If you’re a fan of AMC’s “Mad Men,” then you’ve probably seen actor Jon Hamm lounging in sleek midcentury modern office furniture while sipping a stiff drink as his iconic character, Don Draper.
The show helped repopularize the design aesthetic that has a strong connection to Los Angeles. That’s due in large part to the work of Vienna-born architect, Richard Neutra, whose Silver Lake office building on Glendale Boulevard is being rebooted this week as a museum and gallery. The project was led by Neutra’s 88-year-old son, Dion. The building will now be known as the Neutra Institute Museum of Silver Lake and will host art shows featuring the work of local artists, community gatherings and feature pieces of Neutra memorabilia.
Tech entrepreneur Rob Maigret rented the office for four months beginning in late 2012. He said the site, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is better suited in its new role since its status prohibits many basic upgrades and renovations. Maigret said he paid $6,500 a month in rent for about 2,700 square feet of space.
“It’s a special place,” he said, but it was a difficult place to rent, especially considering the premium price tag.
Dion Neutra did not reply to an interview request.
The modernist style, characterized by its simplicity, functionalism and integration with natural surroundings, can be seen in homes, offices and stores throughout the greater L.A. area. One prominent example is the Stahl House in Hollywood, built in 1959, designed by Pierre Koenig. Perched on a hillside near Laurel Canyon Boulevard, the house features huge glass windows, stretching from floor to ceiling, intended to blend indoor and outdoor space – a tenet of the style. Photographer Julius Shulman made the cantilevered home famous in an iconic 1960 photograph.
But Richard Neutra, who moved to the United States in 1923 and worked briefly with Frank Lloyd Wright, is considered by many to be one of midcentury modernism’s seminal evangelists.
“His influence can’t be underestimated,” said Kenneth Breisch, an assistant professor at USC’s School of Architecture and founder of its graduate program in historic preservation.
In addition to his impeccable attention to detail, Neutra’s charismatic personality made him stand out during his heyday in the 1950s, Breisch said, when the architect mingled with elites in the film and artistic communities.
“He was a leader in introducing European modernism in Southern California and the United States,” he said.
Some of Neutra’s best-known works include the Lovell House near Griffith Park, built in 1929 and featured in the film “L.A. Confidential.” Another of his famous local landmarks is the Van der Leeuw Research House in Silver Lake, which was erected in 1932 and rebuilt in the mid-1960s after a fire. As a sign of Neutra’s enduring prestige, his 55-year-old Singleton House in Bel Air sold for $16.5 million in December 2012.
The architect spent most of his career in Southern California. He and son Dion used the 4,800-sqare-foot Silver Lake office as a design headquarters after they built it in 1950. Richard Neutra died in 1970.
“They found a real open and accepting audience here,” said photojournalist Joselle Celine, whose architectural photography series “Art in Architecture” debuted last week in conjunction with the refurbished space.
The style’s proliferation in Los Angeles probably had something to do with the sunny weather, Breisch explained.
“The climate really lent itself to the flat roofs and the indoor/outdoor space that became synonymous with modernism after the war,” he said.
The Neutras designed midcentury modern furniture, too. In fact, German furniture maker VS launched a Neutra Collection in February, which features a variety of chairs, stools and tables designed by Neutra and his son.
Midcentury modern furniture saw a resurgence in popularity about 15 years ago that continues to this day, said David Pierce, who has owned North Hollywood furniture store MidcenturyLA since 2004. A few years later, the “Mad Men” series sent America’s fascination with the style to new heights.
“It spread the gospel,” Pierce said of the Emmy Award-winning show. “But even in the late 1990s you had stores popping up doing midcentury.”
Pierce’s 17,000-square-foot store carries thousands of vintage Scandinavian and Northern European pieces, and he describes the inventory turnover as high. Sideboards that retail between $1,800 and $2,200 are his best-selling items, which typically wind up being used as media cabinets, Pierce said.
Celine, who counts herself among collectors of midcentury modern furniture, said that it has become a costlier hobby over the years.
“I used to buy midcentury modern furniture at Goodwill,” she laughed. “You can’t do that anymore.”
