One of the last domestic commissions by internationally vaunted Vienna-born architect Richard Neutra, and considered one of the finest examples of the mid century style of architecture in the United States, the sprawling, multi-winged home was designed and built in the mid-1940s as a winter retreat for Pittsburgh department store tycoon Edgar J. Kaufmann.
The 5 year restoration of the modern masterpiece was completed in 2019 by the Marmol Radziner architectural firm, returned the residence to its initial form, size, and aesthetic integrity. With extensive archival research, and Julius Shulman’s original photographs of the house, they were able to bring the home back to its original glory.
Neutra designed the roughly 3,200-square-foot vacation house to both facilitate privacy and promote a relaxed indoor-outdoor lifestyle, while at the same time offering respite and shelter from the blazing heat and sun. The central section of the glass-walled abode holds the living and dining rooms, while other areas pinwheel off the center of the house, with each wing dedicated to a specific function. via The Dirt
Immortalized in photographs by Julius Shulman in 1947, and then again in 1970 by high-society photographer Slim Aarons, the swimming pool remains the visual and psychic soul of the lushly planted 2.5-acre estate.
If it sells for anywhere close to $25 million, it would be the biggest home sale in Palm Springs history. The current record belongs to the Bob Hope estate, a Modernist masterpiece that sold for $13 million in 2016. via LA Times
(via Julius Shulman)
