Eames House facts for kids
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Eames House
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The entry door to the Eames house
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| Location | 203 N. Chautauqua Blvd. Pacific Palisades, California |
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| Built | 1949 |
| Architect | Charles and Ray Eames |
| Architectural style | Modern Architecture |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000978 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 20, 2006 |
| Designated NHL | September 20, 2006 |
The Eames House (also called Case Study House No. 8) is a super famous example of modern architecture from the middle of the 1900s. You can find it at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. This amazing house was built in 1949 by a husband-and-wife design team, Charles and Ray Eames. They built it to be both their home and their workshop.
The house was asked for by Arts & Architecture magazine as part of a special project. This project challenged architects to design new, simple, and cool homes in Southern California. Charles and Ray moved into their new home on Christmas Eve in 1949. They lived there for the rest of their lives. Charles passed away in 1978, and Ray in 1988. Charles's daughter, Lucia Eames, took care of the house next. She started a non-profit group called the Eames Foundation in 2004. Today, the Eames House is a historic house museum run by this foundation. It became a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Nearly 20,000 people visit it every year, but you need to make a reservation first!
Contents
Designing the Eames House
In the early 1940s, a man named John Entenza bought some land. He owned Arts & Architecture magazine and started the Case Study House program. He bought 5 acres of land on a wooded hill. This land used to be part of Will Rogers' big property. In 1945, he sold 1.4 acres of this land to Charles and Ray Eames.
Charles Eames first sketched out a design for their home in 1945. He worked with another architect named Eero Saarinen. Their first idea was a raised steel and glass box. It would stick out from the hillside. It was meant to be built using only "off-the-shelf" parts. These were standard parts you could order from steel companies.
Changes to the Plan
Right after World War II, these building parts were very hard to find. It took three years for the materials to arrive. During that time, Charles and Ray spent a lot of time exploring their land. They had picnics and got to know the spot where their house would stand.
After much teamwork between Charles and Ray, they completely changed the design. The new plan made the house fit more gently into the land. It avoided disturbing the nice meadow in front of the house. Even though Eero Saarinen helped with the first idea, he didn't work on the final Eames House. He did help Charles Eames design the Entenza House (Case Study House #9) next door for John Entenza.
What the House Looks Like
The new Eames House design included two buildings. There was a home building and a studio building. They were tucked into the hillside. A long concrete wall, 8 feet tall and 200 feet long, helped hold back the earth.
The lower part of the home building has a living room, a kitchen, and a utility area. It also has a spiral staircase. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms. These rooms look down onto the living room below. The second floor also has two bathrooms and many closets. There's even a skylight with wires inside it.
The studio building is similar but shorter. Its ground floor has a sink, a bathroom, and a dark room for developing photos. There's also a large open space with high ceilings. The top floor was mostly for storage. Sometimes, it was used as a guest room.
A courtyard was added between the home and the studio areas. The front of the house is 17 feet tall. It has a geometric pattern of bright and plain colored panels. These panels are set between thin steel columns. The columns were painted a "warm grey" at first. Over time, they were painted black. A gold panel marks the entry door. A row of eucalyptus trees, planted in the 1880s, was kept. They provide shade and look nice against the house.
Inside the Eames House
Inside, the Eameses had a huge collection of items. This included Isamu Noguchi floor lamps and different kinds of art. They had Japanese dolls, Chinese pillows, and Native American baskets. They also had many of their own furniture designs. Some of these were just prototypes. The Eameses arranged their things in unique ways. People often say they made modern design feel more "human."
Out of the twenty-five Case Study Houses built, the Eames House is seen as the most successful. It worked well as a cool building and as a comfy home. Its sleek design made it a popular spot for fashion photo shoots in the 1950s and 1960s. Magazines like Vogue used it as a backdrop. The fact that Charles and Ray lived and worked there until they passed away shows how well it fit their lives.
The Eames House also shows the influence of the De Stijl Movement from Europe. Its sliding walls and windows give it the flexible and open feel that is a trademark of the De Stijl Movement. After the Eameses passed away, the house stayed mostly the same.
The Eames Foundation
The Eames House is managed by The Eames Foundation. This is a non-profit group started in 2004 by Lucia Eames. She was Charles Eames's daughter. Companies like Eames Office, Herman Miller, and Vitra support the foundation. On September 20, 2006, the Eames House was named a National Historic Landmark. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places that same day.
In 2011, the living room's items were set up again at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This was a main part of an art show called "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way."
Also in 2011, the Eames Foundation hired an architecture firm. They wanted a plan to fix and keep the house just as it was in 1988. In 2012, the Getty Conservation Institute promised about $250,000. This money was for research to help preserve the Eames House. In 2013, the Eames Foundation worked with a digital marketing company. They sold special prints to raise money. They hoped to raise $150,000. Modern furniture makers Herman Miller and Vitra matched every donation.
Lucia Eames passed away in 2014. Her five children now lead the Eames Foundation. With help from staff, they look after the two buildings, the gardens, and Charles and Ray's belongings. The Eames Foundation has a "250 Year Project." They hope to care for the home for 250 years into the future.
The Eames House is open to the public five days a week. You need to make reservations. You can take self-guided tours outside, or private tours inside. You can also have picnics or attend events there.
Literature and Publications
In February 2010, LAS Magazine published an article about the Eames House. It talked about the building's history and its importance to the Eames Century Modern Collection. This collection is a typography project by a design studio called House Industries.
In April 2019, the Getty Conservation Institute released a big report. It was called the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) of the Eames House. This report was over 200 pages long. It covered the house's history, how it's used now, and possible damage or risks to the environment. It also suggested ways to protect it. This report will help the Eames Foundation with its 250 Year Project. It also helps other people who care for modern architecture around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Eames para niños
