Extraordinary Co-Housing Duplex in Los Angeles - Schindler House 1922 by Rudolph Schindler

[@ischindl]

In the orginal design, the living rooms are the outdoor courtyards. The indoor rooms were designed to be work spaces or studios. In 1922 the workspace for the wife was the same size as the workspace for the husband. Note, however, that the wives' workspaces were closer to the kitchen. The mysterious "ledge" outside the entrance to the Schindler side of the house is the first step of the stairs leading to the Southern sleeping basket. Note that the stairs leading to the sleeping baskets are not under roofs. The outdoor sleeping baskets didn't work. They were enclosed very quickly.

[@Archimarathon]

Wow. Thanks for the details. Are you a descendent of Rudolph Schindler?

[@ischindl]

@@Archimarathon His last remaining grandson. A friend sent me the link to your video. Great work, thanks for featuring the house.

[@Archimarathon]

Amazing!

[@maynardarchitects]

Wonderful! Thank you so much for contributing @ischindl 💚

[@GuillaumeSchindler]

@@maynardarchitects Hi guys! I am Guillaume, Ian's son (so great grandson of RMS), my Dad forwarded me the video. Great video you guys! Thank you greatly for sharing your passion and understanding with so much love the Schindler House! Just to respond to your question in the video, as you may have figured out after viewing the rest of your video, the sliding doors are not supposed to be tilted. It is due to the House being old with no foundation. it is one of the things to look after as we maintain/restore the building.

[@sfstucco]

I visited the Schindler house 20 years ago, and it has not left my mind since.

[@jonalff2154]

Great show guys! it should be added that the Neutra's lived in the other side of the house from 1925-30. Other residents included Edward Weston and John Cage. Schindler lived in the house until he died in 1953. His wife moved out in 1927, but returned after divorce to live there separately in the 1930s. She stayed until she died in 1977.

[@Archimarathon]

Thanks for the extra info

[@patbrad]

At min. 13:00 that ledge is actually the first step to get up to one of the sleeping porches on the roof. A staircase is behind that slatted door. It was unlocked when I visited in college!

[@Archimarathon]

Oh wow. I always wondered how to get up there. Thanks for that info.

[@patbrad]

There are similar staircases behind doors by each unit’s front door! Two separate roof decks. I just checked and you can **faintly** see them in the plan.

[@randyperdew2460]

Great video! I live in the Newport Beach Ca area and I walk past the Schindler's Lovell Beach House every week. His work is more like art than architecture.

[@cinemaipswich4636]

The panel doors are tilted to stop the rattling noise, caused by the wind.

[@mrxman581]

We have many architecturally significant residences in the greater LA region. Unfortunately, many of us take them for granted. However, we do have wonderful non-profits like the LA Conservancy that are continually educating us and doing yeoman's work in advocating and saving these wonderful structures for future generations. It's hugely important to support organizations like the LA Conservancy. Thanks.

[@Brian-os9qj]

Not raining much has enhanced the longevity of the building, for sure

[@williamfahey6066]

It is hard to believe that House was built in1922. it is in great shape considering it is over One Hundred years old. I like the House , it is really unique. I hope they are able to restore it, meaning make all of the necessary repairs. Jeff

[@ischindl]

The theme for the house is a campsite: a protected back, an open front, and a fireplace.

[@denniskaiser33]

I visited this house 2 years ago, and I still remember the vibes it gave me when I entered. It's incredible how a 100-year-old house can exude such power and feeling. I live in a farmhouse in Tuscany that is the same age as the Schindler house, but the feeling it transmits is not comparable at all. Until recently, I didn't know that houses could evoke such different feelings.

[@Slippedndipped]

Schindler is amazing. I wish he had built more houses outside of California. Thank you for the video. Truly amazing to see the scale. Also I believe they recreated the rooftop sleeping area recently as it had been removed.

[@richardzimmerman7934]

My friend lived there in 82. I spent the night. It was falling apart back then.

[@robertgreen7926]

Great tour, guys. We were just in L.A. and got to visit the Hollyhock House, which was a Frank Lloyd Wright design whose construction in 1919-1920 was overseen by Schindler. I love architecture from this style/period and am always amazed by how ahead of their time these designs were. You have to remind yourself that these houses--as you noted--are over 100 years old! It's such a privilege that they've been restored and opened to the public.

[@jukestaposition]

One of my favorite houses in LA with Neutra VDL House. So understated and beautiful.

[@peterlovett5841]

What a fantastic design filled with ideas that you could still use today.

[@asimrasheed1072]

I hope you guys visited the Neutra VDL house in LA while visiting. That little house has hidden delights everywhere. And goes on to show the masters (Neutra and his son Dion) at work.

[@Archimarathon]

We were outside. It wasn’t open during our visit unfortunately

[@SolidKnight64]

I believe that locked door with the step by the front door is the staircase up to the sleeping basket.

[@gwendolynvaliente3539]

I live in Northern California (SF Bay Area), but I get to LA a few times a year, and I didn't know about this amazing house! LA is full of fantastic architecture from 1920 - 1970s. Unfortunately also full of tacky ostentatious McMansions. You should also check out the art enclave in the Mexican neighborhood of Boyle Heights. And Hollywood Hills. My favorite area for real California architecture is Topanga Canyon, the old Bohemian area. Thank you for visiting this wonderful structure. I hope to visit now that you have introduced it.

[@gabybordino6024]

Brilliant! Thanks for this video, photos never do justice to this masterpiece. I particularly love the strong relationship with the outside, the fluency of spaces and the integral design. So many lessons indeed!

[@hypertectonics7009]

Studying the plans I always knew this house was small, but seeing you guys inside it really puts a perspective on the scale of the building! Photos can be so deceiving I used to think the spaces are twice the size they actually are...

[@blakei5620]

Love the pop-up clerestories. Their placement is gorg

[@j-andall]

Great episode! Next time you're in California come down to San Diego and check out Schindler's Pueblo Ribera. Absolutely incredible.

[@michaelepp6212]

Schindler also did El Pueblo Ribera court, which was similar, in La Jolla, except that it had 6 units, and used concrete block (very beautifully) instead of tilt-up. You can see it in Modern Housing Prototypes (author Roger Sherwood), where the Schindler House plans also are shown. An architect friend of mine who toured the Schindler House said it was the best house he's ever been in.

[@johnpeterdean1653]

I have just realised looking at the plans that there are no bedrooms...They must slept on futon in the linving space ???? What a simple way of living, and when the house was built it was in the open fields....It really makes you think how the architecture of the space results in such a simple lifestyle.

[@avanm420]

Beautiful house and grounds.

[@dianacourt377]

I find it amazing this is over 100 years old

[@jamzyhuh2597]

I would love my house in the future to be similar. Incredible language and detail throughout. Love the play of contraction and expansion throughout with the play of light utilising the variations in those spaces.

[@jayumble8390]

This was fantastic and you guys are a delight! Thank you!!

[@Archimarathon]

🙏

[@bdcooper5855]

Thanks for all of your vids. I love LA in general and these hidden architectural gems especially.

[@davidmayhew8083]

Thank you guys!

[@robertrusso877]

First, love the new intro - hope you keep it! Second, my guess of the doors being tilted would be that they are meant to match the angle of the tilt up concrete and to fool the eye that they are as solid and immovable as the concrete. Have you found out why yourselves since your visit? Would love to know …

[@RyanJohnsonD]

It' so modern and archetypical. Japanese design gave so much inspiration.

[@jlfern2882]

Loved this video! Walking around really lets you perceive the dimensions of the house. Its beautiful work

[@harperwelch5147]

The 1893 ? Worlds Fair in Chicago had an Asian compound with tea house and gardens and was a big influence on young American designers and artists like FLW, Schindler, and many others. So Japanese influence was widespread. You’re in SoCal where earthquakes and land shifting can affect older buildings by tilting concrete.

[@TheToby1007]

Schindler worked on the Imperial Hotel with Arata Endo, Wrights Chief Architect for the Tokyo work - Maynard loves a mirror,,,,,🤣

[@D1945-k5h]

amazing example of open plan simple living it is almost spiritual condusive to family living, thanks for showing this amazing house the shindler house los angeles = +

[@DNAdoc1748]

The ledge at the entrance might be a mudscraper. See a lot of those in the countryside. Little metal sheet bolted onto the porch. I think nyc has an equivalent for people to scrape off horse manure after walking down the street. Not used now but still seen.

[@chanate2]

in most Japanese and Chinese homes it is customary to remove ones shoes at the entry. I would think that is what the ledge is for. Placing shoes before entering the house.

[@dave-ltd688]

Min 6:46 The Wood Screens. Why are they tilting? I think @robertrusso877 is correct: the Wood Panels match the Concrete Panels so they can both read as screens. Unity and variation all in one. One wonders what Schindler might have achieved with bigger budgets.

[@johnl5316]

I used to live 2 blocks from there

[@jenniferupton8498]

Visited there in 2013. There was a band practising in the grounds. My niece took us. She now lives not far from Palm Springs. Would love to see some of the mid century houses there. Enjoy your videos so much.

[@Archimarathon]

Thank you

[@Tedmader-fp3vb]

When you’re so close to the stars on sidewalk- why would anyone be interested in this. Many of the FLW homes across the country have been restored and maintained to perfection- unlike LA , the extreme Summer and winter weather. Hollyhock is not far from this house and Schindler also worked on it - a must see- I’ve been to most of FLW most famous projects many from the 1800s. Oak park is not be missed- except for FLW many are Victorian era. In the hills of Prague there is a whole area BaBa that was a housing exhibition of modern homes from the 1930s -a still there in good condition - biggest change are the trees and plants. The Bruno chair has always been my favorite chair from the Mies villa tugendhat . Brno about a 100 miles from prague and very close to Vienna. I lived in prague for 4 years and last 8 years in Budapest - if you love architecture - this area is not to be missed- both cities are recovering from 40 years of communism. The castle area of Budapest had heavy bombing and are rebuilding about 19 of the major structures to perfection in details in stone and iron work, never dreamed I would see this kind of work being done especially one of the poorest countries in Europe.

[@robkimberlin959]

I used to live very near the Schindler house and visited it often. I agree with your comments on Japanese aesthetics. Whenever I was there I kept thinking of Katsura Imperial Villa. I really think the Schindler house is of the same quality-though not nearly so well maintained. Can anyone suggest a book which expands on influence of Japanese aesthetic on Schindler?

[@Nynke_K]

Beautiful! And lucky for it to have been built in such a dry place or it would have been torn down long ago. My guess for the tilt of the sliding screens is that they would harmonize with the concrete slabs. (And my guess for the high kitchen workspace is that it was put in later). Off to rewatch in order to understand those plans... (And saving this as a pin in Google Maps)

[@robinthomas1429]

My thoughts exactly, the construction photos showed the panels being tapered, hence the outside “leaning” as the door/wall panels are.

[@sfstucco]

I can’t find any record online (yet) of changes to the kitchen, but I think you are right. So sad. I was there 20 years ago, and I have a pretty solid memory of that kitchen. It impressed me so much - the simplicity of it. I believe it had the same, simple plumbing fixtures as shown in the bathroom. There was no island, no stainless steel appliances (of course). And what struck me at the time (before the trend appeared) was the use of concrete for the countertop AND the sink. It was the simplest of kitchens; stoic, impactful. I am sad to see it changed. 😢 I’m sure they did it when MAK (museum in charge of it) started hosting parties to earn funding for it. Also, the bathroom sink did not have that porcelain insert. It was just concrete.

[@tlw842]

Great house but most people would consider interior too dark. That style would only work in West/Southwest of US. The flat roof could be troublesome in climates with winter weather.

[@Kawartha65]

Does Kevin sound like Elon Musk or is it just me!! 😂 Love the banter….and the detailed walks make you feel like we are exploring in real time with you.

[@EvanTroxel]

Shout out to Judith Sheine, the Schindler guru, for taking us to this amazing place in second year of architecture school in 1994.

[@crazybrotherMTB]

I love watching your guys videos while on a quick from studying architecture lol, I guess it's still studying

[@Archimarathon]

It’s all education

[@tarunifalconer]

Of course it’s still studying - in the fullest way short of doing an Archimarathon.

[@Magni_Studio]

Such a beautiful piece of architecture. The inside outside relationships is something I like a lot. The tilting doors and panels remind me of a kind of lightweight curtain?

[@davidchannon6004]

I haven’t been. The closest I got was Grauman's Chinese Theatre on the bus to Universal Studios. It looks like a grandparent of Heide II.

[@martinwander8295]

In the mid 1970’s, I researched projects by Schindler and Neutra in LA and La Jolla. I somehow missed this project. I suppose my research wasn’t very good. I did visit an amazing apartment complex by one of the two architects. I remember little of the exterior facades, but I was fixed on a series of very small highly landscaped courtyards that organized the dense units. I remember that bathrooms from several units opened to the courtyards. Each bathroom had full height glass walls with unobstructed views out and in. But the architecture and landscape created total privacy and Japanese-like garden views. The gardens were appreciated only from inside the bathrooms. I’ve lost the old photos I took and I don’t know the name of the project, can anyone help identify it. Believe me, it’s worth studying!

[@RisoSystems]

Actually the house is not in LA, but in the City of West Hollywood. At the time it was built, it was in an unincorporated area within Los Angeles County. I, too, lived nearby from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. It was being restored and was open for tours much of that time.

[@edwardduarte7393]

It is on King's Road just south of SM. The writer I worked with lived down the street.

[@mommerang]

I’m wondering if the Japanese style, shoji-style sliding windows tilted slightly to facilitate installing and removing them. In Japan, they have to be taken out regularly to repair the screens.

[@fastandcurious]

Why are the dsliding doors tilting? I assume is that the weight of the doors leaning on top of each other helps insulation. They create more friction and a tighter fit. I guess the sealing technology wasn't that advanced in the 20s for absolut straight sliding doors. They might have rattled otherwise, thermal insulation wasn't great. I think this is a great solution for both of these challenges.

[@Archimarathon]

Interesting theory

[@fastandcurious]

Maybe the walls were tilted to fit the design of the sliding doors?

[@fastandcurious]

From what I can tell he approached architecture pretty much from a pragmatic design and engineering standpoint. For example, the bathroom shows that he likes to combine different functions into one solution, same with the indoor outdoor fireplaces/chimneys. Tilting both the walls and the sliding doors is done for a technical purpose. Alternatively if he wanted to replicate the tilted walls with glass doors, you could only do it with sliding doors. How many birds did he kill with one stone?

[@WelcomeToSteph]

Re: the tilted sliders. They might be tilted to distribute some friction to the top track so that the doors aren't just sliding on the bottom track - might help it slide smoothly?

[@WelcomeToSteph]

Also very cool to see such a small house footprint on a large-ish site (maybe?). Proves that in the right climate prioritising outdoor living and maximising the edge condition is perfect 👌🏼

[@faisalahmed5033]

LOVE

[@keith6371]

How it is standing? Easy, LA almost never rains. My house in LA had a leaky roof, it took us two years just to locate the leak because it hardly ever rains here

[@sfstucco]

Nice discussion, & glad I came across this video. You guys earned a Subscription from me on this first view. 👍 If I may make a suggestion… I imagine it would be hard to interact your partner while also being the person with camera, but it would be helpful if you used the camera to display the spaces just a little more, rather than following & focusing it on where the other person is. Slow down a little while in a space, and explore the full room from different positions. You do that, but maybe a little hastily and sometimes missing things. Use the time when the other person is speaking to continue showing the space, rather than the person. Hard to do, if you’re conversing with them about the experience,, I know. But if you can manage to shift a little more towards providing us viewers a better sense of the space - as if we were there - I think it would add value to your presentation. I’m looking forward to seeing your other videos!

[@edwardduarte7393]

BIIIGGG Japanese influence. I photographed El Pueblo in La Jolla right after he finished this project. People do not even know it is there. People from Japan and Europe know more about this than the neighbors.

[@j1a9c4k9]

They didn’t actually sit on the floors, Schindler designed and built furniture see historic photos to confirm, It still exists, the museum that ownes the property has removed it, I guess, to protect it, should be reproduced and return it to the property. All the furniture was in the house when I first visited 50 years ago….! One of LA’s architecture treasures…!

[@Archimarathon]

So what were those photos I had in the video of them sitting on the floor?

[@MDSaha-b2n]

What is Architecture?? I tell my kids’ if you can draw ✍️ you will never starve. Your dad’ could break my back…take the house and bank account!! I will still be ok!! All I have to do’ sit in a wheel chair on Market Street Sydney and show off my designs.. people will come to me’ Not because I am in a wheel chair BUT because they genuinely like my designs!! Now I may have to modify my original designs based on clients budget BUT that’s ok!! Not everyone is a movie 🎥 star who can afford PRADA designed 100k dress BUT the fact remains “if the house of PRADA” wanted to design $1000 dollar dresses for the mass market “they are most welcome” BUT the house of PRADA” chooses NOT to play in that segment!!!!!!!!!

[@harperwelch5147]

Average height of humans over the past 100 years has changed! We’re taller. FLWright’s house have lower ceilings too!

[@laidman2007]

Tatami mats on concrete? The very idea makes my legs ache. Catering to the mosquitos and flies as there are no screens. To have not given another 4" in height was a silliness.

[@br5448]

i expected it to be more visionary. Looks like any random, shabby old house in Japan. Kinda ridiculous

[@gregpendrey6711]

Uhauah they talk funny. 😢

[@tedcamesano]

chewing gum? how rude

[@behoour]

Please remove your gum next time

[@maynardarchitects]

No.