Although lurking in the large shadow cast by his better-known
Stahl House, which lords over Los Angeles from the Hollywood
Hills, architect Pierre Koenig designed a small Midcentury Modern
on Wonderland Park Avenue in West Hollywood for a couple in
1958. Exemplifying Arts & Architecture magazine's Case Study
Houses Program—the 1945-1966 series that tasked noted architects
with creating exceptionally architected yet affordable homes for
average American families—Case Study House No. 21 is spartan
to the point of stern. Steel framed with large glass walls, the
home's lack of roof overhangs—an omission most responsible for
the home's studied sense of geometry—enhances its boxy shape.
Over the glass walls hung sun- and heat-filtering screens, while
water also figured prominently in the design, including serene
reflecting pools surrounding the house for an unfussy but essential
elemental quality.
I N T E R I O R L I V I N G S PAC E
C A S E S T U D Y H O U S E S
C A S E S T U D Y H O U S E
NO. 21
E X T E R I O R V I EW
C A R P O RT G L A S S WA L L E D B E D RO O M
