, giving it the same attention and care. It’s hard to imagine a time when the client’s voice wasn’t considered in the beginning stages of building their home, but the intersection of architect and client was born in this era. Neutra was one of the architects at the forefront of what was considered a healthy home. The connection between health fads, recuperative healing, fresh air and even sunbathing to modernist architecture quickly started to see an influx of these homes dotting the hillsides and deserts of Southern California. Hydrotherapy equipment outfitted most of the bathrooms. The bedrooms all had “sleeping porches” so visitors could sleep outside if they chose. The Lovell House was the first to use several construction techniques that up until then hadn’t been implemented in residential builds, such as its steel frame structure. He wanted the building to reflect his beliefs and the social and physical landscape of Los Angeles at the time. This building helped create a template for the simplistic, streamlined homes we now think of as mid-century modern.Īs the name implies, the Lovell Health House owner was a health-food guru and self-proclaimed naturopath. The Lovell House, built in 1969, was his first commissioned project that launched his illustrative career.
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