Mar 08, 2022
Kronish House
This Modern masterpiece designed by Richard Neutra was listed for sale as a $10+ million teardown in 2011. The owner began demolition proceedings, sparking a public outcry that included nearly 600 letters and emails to the City of Beverly Hills. The Kronish House was rescued from imminent demolition in late 2011, when an owner came forward to purchase the house — at the suggestion of the architects who ultimately renovated the home. Despite the rampant teardown trend sweeping the nation, the owner committed to keeping the original design intact. After several years of vacancy, the house suffered from neglect and deferred maintenance. The project team removed insensitive alterations, seismically upgraded the house, and brought it back to life. The near-loss of the Kronish House galvanized the City of Beverly Hills into action after a series of high-profile demolitions. The City created a robust preservation program, including an innovative (though recently weakened) preservation ordinance. In 2015, the Kronish House was designated a local historic landmark by the City of Beverly Hills. This catalytic project prevented the loss of a highly significant structure while raising the profile of preservation in Beverly Hills. HISTORY: The Kronish House is one of only three Richard Neutra designs ever built in Beverly Hills and is the only one that survives intact. Real estate developer Herbert Kronish and his wife Hazel purchased the property from Shirley Temple in the early 1950s and hired seminal Modernist architect Richard Neutra to design their home at the site. The result is a spectacular International Style house with a pinwheel-shaped design, only one story in height, but large in scale. At nearly 7,000 square feet, it is Neutra's largest residential design in Southern California and possibly his largest in North America. The home features three wings that radiate out from a glass-enclosed garden area visible from multiple rooms, and is dominated by glass walls that bring the outdoors in at every opportunity. Its clean horizontal lines and fine finishes give it a formal, villa-like feel, enhanced by the rear patio and pool also designed by Neutra. Photo by Roger Davies
Kronish House
This Modern masterpiece designed by Richard Neutra was listed for sale as a $10+ million teardown in 2011. The owner began demolition proceedings, sparking a public outcry that included nearly 600 letters and emails to the City of Beverly Hills. The Kronish House was rescued from imminent demolition in late 2011, when an owner came forward to purchase the house — at the suggestion of the architects who ultimately renovated the home. Despite the rampant teardown trend sweeping the nation, the owner committed to keeping the original design intact. After several years of vacancy, the house suffered from neglect and deferred maintenance. The project team removed insensitive alterations, seismically upgraded the house, and brought it back to life. The near-loss of the Kronish House galvanized the City of Beverly Hills into action after a series of high-profile demolitions. The City created a robust preservation program, including an innovative (though recently weakened) preservation ordinance. In 2015, the Kronish House was designated a local historic landmark by the City of Beverly Hills. This catalytic project prevented the loss of a highly significant structure while raising the profile of preservation in Beverly Hills. HISTORY: The Kronish House is one of only three Richard Neutra designs ever built in Beverly Hills and is the only one that survives intact. Real estate developer Herbert Kronish and his wife Hazel purchased the property from Shirley Temple in the early 1950s and hired seminal Modernist architect Richard Neutra to design their home at the site. The result is a spectacular International Style house with a pinwheel-shaped design, only one story in height, but large in scale. At nearly 7,000 square feet, it is Neutra's largest residential design in Southern California and possibly his largest in North America. The home features three wings that radiate out from a glass-enclosed garden area visible from multiple rooms, and is dominated by glass walls that bring the outdoors in at every opportunity. Its clean horizontal lines and fine finishes give it a formal, villa-like feel, enhanced by the rear patio and pool also designed by Neutra. Photo by Roger Davies
Mar 08, 2022
Posted Date
Mar 08, 2022
Historical Record Date
Mar 08, 2022
Source Name
Los Angeles Conservancy
