Modernist Houses Lost in the LA Wildfires

Los Angeles continues to face apocalyptic destruction from the wildfires, with dozens of people dead, tens of thousands of acres burned, and thousands of homes destroyed. Our hearts go out to all the people of Los Angeles who have had their lives turned upside down.

Our member house museums in LA - the Eames House, Gamble House, Hollyhock House, Kings Road Schindler House, MHA Site Office and the Neutra VDL House and Studios - have fortunately been spared, but the number of homes that have been lost is very troubling.
Groups such as the Los Angeles Conservancy and Save Iconic Architecture are tracking the status of buildings deemed iconic or noteworthy in the midst of the "unfathomable" damage in the city.

Losses reported by our friends at USModernist.org:

• the 1934 Pauline Lowe House, designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris in Altadena;
• the 1941 Holmes House, designed by Whitney Smith in Altadena;
• the 1948 Park Planned Homes development, by Gregory Ain in Altadena, where 21 of the 28 houses were destroyed;
• the 1949 Freedman House, designed by Richard Neutra in LA;
• the 1950 Hees House, by Richard Neutra in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1951 Straub House, home of architect Calvin Straub in Altadena;
• the 1952 Hendrickson House, by Kemper Nomland Jr. in Altadena;
• the 1953 Kesler House, by Richard Neutra in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1957 Walkey House, by Thornton Abell in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1957 Rowen House, by Josef Van Der Kar in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1969 Ned Brown House, by Buff and Hensman in Malibu;
• the 1969 Endless Summer House, by Buff and Hensman in Malibu;
• the 1982 708 House, by Eric Owen Moss in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1989 Robert Bridges House, by Robert Bridges in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1991 Keeler House, by Ray Kappe in Pacific Palisades;
• the 1995 John and Sue Pascoe Residence Addition, by Marmol Radziner in Pacific Palisades;
• the 2000 Kevin Frankel House, by Ed Niles in Malibu;
• the 2001 Culbert House, by Ray Kappe in Malibu;
• the 2017 House Noir, by Lorcan O’Herlihy in Malibu.

If you know of other destroyed Modernist houses in Los Angeles, please be in touch with US Modernist founding director George Smart.

How you can help
World Central Kitchen is providing meals to families and first responders affected by this ongoing disaster. Make a tax-deductible donation. Another highly regarded disaster relief group helping displaced families is Direct Relief.

Drone video of the Palisades devastation

Posted January 30, 2025