The Eames House (also known as Case Study House No. 8 ) is a landmark of modern architecture in the mid-20th century located at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was built in 1949, by the husband-and-wife design pioneers Charles and Ray Eames, to serve as their home and studio. Now a museum of historic homes run by the Eames Foundation, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
Video Eames House
Design and history
A 1.4-acre site near the beach at Pacific Palisades, on a wooded cliff that was once part of a large Will Rogers field, was chosen by Eameses for their home. This design was first made by Charles Eames with architect Eero Saarinen in 1945 as a stainless steel and glass box projected out of the slope and covers the entrance before cantilever dramatically on the front page. The structure must be built entirely from the "off-shelf" parts available from the steel fabricator catalog. Immediately after the war, these parts were very limited. By the time the material arrives three years later, much pre-construction time has been spent on picnics and exploring the many places where the house will stand. After a period of intense collaboration between Charles and Ray, the scheme was radically altered to sit quietly on the ground and avoid falling upon the pleasant pastures that face the house.
The new design slips the sidelong home into a slope, with an 8-foot (2.4 m) concrete retaining wall at 200 feet (60 m) high on the uphill side. The mezzanine level is added, using a prefabricated spiral staircase that has become a lower entrance. The upper level holds the bedroom and overlooks the double-height living room. A page was also introduced, separating the residence from the studio room. This revised scheme requires only one additional beam. The 17 foot (5.1 m) tall façade is broken into a stiff rigid, almost Mondrianesque composition of brightly colored panels between thin steel columns and braces, painted black. The entrance is marked with a gold leaf panel on top. The existing eucalyptus tree rows are preserved along the exposed house wall, providing visual shadows and contrasts with the bold facade of the house. As for the interior design, Eames collection includes, among others, floor lamps Isamu Noguchi, Japanese kokeshi dolls, Chinese lacquer pillow, native American basket full of wicker grass sticks.
Of the twenty-five Case Study Houses that were built, Eames's home was considered the most successful as a statement of architecture and as a comfortable functional living space. The insolent slope of the design made it a favorite backdrop for fashion shots in the 1950s and 1960s. Probably the proof of his success in fulfilling his program is the fact that he has remained at the center of Eames' life and work ever since they moved (Christmas Eve, 1949) until their death.
Eames House is one of the leading architectural examples with the influence of De Stijl Movement outside Europe. Sliding walls and windows provide brand flexibility and openness from the De Stijl Movement.
Maps Eames House
Preservation
The Eames House is operated by a foundation founded in 2004 and is run in part by the grandchildren of Charles and Ray Eames who maintain the house as an occasional residence. They have overseen the preservation of the structure and have preserved the collection and decoration of Charles and Ray. After Eames died, the house was largely untouched. The studio is currently used for Eames Office's ongoing work. On September 20, 2006, Eames House was designated a National Historic Landmark (and administratively registered on the National Register of Historic Places on the same day). In 2011, the contents of the living room were reassembled at the Los Angeles County Art Museum as the exhibition center "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way". That same year, the Eames Foundation hired the Los Angeles architectural firm Escher GuneWardena to develop a plan for the house, which will restore and preserve the house as it was in 1988. In 2012, the Getty Conservation Society promises about $ 250,000 for research-related preservation work at Eames House. In 2013, the Eames Foundation works with Nebo's digital marketing agency to produce limited edition prints for auctions for the purpose of collecting $ 150,000; each donation will be matched by the Original Fund created by modern furniture manufacturer Herman Miller and Vitra.
The house was included in the list of top 10 big houses in Los Angeles in a survey of experts in December 2008.
Literature
In February 2010, LAS Magazine posted an article on the history of the building and its current significance to the Eames Century Modern Collection, a typography project by the House Industries design studio.
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in California
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- List of Los Angeles Culture-Historic Monuments on Westside
References
Further reading
- Steele, James (1994). Eames House: Charles & amp; Ray Eames (Architecture in Detail) . London & amp; New York: Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-4212-5. Smith, Elizabeth A. T. (1989). Blueprint for Modern Living: History and Heritage of Case Study . Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN: 0-262-69213-9.
External links
- The official website of Eames Foundation
- National Historic Landmarks Program: Eames House
- Art & amp; Architecture magazine
- A Designer's Home from Her Living Magazine. 11 September 1950. page 148.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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