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
Wessel de Jonge on Dutch Icons at Risk
In the run-up to Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House, our Iconic Houses online event in September, we talk to leading authorities on architecture in the Netherlands about the Dutch reinvention of the house in the 20th century. Wessel de Jonge is Professor of Heritage and Design at TU Delft, runs an architecture office specializing in the reuse of existing buildings, and is an advisor to the Getty Foundation’s Keeping it Modern grant initiative. We ask Wessel about Dutch icons at risk from an international perspective.
How is the Netherlands doing in Modern heritage?
Generally speaking, I believe the Netherlands is doing quite well when it comes to Modern heritage. Early Modern architecture, like the works of Rietveld and other members of De Stijl started to be appreciated again by a wider audience by the mid-1980s and the position of Modern heritage has certainly benefitted from that. Around 1992, when the Dutch government ratified the World Heritage Convention and decided to organize future nominations according to three main themes, one of those was Modern architecture (the other ones being the Dutch battle against the water and the Golden Age). At the time that was quite remarkable, as the number of 20th-century properties on the World Heritage list was less than a handful. In the Netherlands, a substantial number of Modern buildings and ensembles had already been nationally listed, and many have followed since then. But that doesn’t mean we don’t face challenges.
Can you tell us about getting the Van Nelle factory on the World Heritage list, and the current status of the Rijswijk ‘om-en-om-woningen’ (front-to-back-houses) by Rietveld? What do these show us about the Dutch situation?
The tentative nomination of the Van Nelle Factory was announced when our Ministry of Culture ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1992. Together with the Rietveld Schröder House and the former Sanatorium ‘Zonnestraal’, the factory represented the Modern architecture track. Therefore, the actual nomination was well anticipated, but it wasn't a runaway race. Firstly, we had a Dutch member in the World Heritage Committee and our government decided to put all nominations on hold for years. Then they felt the initial tentative nominations should be reviewed and we had to prove our case again. As an example, we were recently shocked to learn that the Minister of Culture is planning to remove Sanatorium ‘Zonnestraal’ from the tentative list – after over 25 years of preparation. But back to Van Nelle, even in the last resort, during the 2014 World Heritage Convention meeting in Doha we couldn´t be sure, since nominations from Western countries are critically reviewed by non-Western member states. But we made it.
As an advisor to Keeping it Modern (Getty), how would you say that this organization can help?
The Getty Keeping it Modern programme has been a great catalyst for Modern heritage in many countries where this is far from self-evident – think Armenia, Taiwan or Mozambique. It has helped put Modern heritage on the map. In the Netherlands we have successfully applied three times so far, for the Rietveld Schröder House, the social-housing museum Het Schip, and last year for the 1966 Aula building at TU Delft. Like most of the Getty grants the money for these projects is given for preparatory research and planning that is part of the look-before-you-leap approach that they promote, which is not so self-evident for recent heritage buildings that are often economic assets at the same time. For administrative reasons, the Getty grants are restricted to non-private properties, so when it comes to iconic houses these need to be owned and managed by non-profits. That proved to be a prohibitive condition in some cases. Anyway, it’s a pity that the Keeping it Modern programme will come to a close next year. We have one final round to go.
What issues in the Netherlands are putting heritage at risk? What are the causes, and what can be done to solve them?
The main challenge in the Netherlands is the sheer amount of recent-heritage buildings. Of course, they are often economic assets at the same time, owned by private companies and real-estate investors and it is not always easy to argue about their uniqueness when – as it seems – there is a similar building just a block away.
In the Netherlands, the issue of Modern social-housing estates is also problematic. Housing corporations claim that their main responsibility is providing affordable dwellings – which is correct – but they seem to forget about their own history. In Reeuwijk, Rietveld built one of his few social housing projects, involving 52 single family homes with alternating fronts and backs. As far as I know, this is the only realized example of this typology. Now, a few decades later, such dwellings can never meet present energy standards. Aspects of social cohesion and public appreciation don’t make it to the spreadsheets of financial management, and the Reeuwijk houses faced demolition and replacement. Apparently, now the housing corporation will no longer pursue this plan due to lack of resources. Saved by the bell!
What worries me a lot is that sustainability arguments are misused to disqualify heritage buildings and to do away with them. Embodied energy, CO2 and nitrogen could already cast another light on the true performance of these buildings when understanding that their lifespan will be prolonged as a result of heritage listing. But those boxes can’t yet be ticked in the managers’ manuals. One day, we’ll regret this.
Why is it important for TU Delft to have the Heritage and Design course? What can it contribute?
The master´s course in Heritage and Architecture at TU Delft is addressing all the issues that I have brought up. Together with the chairs of Heritage and Values and Heritage and Technology we teach students to analyze and understand heritage buildings before – guided by my chair of Heritage and Design – proposing conservation strategies and interventions for their adaptive re-use. The issue of adaptive re-use of heritage buildings is highly relevant right now. In Europe, more than half of all architectural commissions concern existing real estate and, also in real-estate investments, heritage buildings are the first ones to stand out for preservation. No wonder that around 25 per cent of all architecture students at the faculty in Delft graduate from Heritage and Architecture. Our master´s programme involves courses on 20th-century heritage at every level, so students who want to focus on that can do so. We find that many Asian students are also attracted to recent heritage, as it becomes increasingly topical in their home countries.
What issues are you looking forward to discussing at the Iconic Houses online event?
I believe that the whole issue of private versus public ownership, and the related regulations regarding sustainability and public access, remain a top priority. That means I will also focus on how to involve a next generation of dedicated young professionals in this field.
Do you have a favourite young heritage house (1965 or younger), and why?
I’m going to tamper with your cut-off date here, because one of the most special young-heritage houses I have ever visited is the Schaffer Residence in Los Angeles, designed by John Lautner in 1949. That’s where Tom Ford shot his movie A Single Man. It’s privately owned so alas, not on the Iconic Houses register. Another one is Rietveld’s House Van den Doel, built in 1958 and also privately owned. It’s a real masterpiece. I believe it will be included in the post-conference tours – perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see that house!
What are the most hopeful circumstances for heritage homes currently?
There is a broad and growing appreciation for Modern heritage homes. A large number of such houses are being embraced and cherished by a new generation of aficionados. Even if that means that such houses may not be publicly accessible, the most important thing is that they survive.
The Midcentury Modern Schaffer Residence by architect John Lautner in Glendale, CA, USA, 1949. Photo Matthew Letcher. |
Om-en-om woningen, Gerrit Rietveld, Reeuwijk, The Netherlands, 1959. |
Recently restored Private house Van den Doel, Gerrit Rietveld, Ilpendam, The Netherlands, 1959. |
Jane Szita
Updated March 22, 2021