Above: The Singleton House, Bel Air, California. Designed by architect Richard Neutra in 1959. Photo: Julius Shulman / Getty Archives
The word masterpiece is perhaps thrown around rather casually in the world of Modernist architecture, but it has never been more aptly applied than in the case of Richard Neutra’s Singleton House. I make no bones about the fact that Neutra is my favorite architect and one of his best is the Singleton House located in Los Angeles and completed in 1959. With floor to ceiling windows and beautiful vistas the Modernist icon blurs the line beautifully between exterior and interior spaces.
When a photo is as much a masterpiece as the home itself. The iconic and definitive MCM photo taken of the Singleton House by Julius Shulman in 1960 and a recent photo of the same scene. Click on image for full view.
An Iconic Julius Shulman photo, taken in 1960. Photo: Shulman / Getty
A recent phot of the same scene. Photo: efgidley / wordpress
1959, Dr Henry Singleton, the inventor and co-founder of Teledyne, commissioned a new home to be built on a hilltop location in Bel Air, California. One of only two Neutra designs in Bel Air, it is considered by many to be one of the architect’s most sophisticated designs. Fitting in perfectly within its wooded location there is an almost a zen-like quality between the structure itself and nature. The overall effect is a calm and relaxing home.
Period photos of the Neutra’s Singleton House, taken by Julius Shulman in 1960. Click on image for full view
In 2004 the home was purchased by hairstylist and entrepreneur Vidal Sassoon and his wife Rhonda who realized that the place needed extensive restoration and renovation. The Sassoon’s hired architect Tim Campbell and over the course of the following two years the Singleton house was carefully and considerately restored. However, only a short time later, in 2007, the Sassoon’s put the house up for sale and it remained on the market for five years, selling – at a reduced price – in 2012, shortly after Vidal Sasson’s death.
Recent photos of Neutra’s Singleton House after the renovation and restoration by architect Tim Campbell . Click on image for full view
Architectural model of the Singleton House.
Architectural model of the Singleton House showing the layout of of the home.
A perfect pairing. Photographer Julius Shulman (left) with architect Richard Neutra in this 1950’s photo. Photo: Getty Archives
A lovely montage of some of Richard Neutra homes.
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Any word on what the new owners are doing with the house?