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Case Study Houses

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The Stahl House, Case Study House #22

The Case Study Houses were experiments in American residential architecture sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, which commissioned major architects of the day to design and build inexpensive and efficient model homes for the United States residential housing boom caused by the end of World War II and the return of millions of soldiers. The program yielded 36 designs and 25 constructed homes, concentrated in Southern California.

History

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The "Case Study" House program, spearheaded by Arts & Architecture editor John Entenza, was announced in the January 1945 issue of the magazine.[1] The magazine initially commissioned eight nationally known architects to create contemporary single-family homes within a specified budget, with the magazine itself serving as the "client" for each project.[2]

The program was envisioned as a creative response to the impending building boom expected to follow the housing shortages of the Great Depression and World War II. The initial program announcement stated that "each house must be capable of duplication and in no sense be an individual performance" and that "the overall program will be general enough to be of practical assistance to the average American in search of a home in which he can afford to live."[2] Entenza encouraged participating architects to use donated materials from industry and manufacturers to create low-cost, modern housing prototypes that might foster a dialogue between architectural professionals and laymen.

The first eight architects commissioned and profiled in the January 1945 announcement of the program were JR Davidson, Sumner Spaulding, Richard Neutra, Eero Saarinen, William Wilson Wurster, Charles Eames, and Ralph Rapson.[2] The program employed a "design-build-publish" model,[3] publishing the prototypes alongside the architects' comments.[2] JR Davidson's design was the first feature of the series, with the exteriors and interiors appearing in the February and March 1945 edition of Arts & Architecture, respectively. Davidson's design was labeled Case Study House #1, thus inaugurating the numbering convention, which refers to the order in which designs were published, rather than constructed.

As outlined in the program announcement, construction was intended to commence immediately following the World War II moratorium on domestic housing construction. Case Study House #11, also designed by Davidson, was the first house constructed, and was permitted in December 1945.[4] Construction on Case Study House #11 began on January 9, 1946, prompting the design for the home to precede the publication of Case Study House #10.[5]

The program announcement called for each house to be open to the public for a six to eight weeks upon the conclusion of construction. Houses were to be furnished "under a working arrangement between the architect, the designer, and the furniture manufacturer".[2] By January 1949, the magazine had published designs, models, for 19 houses. Of the 19 profiled, nine houses were complete and five were "in various stages of construction."[6] Several houses were not constructed for unspecified reasons beyond the control of the magazine and architects.[6]

In January 1949, the magazine announced "having come this far with it, we feel that we have proved our point to the extent that we need no longer be so ambitious as to numbers," and pivoted to sponsoring one house each year, starting with Case Study House 1949.[6] By July 1954, the program had yielded 16 constructed houses.

In total, the program commissioned 36 prototypes, including single-family homes, multi-family homes, and apartments, of which 25 were constructed.[1][7] The majority of the constructed houses were built in Los Angeles County. Additional case study houses were built in San Rafael, California;[8] San Diego, California;[9] and Phoenix, Arizona.[10] Of the unbuilt houses, #19 was to have been built in Atherton, California, while #27 was to have been built in Smoke Rise, New Jersey.

A number of the houses appeared in the magazine in iconic black-and-white photographs by architectural photographer Julius Shulman.[11] In 1989 Shulman's photographs of the Case Study Houses were exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art in an exhibit titled "Blueprints for Modern Living."

The Eames House was added as a stand-alone site to the National Register in 2006.[12] In 2013, a group of 10 case study houses, all located in Southern California, were added to the National Register of Historic Places, while House #23A was determined eligible for the registry, but not officially listed due to an objection by the owner.[13][14]

Stylistic Commonalities

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Houses in the program shared common design elements, including open floor plans, clean lines, floor to ceiling glass, steel framing, and a flat roof.[15][16] Most of the houses were "predominately modular in design."[17]


Houses

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House Alternate Name Architect(s) Status Address Arts & Architecture Publications
Content Edition
1 JR Davidson Extant 10152 Toluca Lake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA Plan February 1945
Model March 1945
Restudy May 1948
2 Sumner Spaulding, John Rex Extant 857 Chapea Road, Pasadena, CA Plan April 1945
Model May 1945
Restudy October/November 1946
Completion August 1947
3 William Wurster, Theodore Bernardi Demolished 13187 Chalon Road, Los Angeles, CA Plan June 1945
Model July 1945
Completion March 1949
4 Greenbelt House Ralph Rapson Unbuilt Plan August 1945
Model September 1945
5 Loggia House Whitney R. Smith Unbuilt Plan September 1945
Model April 1946
6 Omega Richard Neutra Unbuilt Plan, Model October 1945
7 Thornton Abell Extant 6236 N Deerfield Avenue, San Gabriel, CA Plan November 1945
Model May 1946
Restudy April 1947
Construction June 1948
Completion July 1948
8 Eames House Charles Eames, Ray Eames Extant 203 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Plan December 1945
Model March 1948
Site February 1949
Framing March 1949
Plan May 1949
Merit Specified Products July 1949
Merit Specified Products August 1949
Interiors September 1949
Completion December 1949
9 Entenza House Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen Extant 205 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Plan December 1945
Model March 1948
Construction January 1949
Merit Specified Products July 1949
Merit Specified Products August 1949
Merit Specified Products, Completion July 1950
10 Kemper Nomland, Kemper Nomland Jr. Significantly Altered[18] 711 San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105 Completion October 1947
11 JR Davidson Demolished 540 S Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90049 Plan, Model January 1946
Completion July 1946
Tenancy Study March 1947
12 Lath House Whitney R. Smith Unbuilt Plan February 1946
Model December 1946
13 Alpha Richard Neutra Unbuilt[19] Plan, Model March 1946
15 JR Davidson Extant 4755 Lasheart Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 Plan, Construction January 1947
16 Rodney Walker Demolished 9945 Beverly Grove Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Plan, Construction June 1946
Garden August 1946
Model September 1946
Completion February 1947
16 [Ellwood] Salzman House, Case Study House 1953 Craig Ellwood Extant 1811 Bel Air Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90077 Merit Specifications August 1951
Merit Specifications April 1952
Merit Specifications May 1952
Merit Specifications June 1952
Merit Specifications July 1952
Merit Specifications August 1952
Merit Specifications September 1952
Merit Specifications November 1952
Merit Specifications December 1952
Construction February 1953
Merit Specifications March 1953
Merit Specifications April 1953
Completion, Merit Specifications June 1953
Heating July 1953
17 [Walker] Rodney Walker Extant 7861 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Hollywood, CA 90046 Plan, Model September 1946
Completion July 1947
17 [Ellwood] Craig Ellwood Remodeled beyond recognition 9554 Hidden Valley Road, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Announcement July 1954
Plan August 1954
Plan September 1954
Plan November 1954
Landscaping March 1955
Plan, Merit Specifications May 1955
Construction, Merit Specifications June 1955
Construction, Merit Specifications September 1955
Announcement February 1956
Completion, Merit Specifications March 1953
18 [Walker] West House Rodney Walker Extant 199 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Plan November 1947
Completion February 1948
18 [Ellwood] Fields House Craig Ellwood Remodeled Beyond Recognition 1129 Miradero Rd Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Plan February 1956
Specifications May 1956
Plan April 1957
Plan August 1957
Merit Specifications September 1957
Merit Specifications October 1957
Construction November 1957
Landscape February 1958
Construction March 1958
Completion May 1958
Completion, Merit Specifications June 1958
19 Don Knorr Unbuilt Plan May 1957
Plan August 1957
Plan September 1957
Landscape December 1957
Merit Specifications October 1957
20 [Neutra] Stuart Bailey House Richard Neutra Extant 219 Chautauqua Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Plan November 1947
Completion December 1948
Construction
20 [Buff, Straub, Hensman] Bass House C. Buff, C. Straub, D. Hensman Extant 2257 North Santa Rosa Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001 Model January 1958
Construction July 1958
Construction September 1958
Completion, Merit Specifications November 1958
21 [Neutra] Richard Neutra Unbuilt Plan May 1947
21 [Koenig] Walter Bailey House Pierre Koenig Extant 9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046 Plan May 1958
Construction August 1958
Construction November 1958
Completion January 1959
Completion February 1959
1950 Raphael Soriano Demolished 1080 Ravoli Dr, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Introduction December 1949
Merit Specifications February 1950
Merit Specifications March 1950
Plan April 1950
Merit Specifications June 1950
Plan August 1950
Construction September 1950
Objects, Merit Speficiations October 1950
Completion November 1950
Completion, Merit Specifications December 1950
22 Stahl House Pierre Koenig Extant 1635 Woods Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Plan May 1959
Construction October 1959
Construction, Merit Specifications February 1960
Completion, Merit Specifications May 1960
Completion, Merit Specifications June 1960
23A Triad Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Assoc. Extant 2342 Rue de Anne, La Jolla, CA 92037 Merit Specifications September 1959
Plan October 1959
Merit Specifications December 1959
Merit Specifications January 1960
Construction April 1960
Construction, Merit Specifications July 1960
Landscaping, Merit Specifications August 1960
Merit Specifications September 1960
Construction October 1960
Completion, Merit Specifications March 1961
23B Remodeled beyond recognition 2343 Rue de Anne, La Jolla, CA 92037 Merit Specifications September 1959
Plan October 1959
Merit Specifications December 1959
Merit Specifications January 1960
Construction April 1960
Construction, Merit Specifications July 1960
Landscaping, Merit Specifications August 1960
Merit Specifications September 1960
Construction October 1960
Completion, Merit Specifications March 1961
23C Extant 2329 Rue de Anne, La Jolla, CA 92037 Merit Specifications September 1959
Plan October 1959
Merit Specifications December 1959
Merit Specifications January 1960
Construction April 1960
Construction, Merit Specifications July 1960
Landscaping, Merit Specifications August 1960
Merit Specifications September 1960
Construction October 1960
Completion, Merit Specifications March 1961
24 Eichler Homes A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons Unbuilt Plan July 1961
Plan, Merit Specifications September 1961
Model, Merit Specifications December 1961
25 Frank House Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Associates Extant 82 Rivo Alto Canal, Long Beach, CA 90803 Plan, Merit Specifications January 1962
Plan, Construction, Merit Specifications March 1962
Construction, Merit Specifications May 1962
Construction, Merit Specifications August 1962
Completion, Merit Specifications May 1962
26 Harrison House Beverley "David" Thorne Extant 177 San Marino Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903 Plan, Construction, Merit Specifications October 1962
Plan, Merit Specifications November 1962
Completion, Merit Specifications January 1963
Addition July 1963
27 Campbell and Wong Unbuilt Plan June 1963
28 Janss/Pacific Case Study House C. Buff and D. Hensman Extant 489 Oak Creek Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91361 Plan July 1965
Model, Construction December 1965
Completion September 1966
Apt 1 Alfred N. Beadle, Alan A. Dailey Extant Plan November 1963
Completion September 1964
Apt 2 Whitmore Apartments Killingsworth, Brady, Smith & Assoc. Unbuilt Plan May 1964
Merit Specifications June 1964
Merit Specifications July 1964

References

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  1. ^ a b Hofmann, Michelle (February 5, 2021). "The Case Study Houses Forever Changed American Architecture". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Announcement: The Case Study House Program" (PDF). Arts & Architecture (January 1945): 37–41. January 1945.
  3. ^ Fisher, Paul (May 5, 2020). "How the Case Study House Program Inspired a California Modernist Movement". Golden State. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  4. ^ "LADBS Records System". ladbsdoc.lacity.org. December 17, 1945. 1945LA20747. Retrieved 2025-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Case Study House #11" (PDF). Arts & Architecture (January 1946): 40–44. January 1946.
  6. ^ a b c "Case Study House Program: Project for 1949" (PDF). Arts & Architecture (January 1949): 31.
  7. ^ "Case Study House Program". Arts & Architecture. Retrieved 2025-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Wood, Betty (October 16, 2015). "Property of the week: Beverley David Thorne's Case Study House in California". The Spaces. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  9. ^ Lagdameo, Jennifer Baum (June 19, 2017). "10 Iconic Case Study Houses in Southern California". Dwell. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  10. ^ "The Triad, Case Study Apartments No. 1 | Eames Foundation". eamesfoundation.org. March 10, 2016. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  11. ^ "Julius Shulman: Case Study". SFO Museum. San Francisco Airport Commission. 2017. Retrieved 2025-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "National Register Database and Research - National Register of Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. 06000978. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  13. ^ Kudler, Adrian Glick (August 20, 2013). "LA's Most Famous House Finally Makes the National Register". Curbed LA. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  14. ^ "Case Study Houses". LA Conservancy. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  15. ^ "Case Study House #1". LA Conservancy. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  16. ^ Gebhard, David (October 1, 1063). "The Case Study Houses". Artforum. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  17. ^ Ray, Debika (May 6, 2020). "Case Study Houses: Guidelines for the average American home". ICON Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  18. ^ "City of Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-17.
  19. ^ CSH #13 was unbuilt, but has been identified with Neutra's Gordon Wilkins House (1949) in Pasadena. See: Lamprecht, Barbara (February 11, 2004). "The Mystery of Case Study House No. 13". Architecture. AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2010-06-15.

Further reading

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