40 DIGS.NET | 12.11.2020
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S W E E T D I G S | K A U F M A N N H O U S E
Neutra was known for his laser-like focus on the wants of his clients,
and faithfully integrating them into his designs. Kaufmann House was no
different. Working closely with Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr., Neutra created a
place wholly dedicated to his clients' relaxation and leisure. Kaufmann
House still serves this purpose, its original sophistication freshly intact
by virtue of conscientious ownership. Visiting the home, notes Bisignano,
is akin to entering a time machine: "It's like walking into 1946."
The history of the home has seen it pass from Kaufmann family
ownership to others, including Barry Manilow. Changes were made along
the way, disjointing Neutra's original design and intent. In 1993 Brent
Harris and Beth Edwards Harris purchased the home, enlisting Los
Angeles restoration architecture firm Marmol Radziner and Associates
to undertake a painstakingly accurate restoration of the legacy property.
The project, says Bisignano "ignited the whole Modernism restoration
in Southern California, and Palm Springs in particular."
Taking five years, the restoration of Kaufmann House was faithful
to Neutra, all the way down to the toilets and floors. The aluminum
louvers—a distinctive feature of the home the architect initially devel-
oped as protection against the wind, which were later adopted as a
mainstay of the building industry—remain intact. As do many of the
home's original built-in features, like cabinets designed personally by
the architect. "They even had a mine in Utah re-open, so they could get
the original stone that Neutra used back in 1946, as part of the reno-
vation," says Bisignano. Notably new to Kaufmann House are updated
