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Richard Neutra's "Kaufmann Desert House", Palm Springs, CA.
Richard Neutra, a pillar of 20th century Modernism, is known for his sleek, glass-sheathed designs that take advantage, to beautiful effect, of the surrounding natural landscape.
Like other notable Modernist classics -- including multi-month John Lautner listings in Glendale and in La Ca?ada -- this masterpiece isn't fetching the premium it once commanded. In May, it sold for $19.1 million at auction in a deal that fell through. It currently is listed for $12.975 million. "Markets have their ups and downs," said Crosby Doe, the sellers' agent. "In the 1980s, the price of Picassos suddenly fell, and headlines pronounced the end of high-priced art. It turned out to be a very good time to invest." |
The Kaufmann house in Palm Springs, commissioned by Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann, was built in 1946 and is considered one of the Viennese-born architect's greatest works. Its sleek form, sliding panels and glass-and-stone aesthetic helped shape the postwar Modernism movement.
When Brent Harris and Beth Edwards Harris bought the property in 1993, however, for about $1.5 million, the home needed a ton of work. It had sat vacant for years after Kaufmann's death in 1955 and had undergone a series of remodels and additions by owners that included singer Barry Manilow. A patio was enclosed and a wall had been removed to create a media room.
Today it is fully restored, down to the stones excavated from the same Utah quarry that Neutra tapped for the original chimney and walls. The couple spent about $11 million on the house purchase, restoration, extensive period landscaping and the purchase of surrounding land. The entire lot is 2.53 acres.