Mackintosh’s Hill House Becomes an International Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Czech Classics
Record Number of New Iconic Houses - Part 1
At Plečnik House: To Decide Where the Shadow Falls
Record Number of New Iconic Houses - Part 2
A Story of Burnt Books and Broken Bricks
Iconic Encounters: London
Remembering Irving J. Gill
Iconic Houses in the Media
Interview in Leading Catalan newspaper ARA
Bauhaus Villa in Berlin For Sale
Historical Exhibition, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Painter, Conversation
Our Badge of Honour
Istanbul’s Modernist Ataköy Housing Estate is At Risk
Early Furniture Designs by Le Corbusier on Permanent Display in Maison Blanche
Photo Report City Icons Amsterdam
Healing Through Architecture
Reopening An Iconic Modernist Landmark
City Icons Kick Off with Talk by Linda Vlassenrood
MORE MIES - Pure Architecture in Haus Lange Haus Esters
Through a Bauhaus Lens: Edith Tudor-Hart and Isokon
Modernism Week Lecture: 12 Years of Iconic Houses
Aluminaire House Grand Opening
Exhibition Icons of the Czech Avant-Garde
An Elementalist and Mediterranean Architecture
Icon for Sale - Loos Villa: Haus Horner
SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams Europe - Sleep in an Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Iconic Dreams North America - Sleep in an Iconic House!
SPECIAL – Dutch Delights!
SPECIAL - Vacances en France!
SPECIAL – German Greats!
SPECIAL - Casas Icónicas en España!
SPECIAL – Northern (High)Lights!
SPECIAL – Iconic Artist Residencies
SPECIAL – Iconic Collective Housing
SPECIAL – Women & Iconic Houses
Public Screenings and Private Streaming of Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House
Support the Frankfurt Declaration (on Housing)
Winy Wants a World Wonder
Welcome Atelier Volten!
Sleep in a Modernist Gem – Huis Billiet in Bruges
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - 100 Years Van Zessen House
Exclusive Tour and Film Screening Package
The Last House Designed by Adolf Loos Will Be Built in Prague
Icons of the Czech Avantgarde
Icon for Sale - Casa Legorreta
Rietveld Day: 200 Enthusiasts Explored 3 Utrecht Icons
Hurray! 10 Years Iconic Houses
7th International Iconic Houses Conference A Huge Success
Meet Conference Co-Chair Iveta Černá
Meet Conference Co-Chair Maria Szadkowska
Eighteen Iconic Houses Under One Roof
17 June - 'Pioneers-film' Screening Amersfoort
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Eesteren House Museum
Welcome Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky Zentrum in Vienna!
Welcome Vila Volman! Jewel of Czech Functionalism
Movie Night: Adolf Loos- Revolutionary Among Architects
'Inside Iconic Houses' Case Study House #26 Webcast in Webshop
Inside Iconic Houses at Taut’s Home in Berlin
Rediscovering Forgotten Loos Interiors in Pilsen
'Inside Iconic Houses' - Online Tour Program
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - The Diagoon House
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Rietveld Schröder House
Rietveld Houses Owners Association
Corberó Space: New Life for Hidden Jewel
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Pierre Cuypers' House and Workshops
Reeuwijk Celebrates Completion of Restoration Rietveld Homes!
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Van Doesburg Rinsema House
Welcome Rietveld's Van Daalen House!
Architect Harry Gessner Passed Away at 97
Watch Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House Now On Demand
Icon Saved: Dorchester Drive House
Welcome Umbrella House!
Iconic Houses in the Netherlands – Berlage’s Masterpiece
Iconic Houses in The Netherlands - Het Schip
Inside Iconic Houses - Tour of Maison Cazenave
Inside Iconic Houses Tours Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami
Casa Masó Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary
Inside Iconic Houses tours Roland Reisley's Usonian Frank Lloyd Wright House
Rietveld’s Experimental Housing in Reeuwijk Saved
Serralves Villa after restoration
Portraits of the Architect - Interview with Gennaro Postiglione
Test Labs for New Ideas - Interview with Natascha Drabbe
Inside Iconic Houses - Isokon Building
Inside Iconic Houses - 16 December: Sunnylands with Janice Lyle
BCN-BXL Coderch-De Koninck - Beyond Time
New Chairman Architect Nanne de Ru on The Perfect Platform
Health and Home - Interview with Beatriz Colomina
A Life Less Ordinary – Interview with Valentijn Carbo
Invisible Women - Interview with Alice T. Friedman
Winy Maas on the Green Dip
Anita Blom on Experimental Housing of the 1970s
Women’s Worlds - Interview with Natalie Dubois
The Culture of Living - Interview with Robert von der Nahmer
Hetty Berens: A Fresh Take on Modernism
Niek Smit on Supporting Modern Heritage
Alice Roegholt on Amsterdam’s Working-Class Palaces
July is Iconic Houses Month
Hans van Heeswijk on The Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House
Wessel de Jonge on Dutch Icons at Risk
Save Maison Zilveli - Sign the Petition!
How a Building Tells a Story - Recorded Event
Toolkit for Owners of a Modern House
13 Aalto Sites Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage
Villa Beer At Risk - Sign the Petition!
Business Cards of Stone, Timber and Concrete in the Brussels Region 1830-1970
Exhibiting & Visiting Modernist Monuments
Fostering Well-Researched Responsible Design
ICONS AT RISK
Enjoy a virtual visit to the California House and a Q&A with architect Peter Gluck
Exhibition 'Modernism and Refuge'
A Hidden Gem of Postmodernism
New Centre for Historic Houses of India
An Online Chronicle of the Douglas House
Villa Henny, geometric style icon in The Netherlands
A Mendini temple in Amsterdam
IH-lectures USA & Canada Feb 2020 on Melnikov House
Sponsors and Friends
An Afternoon with the Glucks
Chandler McCoy on Making Modern Houses Sustainable
Catherine Croft: Getting Away from the Demolition Mentality in the UK
Patrick Weber on Discovering an Unknown Icon
Fiona Fisher on Iconic Interiors
Jocelyn Bouraly on Villa Cavrois
Mireia Massagué on finding success through a new kind of partnership
Danish Moderns – Looking Back at Our Mini-Seminar
Venturo house complements Exhibition Centre WeeGee’s offering
Lecture report: Remembering Richard Neutra
Hôtel Mezzara and the Guimard Museum project
We welcome 13 new members!
BREAKING NEWS: 8 Wright Sites Inscribed on Unesco World Heritage List!
LECTURE 29 August - Raymond Neutra: My Father and Frank Lloyd Wright
Iconic Reads
Iconic Houses End Year Message
City-ordered rebuild of landmark house stirs debate: Appropriate or overreach?
Kohlberg House Restoration in Progress
Planned Demolition of Rietveld Homes in Reeuwijk
Renovation Gili House in Crisis
An Iconic Saga
Restoring Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 and Clarifying the Controversies
Modernism on the East Coast
Iconic Houses in Latin America
Conference testimonials
House Tours May 2018
Expert Meetings
Natascha Drabbe - Iconic Houses: The Next Chapter
Terence Riley -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Philip Johnson
New era for Villa E-1027 and Cap Moderne
Hilary Lewis on Philip Johnson and his Glass House
John Arbuckle on Great House Tours
William D. Earls on the Harvard Five in New Canaan
Stover Jenkins on Working for Philip Johnson
Frederick Noyes on his Father’s House
Scott Fellows and Craig Bassam on their Passion for Preservation
Jorge Liernur -KEYNOTE SPEAKER- on Latin American Modernism(s)
Fabio Grementieri on Modernism in Argentina
Catalina Corcuera Cabezut on Casa Luis Barragán
Renato Anelli on Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro
Tim McClimon on Corporate Preservation
Amanda Nelson on Building Donor Relationships
John Bacon on Planned Giving
Jean-Paul Warmoes on the Art of Fundraising in America
Chandler McCoy on Why Less is More
Katherine Malone-France on Moving with the Times
Anne Mette Rahbæk on Philanthropic Investments and Preservation
Peter McMahon on Saving Modern Houses on Cape Cod
Toshiko Kinoshita on Japanese Modern Heritage Houses
Roland Reisley on Life in a Frank Lloyd Wright House
5th Iconic Houses Conference May 2018
Kristin Stone, Pasadena Tour Company
Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio
Behind the Scenes: Hendrick de Keyser Association
Crosby Doe, Architecture for Sale
Latin America Special – Focus on Mexico
De Stijl in Drachten
Preserving the Nancarrow House-Studio
Meet the Friends - Nanne de Ru
Latin America Special – Focus on Brazil
Jan de Jong’s House is Latest Hendrick de Keyser Acquisition
Stay in a Belgian Modernist Masterpiece
In Berlin’s Modernist Network
Rietveld-Schröder House Celebrates De Stijl Anniversary
Meet Our New Foundation Board Members
Maintaining Aalto's Studio – Linoleum Conservation
Virtual Tour of a Papaverhof Home in 3D
Getty Grant for Villa E-1027
Plečnik House in Ljubljana
Iconic Dacha
Iconic Houses: A Bohemian Road Trip
Work in Progress: Capricho de Gaudí
11 Le Corbusier Homes now on Unesco World Heritage List
At home with Le Corbusier
Henry van de Velde’s Study in Haus Hohe Pappeln Restored
Lynda Waggoner reports
A Conference to Remember
4th International Iconic Houses Conference
Guest of Honor - Harry Gesner
Fallingwater: European Lecture Tour
Wright Plus 2016 Walk
Susan Macdonald, Getty Conservation Institute
John Mcllwee, Garcia House
Meet the Friends – Elisabeth Tostrup
Iconic Houses: The Story So Far
Willie van Burgsteden, designer Iconic Houses
Buff Kavelman, Philanthropic Advisor
Meet the Friends - Frederick Noyes
Sheridan Burke, GML Heritage
Meet the Friends - Raymond Neutra
Sidney Williams, Frey House
Franklin Vagnone and Deborah Ryan, Museum Anarchists
Meet the Friends - James Haefner
Toshiko Mori, architect
Malachi Connolly, Cape Cod Modern House Trust
Meet the Friends - Penny Sparke
Lucia Dewey Atwood, Eames House
Cory Buckner, Mutual Housing Site Office
Jeffrey Herr, Hollyhock House
Speaking Volumes: Building the Iconic Houses Library
Sarah Lorenzen, Neutra VDL Studio and Residences
Ted Bosley, Gamble House
Keeping It Modern - Getty Conservation Grants
Meet the Friends - Thomas Schönauer
Wim de Wit, Stanford University
Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy
Jesse Lattig, Pasadena Heritage
Join us in Los Angeles! Update
Work in Progress: Casa Vicens
Work in Progress: Van Wassenhove House
Work in Progress: Villa Cavrois
Work in Progress: The Pearlroth House
Conference calls!
Follow us!
Third Iconic Houses Conference a huge success
Conference House Tours Barcelona
Marta Lacambra, Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera
Natascha Drabbe, Iconic Houses Foundation
Special speaker Oscar Tusquets
Jordi Tresserras, UNESCO Network ‘Culture, tourism and development’
Christen Obel, Utzon Foundation
Elena Ruiz Sastre, Casa Broner
Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich, La Ricarda
Tim Benton, Professor of Art History (Emeritus)
Susana Landrove, Docomomo Spain
Rossend Casanova, Casa Bloc
Conference Program 25 November 2014
Jordi Falgàs, Casa Rafael Masó
Documentary La Ricarda
Marga Viza, Casa Míla/La Pedrera
Celeste Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Conference 25 November 2014 at La Pedrera
Henry Urbach, The Glass House
Victoria & Albert Museum London November 12, 2013
Tommi Lindh, new director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation and Museum
Iveta Černá, Villa Tugendhat
Lynda Waggoner, Fallingwater
Kimberli Meyer, MAK Center
Rent a house designed by Gerrit Rietveld
Barragán House on Screen
Gesamtkunstwerk – An Icon on the Move
Triennale der Moderne 27 September - 13 October 2013
Prestigious Art Nouveau mansions in Brussels open
September 14 + 15: Heritage Days in Paris
June's New Arrivals: Museum Apartments
Iconic Houses is now on Twitter and Facebook
Corbu’s Cabanon: Reconstruction and Lecture
Projekt Mies In Krefeld: Life-sized model of the Krefeld Clubhouse
New arrivals: Spain special
MAMO: Le Corbu’s ‘Park in the Sky’ open 12 June
Taut's Home wins Europa Nostra Award
Annual Wright Architectural Housewalk: 18 May
Frank Lloyd Wright Homes on Screen
Message from the Editor
Neutra’s House on Screen
Michel Richard, Fondation Le Corbusier
Symposium The Public and the Modern House
Melnikov House on Screen
Iconic Houses in the media
Message from the Editor
Round Table Review
Eileen Gray House on Screen
Copy Culture
At Home in the 20th Century
New 20th century Iconic Houses website launches
Philippe Bélaval, Centre des monuments nationaux
Third Iconic Houses Conference a huge success
The latest international gathering devoted to 20th-century museum houses helped to raise awareness among the general public, and morale among those in the sector
The third Iconic Houses Conference, held on 25 November 2014 at La Pedrera in Barcelona, brought together 150 participants from 17 different countries - all of them are professionals and stakeholders in the field of the 20th-century house museum. The conference, which has previously been held in Los Angeles and London, is an opportunity to establish a high-level debate on cultural needs and the maintenance of the architectural heritage, as well as a platform for advising governments on the protection of heritage under threat.
The event is also a forum for knowledge exchange, with this year’s edition featuring ten case studies from Iconic Houses members around the Mediterranean, detailing a variety of challenges and solutions. Finally, the conference also plays an important role in raising awareness, not only of the issues affecting 20th-century museum houses in general, but also of the work of the Iconic Houses organisation itself. In fact, the event proved to be a stimulus for some of the important 20th-century museum houses in Spain to join the Iconic Houses Network.
Growing importance
In Catalonia, there are now nine houses on the Iconic Houses list (out of the total of 13 located in Spain), five of which were designed by Antoni Gaudí. In fact, the current growth of the number of 20th-century house museums in Barcelona was one of the reasons for holding the conference there. Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó I Morera, from the so-called ‘Block of Discord’ where you can also find Casa Batlló, recently joined Iconic Houses, as will Gaudí’s earliest house, Casa Vicens, which is currently undergoing major restoration work before opening in 2016.
All this confirms what Natascha Drabbe, founder of the Iconic Houses Network, stressed in her opening presentation: that 20th-century houses are becoming an increasingly prominent part of the cultural landscape. Over the past five years, more than 30 modern house museums have opened their doors to the visiting public, she said. This is double the rate of the early 1990s, when the number of such houses opening for visitors peaked at 15 per five-year period.
Mediterranean tour
After hearing briefly about the history of Barcelona’s house museums and their recent development, the audience learned about Unesco’s programmes to support domestic architecture from this era, and how to preserve this fragile (although recent) heritage, while conserving its iconic value, essence and authenticity. The presentations which followed focused on important 20th-century houses located around the Mediterranean, including La Pedrera, Casa Bloc and La Ricarda/Casa Gomis in Barcelona; Casa Broner in Ibiza; Can Lis in Mallorca; Casa Masó in Girona; E1027 by Eileen Gray in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France; Quartier Modernes Frugès by Le Corbusier in Pessac, France; and the Villa Girasole by Angelo Invernizzi in Marcellise, Italy. The presentations detailed many practical issues affecting the houses, their custodians and their public. All lectures will be available in the video section of our website in January. The Iconic Houses Debate then broadened the discussion again.
Exchanging ideas
The day was closed by Oscar Tusquets’ presentation about Casa Vittoria, a (still) privately owned house that he designed on the island of Pantelleria in Sicily, a hidden gem among the domestic architecture of the 20th century. The conference message was again underlined: attention must be given to preserving these recent masterpieces, in order to safeguard their future. For the participants, the event explored ideas on how to do this, plus the chance to exchange experiences and thoughts. They left the event inspired and reinvigorated.
Meanwhile, the conference generated a huge amount of interest in the media, and succeeded not only in placing Iconic Houses on the agenda for those in the sector, but also in raising the awareness of the organisation, the houses and the issues surrounding them among the general public.
2016 conference
In our next newsletter the Iconic Houses Network will reveal where the fourth Iconic Houses conference will be held.
Acknowledgements
The Iconic Houses Network is extremely grateful to co-organiser Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera and to all the wonderful speakers and supporters who gave so generously of their time and resources.
Finally, a very special thanks to the team of Marga Viza, Silvia Vilarroya and Jordi Freixa, the producers of the conference. Without their enthusiasm and untiring efforts, this great event could have never happened.
A note on La Pedrera
La Pedrera, which has been open to the public as a cultural centre for more than 20 years, recently joined Iconic Houses and is now playing an active part in the network.
See also: the web special on La Pedrera or read the answers to our Five Questions from cultural director Marga Viza.
Media coverage
If your Spanish or Catalan is up to it, you can check out the various television items here.
The leading newspapers La Vanguardia and El Periódico wrote extensively about the network and the new house museums.
Download the program HERE.
Download the information about the speakers HERE.
Statement of support for La Ricarda
Architect Fernando Alvarez Prozorovic, who has been involved with the restoration of La Ricarda since 1996, gave a statement about La Ricarda at the conference. You can read his statement in THIS LINK
An additional statement in support of La Ricarda’s future, has been made by the Iconic Houses Organising Committee:
The Iconic Houses Network visited La Ricarda on 24 November 2014 with a group of directors of 20th-century house museums from a total of 17 different nations. The group included directors of famous houses, such as the Unesco World Heritage listed Villa Tugendhat (designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Brno 1930), Richard Neutra's Studio and Residence in Los Angeles (1932) and the Alvar Aalto Foundation (Helsinki, Finland). From its global perspective, the Iconic Houses Network supports the statement made by architect Fernando Alvarez Prozorovich, about the importance of safeguarding La Ricarda, and we urge the Catalan Government and City Council of Barcelona to join forces to set up an expert committee to advise on La Ricarda’s future and to support the Gomis Bertrand family in their efforts to preserve the house for future generations.
La Ricarda is Antonio Bonet’s masterpiece and a total work of art, not only in its architectural design, but also in its furniture and detailing. It is of international importance. La Ricarda represents a period in history where the house was not only the home of the Gomis family, but also a haven where artists, musicians and writers could meet despite the political climate of the time, which repressed avant-garde culture. The house can play an educational role for architects and students to learn about construction and design and to be inspired, but it can also educate a wider public in social history. We recommend that the house will be preserved and become a museum, open to architects, scholars, students and to educate the public.
Iveta Černá, director Villa Tugendhat (USA)
Natascha Drabbe, director Van Schijndel House (Netherlands)
Kimberli Meyer, director MAK Center at the Schindler House (USA)
Susanna Petterson, former director Alvar Aalto Foundation, now director Ateneum Art Museum (Finland)
Lynda Waggoner, director Fallingwater (USA)
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