Every Fixture Tells a Story: Neutra’s Reunion House

students looking at drawings — Brannon and Chuy examine Reunion House drawings. Photo by Sian Winship, courtesy Neutra Institute for Survival through Design.

When is a light fixture not just a light fixture? When it helps tell the story of a remarkable home designed, and lived in, by one of the twentieth century’s greatest architects.

The 1951 Reunion House in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood was designed on spec by Richard Neutra. It housed Neutra and his family as his home/studio down the street was rebuilt after a fire, and it served as the long-time home/studio of his son, architect Dion Neutra.

In this episode, we hear how students Brannon Smithwick and Jesús (Chuy) Barba Bonilla learned about materials conservation by poring over switch plates and climbing on the roof of Reunion House. We also talk with instructor Peyton Hall, FAIA and Sian Winship of the Neutra Institute for Survival through Design, the home’s new steward. If you think studying lighting, roofs, windows, and wood is boring, think again. This episode will give you a new appreciation of the materials in a historic home—with a love story thrown in for fun.

Culture, Community, and the Holiday Bowl

In 2003, the majority of the beloved Holiday Bowl in L.A.’s Crenshaw district was demolished. Although the bowling alley–a big box profoundly important to the community–was lost, the coffee shop–a Googie gem designed by Armet and Davis–remains standing and is now a Starbucks. Today’s guest Katie Horak analyzed the efforts to save the Holiday Bowl in her 2006 thesis. Listen as Katie reflects on her research, how times have changed in terms of valuing cultural significance, and why communities should tell their own stories. Now a leader in our field, she’s come back to USC as a teacher, inspiring the next generation of heritage conservationists.

Tag: docomomo

Season 2, Episode 16

Every Fixture Tells a Story: Neutra’s Reunion House

Season 2, Episode 5

Culture, Community, and the Holiday Bowl