Horatio West Court facts for kids
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Horatio West Court
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Horatio West Court, 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | Santa Monica, California |
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| Built | c. 1921 |
| Architect | Irving Gill |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000302 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1977 |
The Horatio West Court is a special group of buildings in Santa Monica, California. It was built in 1919 and shows an early way of designing homes that are connected. These six small buildings share paths for walking and a driveway for cars. They were all designed by a famous architect named Irving Gill.
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What Makes Horatio West Court Special?
The Horatio West Court is built on a narrow piece of land. It has two buildings on each side of a long driveway. This driveway leads to a parking area at the back. There, you'll find two garages with small apartments on top.
Each building is a two-story cube with a flat roof. They also have a small front porch and a walled patio. The curved entryways and small courtyards remind us of the Mission Revival style. This was a popular building style in California. However, the buildings themselves are a great example of the Modern Movement. This style focused on simple shapes and clean lines.
Why is the Design Important?
The architect, Irving Gill, was known for his simple and modern designs. He wanted buildings to be useful and beautiful without too much decoration. The Horatio West Court shows his ideas very well. It was one of the first buildings in Santa Monica to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical site.
Famous Architects and Writers Loved It
Many important people in architecture have admired the Horatio West Court.
- Richard Neutra, another famous architect, took many photos of the Horatio West Court. He even put them in his book called Amerika: Neues Bauen in der Welt (1930).
- Leland Roth, a writer, described the Horatio West Court as "Gill's flat-roof crisply-rectilinear apartment complex" in his book American Architecture: A History. This means he thought the buildings had very straight lines and flat roofs.
- John A. Vlahides and Tullan Spitz wrote in Coastal California that it is "one of the best examples of Irving Gill's revolutionary modernism." This shows how important Gill's modern style was.
These experts all agreed that the Horatio West Court was a very important and groundbreaking building.
A Historic Landmark
The Horatio West Court was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history. Being on this list helps protect the building. It was the very first building in Santa Monica to get this special recognition!
Images for kids
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A view of the Horatio West Court buildings.
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Another angle showing the simple, modern design.
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The entrance to one of the Horatio West Court homes.
