THE ARCHITECTURAL FORUM: June 1949
Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs by Richard Neutra
P. I. Prentice [Editor and Publisher]: THE ARCHITECTURAL FORUM. New York: Time, Inc. 1949 [Volume 90, Number 6, June 1949]. A very good or better perfect-bound magazine with minor shelf wear. One item in the Table of Contents neatly underlined in red, otherwise, interior unmarked and very clean. Out-of-print. Cover artwork by Richard Neutra.
9.75 X 12.5 perfect-bound magazine with 200 pages of editorial content and an excellent assortment of vintage trade advertisements that espouse an enthusiastic post-war aesthetic.
- News
- Letters
- Previews
- Forum
- University Buildings: University Of Miami By Robert Law Weed
- Aluminum in Building: New Alcoa Administration Building By Harrison And Abramovitz
- Previews: United Nations, North Carolina Country Club By William Dietrick, NYC Public Housing
- Houses: House in the Desert. Kaufmann House in Palm Springs by Richard Neutra: 6 pages with 18 photographs and plans, including a full-page color plate by Julius Shulman. House in Weston, MA by David Fried; House in Ithan, PA by Carroll, Grinsdale & Van Alen; House in Oklahoma City by Warr Built Homes Inc.
- Merchant Builder Project
- Open-Ended Mortgages
- Suburban Department Store: Millirons In Westchester, CA By Gruen And Krummeck, Photographed By Julius Shulman.
- Dairy Plant: Milk Processing Plant By Brown, Lawford And Forbes.
- Bauty Salon: in Seattle By Bain, Overturf, Turner And Associates
- Building Reporter
- Reviews
- Technical Reviews
Born and raised in Vienna, Richard Neutra (1872-1970) came to America early in his career, settling in California. His influence on post-war architecture is undisputed, the sunny climate and rich landscape being particularly suited to his cool, sleek modern style. Neutra had a keen appreciation for the relationship between people and nature; his trademark plate glass walls and ceilings which turn into deep overhangs have the effect of connecting the indoors with the outdoors. Neutra's ability to incorporate technology, aesthetics, science, and nature into his designs him recognition as one of Modernist architecture's greatest talents.
Richard Neutra designed the Kaufmann House (a.k.a. Kaufmann Desert House) in 1946 in Palm Springs, California. To this day it remains arguably one of his most architecturally noteworthy and famous homes. The home was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., a Pittsburgh department store tycoon as a desert retreat from harsh winters.
The five-bedroom, five-bathroom vacation house in Palm Springs, California, was designed to emphasize connection to the desert landscape while offering shelter from harsh climatic conditions. Large sliding glass walls open the living spaces and master bedroom to adjacent patios. Major outdoor rooms are enclosed by a row of movable vertical fins that offer flexible protection against sandstorms and intense heat.
A combined living and dining space, roughly square, lies at the center of the house. While the house favors an east-west axis, four long perpendicular wings extend in each cardinal direction from the living areas. Thoughtful placement of larger rooms at the end of each wing helps define adjacent outdoor rooms, with circulation occurring both indoors and out.
The south wing connects to the public realm and includes a carport and two long covered walkways. These walkways are separated by a massive stone wall and led to public and service entries, respectively. The east wing of the house is connected to the living space by a north-facing internal gallery and houses a master bedroom suite. To the west, a kitchen, service spaces, and staff quarters are reached by a covered breezeway. In the northern wing, another open walkway passes along an exterior patio, leading to two guest rooms.
Edgar Kaufmann Jr. (1910–1989) studied painting and typography in Europe before serving as an apprentice architect at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Foundation from 1933 to 1934. The Kaufmanns of Pittsburgh commissioned two of the iconic American residences of the 20th-century, Wright’s Fallingwater in 1936 and then Richard Neutra’s Palm Springs Desert House in 1946. Edgar Jr. joined the Museum of Modern Art in 1946 as director of the Industrial Design Department, a position he held until 1955. While at MoMA, he initiated the Good Design program (1950–1955) and was a strong proponent of uniform industrial design education standards.