Kaufmann Desert House
The Kaufmann Desert House, or simply the Kaufmann House, is a house located in Palm Springs, California, that was designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1946. It was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann, Snr, a businessman who also commissioned Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright.[1]
| Kaufmann Desert House | |
|---|---|
 Kaufmann Desert House, December 2017 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Architectural style | International Style |
| Location | 470 West Vista Chino Palm Springs, California United States |
| Coordinates | 33.8451°N 116.5529°W |
| Completed | 1946 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard J. Neutra |
The house has been described as "an architectural marvel that helped define the modernist aesthetic of the resort city of Palm Springs".[1][2]
It is designated a Class 1 Historic Site by Palm Springs City Council.[2]
History
The house was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann, Snr, the owner of Kaufmann's Department Store in Pittsburgh, as a desert retreat from harsh winters. It was built in 1946. It was made famous by photographs taken by Julius Shulman in 1947 and the 1970 photograph "Poolside Gossip" by Slim Aarons.[1][3] In 1935, Kaufmann had commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.[4]
After Kaufmann died in 1955, the house stood vacant for several years. It then had a series of owners, including singer Barry Manilow and San Diego Chargers owner Eugene V. Klein,[5] and had several renovations. These renovations enclosed a patio, added floral wallpaper to the bedrooms and removed a wall for the addition of a media room; additionally, the roof lines were altered with the addition of air conditioning units. In 1992, the home was rediscovered and purchased by a married couple: Brent Harris, an investment manager, and Beth Edwards Harris, an architectural historian; at the time it had been for sale on the market three and a half years.[3]
The Harrises purchased the house for US$1.5 million, then sought to restore the home to its original design, contracting Marmol Radziner + Associates to undertake the five-year project, which began in 1993.[2] For clues to the original design, the Harrises looked through the extensive Neutra archives at UCLA, found additional documents through Columbia University and were able to work with Shulman to access some of his never-printed photos of the home's interior. They were able to obtain pieces from the original suppliers of paint and fixtures; they purchased a metal-crimping machine to reproduce the sheet-metal fascia that lined the roof.[3]
Additionally, the Harrises were able to have a long-closed section of a Utah quarry reopened to mine matching stone to replace what had been removed or damaged.[2] To help restore the desert buffer Neutra had envisioned for the house, the Harrises also bought several adjoining plots to more than double the land around the 3,200-square-foot (300 m2) house.
They rebuilt a pool house that serves as a viewing pavilion for the main house, and kept a tennis court that was built on a parcel added to the original Kaufmann property.[3]
After the Harrises divorced, the home was sold on May 13, 2008, for US$15 million at auction by Christie's as a part of a high-profile sale of contemporary art.[5] The house had a presale estimate of US$15 million to US$25 million.[3] The sale later fell through, as the bidder breached terms of the purchase agreement.[6]
In October 2008, the house was listed for sale at US$12.95 million, but it was not sold.[7]
It was again listed for sale in October 2020 at US$25 million.[8]
The Kaufmann house was included in a list of all-time top 10 houses in Los Angeles, despite its location in Palm Springs, in a Los Angeles Times survey of experts in December 2008.[9]
References
- Ho, Vivien (21 October 2020) Modernist architectural marvel made famous by Slim Aarons for sale for $25m in The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2020
- Akkam, Alia (27 October 2020) For a Cool $25 Million, You Can Buy Richard Neutra’s Most Famous Palm Springs Home in Dwell. Retrieved 29 October 2020
- Wyatt, Edward (October 31, 2007) A Landmark Modernist House Heads to Auction in The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2020
- Morris, Jim (21 December 2019) History of Fallingwater by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Archute. Retrieved 21 October 2020
- Avila, William (May 14, 2008) Kaufmann House sells for $15 million in The Desert Sun. Retrieved 29 October 2020
- Newman, Morris (May 2009). "Revisiting the Kaufmann House". Palm Springs Life.
- Wedner, Diane (October 26, 2008). "Neutra's Modernist masterpiece". Home of the Week. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
- Clarke, Katherine (October 15, 2020). "Slim Aarons Immortalized This Richard Neutra Home in 'Poolside Gossip.' Now It's Selling for $25 Million". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- Mitchell, Sean (December 27, 2008). "The best houses of all time in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
Further reading
- Friedman, Alice T. (c. 2010). "2. Palm Springs Eternal: Richard Neutra's Kaufmann Desert House". American Glamour and the Evolution of Modern Architecture. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press. pp. 262. ISBN 978-0-300-11654-0. LCCN 2009032574.