Neutra VDL Studios and Residences

In 2016, the Neutra Studio and Residences, historically known as the VDL Research House (named for the Dutch industrialist van der Leeuw) was designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest accolade our nation bestows on a historic property. Designed by Viennese-born architect Richard J. Neutra (1892-1970) the complex is comprised of the two-story plus penthouse studio-residence of Richard and Dione Neutra (1932; 1966) and a garden house (1939- 40) separated by a patio that functions as extension of the interior spaces. The main house suffered a massive fire in late 1963, and the Neutras decided to rebuild. The newly designed house honored the memory of the original dwelling and incorporated features reflective of the office’s late 1960s practice. The history of the Neutra Studio and Residences represents three periods of Richard Neutra’s architecture; this is the only site where one can view three major episodes of the great architect’s practice: the work of a European modernist, his architectural adaptation to southern California’s mild climate, and the development of a unique, sustainable and visually complex architecture reflective of the postwar period.

Neutra designed approximately 300 buildings in his studio, where he employed young designers who contributed to the next generation of Los Angeles modern architects. The photographic record of the Neutra Studio and Residences illustrates the changes that took place to the site over time.