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.
by Arts & Architecture editor John Entenza
The «Case Study» House program, spearheaded
«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».
History
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.
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 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.
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#7
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#3
Persons
The first seven architects the biggest names in architecture at the time of the program were
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Sumner Spaulding
Richard Neutra
Eero Saarinen
William Wilson Wurster
Charles Eames
Ralph Rapson
#2
JR Davidson
#1
The magazine announced «having come this far with it,
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we feel that we have proved our point to the extent that we need no longer be so ambitious as to numbers»
The Case Study House Program served as a model for post-war living, providing the public and the building industry an opportunity to access affordable, mid-century modernism and simple designs.
The Programm was announced
Prototypes
Constructed
Facts
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Houses
Most popular
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Walter Bailey House
Eames House
Woods Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Pierre Koenig
Stahl House
View
Address
Architect
Name
9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles
Pierre Koenig
203 Chautauqua Way, Pacific Palisades
Charles and Ray Eames
Floor to ceiling glass
New style. The project had a profound and lasting influence on both
American and international architecture by pioneering new materials and construction methods and defining a new modern lifestyle
Houses in the program shared common design elements, including open floor plans, clean lines, floor to ceiling glass, steel framing, and a flat roof. Most of the houses were «predominately modular in design», featuring exposed structures. Virtually all of the homes featured open floor plans.
Many of the houses appeared in the magazine in iconic black-and-white photographs by architectural photographer Julius Shulman.
Shulman's May 1960 photo of the Stahl House is widely regarded as one of the most famous architectural photos of Los Angeles, and is one of Shulman's most reproduced photos
Shulman's May 1960 photo of the Stahl House is widely regarded as one of the most famous architectural photos of Los Angeles, and is one of Shulman's most reproduced photos
Flat roof
In total, the program commissioned 36 prototypes, including single-family homes, multi-family homes, and apartments, of which 25 were constructed.The majority of the constructed houses were built in Los Angeles County.
Stahl House
The program announcement called for each house to be open to the public for 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"
Style
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We have proved our point to the extent
The Eames and Entenza houses were designed in 1945 but not completed until 1949.
Still, the Case Study program was so successful that it ran until 1966 and saw 350,000 visitors tour the open homes before clients took up residence.
Still, the Case Study program was so successful that it ran until 1966 and saw 350,000 visitors tour the open homes before clients took up residence.
Download plans
Many architects such as Ray and Charles Eames, Saarinen, Craig Ellwood and Pierre Koenig became icons of modernism and earned international followings.
The Case Study Houses launched the reputations of local architects such as Thornton Bell, Whitney R. Smith and Rodney Walker.
The Case Study Houses launched the reputations of local architects such as Thornton Bell, Whitney R. Smith and Rodney Walker.
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We have proved our point to the extent
The Eames and Entenza houses were designed in 1945 but not completed until 1949.
Still, the Case Study program was so successful that it ran until 1966 and saw 350,000 visitors tour the open homes before clients took up residence.
Still, the Case Study program was so successful that it ran until 1966 and saw 350,000 visitors tour the open homes before clients took up residence.
Download plans
Many architects such as Ray and Charles Eames, Saarinen, Craig Ellwood and Pierre Koenig became icons of modernism and earned international followings.
The Case Study Houses launched the reputations of local architects such as Thornton Bell, Whitney R. Smith and Rodney Walker.
The Case Study Houses launched the reputations of local architects such as Thornton Bell, Whitney R. Smith and Rodney Walker.
Photographs and plans of these case study houses have
recently been brought together by Esther McCoy in a single volume entitled Modern California Houses
1975
In 1948 The Museum of Modern Art commissioned Marcel Breuer to build an exhibition house in the Museum yard
Postwar building boom with prototype modern homes that could be easily replicated
Esther McCoy has long been associated with Arts & Architecture. As a critic and historian she has contributed immensely to our understanding of 20th century architecture in California.
Esther McCoy has long been associated with Arts & Architecture. As a critic and historian she has contributed immensely to our understanding of 20th century architecture in California.
Gallery
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Jungle House
#3
Mik Perry
#2
1965
Pierre Koenig
Stahl House
#1
#5
#6
1999
Ann Tracy
Inner kitchen
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2002
Tom Wazovski
Simple forms
#7
Pierre Koenig
Walter Bailey House
#4
John Entenza
Concentrated on the Los Angeles area, the Case Study Houses included 36 model homes
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#8
#5
#6
Arts & Architecture magazine
Pacific palisades, 1953
«Houses of the future. These houses reveal a strong intellectual discipline in their direct and simple plan.»
#4
#10
#11
#12
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Mark Eden
Dockhouse
1992
1962
1962
Mass-produced model
New wave
Josef Kirtman
Model #15
#9
1982
Blake Feiden. 35 copies made
Model #22
A marked shift in the use of materials and the way in which they are exposed
1952
That project has created «modern movement». It is undeniable and it is hoped that it will continue to do so.
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Shelter
#13
Nik K. Korn
#15
1948
Summer Spaulding
John Rex
#14
1965
Pierre Koenig
Stahl House
#1
2003
Crisp lines of modernism by creating visual and structural «masterpieces»
850 SF
1987
#16
Katerin S. Bongly
Charmday house NY
