Visiting the Schindler House

Southern California is a treasure trove of historic homes. From the Arts and Craft splendor of The Gamble House to the Victorian elegance of the Bembridge House to the adobe charm of Rancho Los Alamitos there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

One of the most unique homes in SoCal, the Schindler House, is located in West Hollywood.

The house, designed by famed architect Rudolph Schinder, was built in 1922. It was designed as a communal space for two couples – Schindler and his wife, Pauline and Clyde and Marian Chace.

Schindler stayed in the house until his death in 1953 and Pauline remained through the 1970’s. In 1980 the house was acquired by the non-profit Friends of the Schindler House and today is a museum and home of the Mak Center for Art and Architecture.

I stopped by the house one Friday afternoon when admission was free (it’s free every Friday from 4-6pm). It was the perfect time to visit as there were only a few other visitors and often I had rooms all to myself.

The house remains very much as it was the day it was built with minimal furnishings and decor. As I wandered around I couldn’t help but think it was one of the most unique spaces I had ever been in.

Schindler is one of the fathers of the modernist movement and this house is where it all began. With walls of concrete and an abundance of straight lines and sharp edges it’s unlike anything of it’s era.

While not a house I would ever want to live in I felt very much at peace during my visit. Set back from the street, surrounded by a wall of bamboo and cool and quiet it’s an oasis in the middle of the city.

It’s a house that’s unmistakably a part of LA yet it keeps LA at bay. It’s an enigma that’s well worth investigating and I’m glad I did.