The Perfect Schindler Eyrie In Outpost Estates, $3.3M

by Philip Ferrato

Born in Vienna, Rudolph Schindler [1887-1953] has become one of the most admired—and mythic—California Modernist architects, in part because so few of his projects have survived intact. His own home in West Hollywood, now beautifully restored, is widely considered his finest extant work. Schindler was among the first wave of European emigres drawn to L.A.’s seemingly endless possibilities and prosperity, arriving in 1920 from Chicago when he was hired by Frank Lloyd Wright to manage his California office and projects while Wright was working in Tokyo on the Imperial Hotel. The eminent architectural and art historian Reyner Banham would go on to write that Schindler designed “as if there had never been houses before.”

New to the market, this 4-bed, 3-bath house on Outpost Drive, commissioned by Jacob and Margaret Druckmann and built by Schindler in 1941, remains a simple, light-filled example of the architect’s modest domestic esthetic. His domestic projects often have a subtle ad-hoc aspect—unlike the highly polished work of his lifelong friend, colleague and fellow Austrian, Richard Neutra—because Schindler often actively participated in the construction process. Plus the budgets were undoubtedly more modest. The home is currently owned by Tara Subkoff, the actress and performance artist who co-founded Imitation of Christ, the radical and deeply influential clothing collective, one whose guerrilla ‘fashion’ shows were as much about consumerism as clothing. Entry is through a well-hedged private patio with a simple but sculptural outdoor fireplace echoing the one inside. Radical at the time, plywood paneling and cabinet work in the open living and dining areas are original.

The bedrooms and the sympathetically renovated baths are on the lower level.

Offering an extraordinary opportunity to acquire a piece of L.A.’s rich architectural and cultural history, the Druckmann Residence is co-listed by architectural specialists Lilian Pfaff at Modern California House and William Baker at The Agency. Both agents’ links have many more images of the property, new and vintage, plus Schindler’s original floor plan.