Walter L. Dodge House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Walter Luther Dodge House |
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| General information | |
| Type | Reinforced concrete |
| Architectural style | Early Modern |
| Location | 950 N. Kings Rd., West Hollywood, California |
| Coordinates | 35°27′38.41″N 119°52′58.13″W / 35.4606694°N 119.8828139°W |
| Construction started | 1914 |
| Completed | 1916 |
| Demolished | 1970 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Irving Gill |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 16 |
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Walter Luther Dodge House
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Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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| NRHP reference No. | 68000058 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 1968 |
| Removed from NRHP | 1970 |
The Walter L. Dodge House was a very important house in West Hollywood, California. It was designed by a famous architect named Irving Gill. The house was built in an Early Modern style. Many experts thought it was one of the best houses ever built.
Even though it was so special, people wanted to tear it down. Many people tried to save it, but they could not. The house was completely destroyed in 1970. New apartments were built where the Dodge House once stood.
Important groups like the American Institute of Architects said it was one of the 15 most important houses in America.
Contents
A Unique Modern Design
The Dodge House had 16 rooms. Irving Gill designed it in 1914, and it was built between 1914 and 1916. It was made for Walter Luther Dodge, who invented a medicine for tired feet.
Cool Features of the House
The house was built with strong, reinforced concrete. It mixed Spanish Mission style with modern ideas. It also had many new inventions for its time, like:
- A garbage disposal in the kitchen sink.
- An automatic car wash in the garage.
- Doors that slid into walls or swung on hidden hinges.
- A central vacuum cleaning system.
- Metal doors.
- Natural wood surfaces that were simply polished.
- Skylights and windows that let in lots of sunlight.
Why Experts Loved It
Experts thought the Dodge House was one of Gill's best designs. They said its beauty came from its simple, clean lines. It had sharp openings in plain walls.
In 1921, a magazine called House Beautiful wrote about the house. They said it had "bold and novel ideas" in its design. The article noted that the house had no extra decorations. Gill believed beauty should be natural. He thought vines or plants could decorate a doorway better than carvings. He also felt that nothing was more beautiful than a plain wall with cloud shadows moving across it.
The House's Story
Early Years and New Owners
Walter Dodge lived in the house after he retired. In 1924, he sold it to T. Morrison McKenna for $125,000.
In 1939, the Los Angeles Board of Education bought the property. They planned to build a school there. But by 1951, they decided a school was not needed. The house was only used for a short time in 1961-1962 for an adult education program.
Efforts to Save the House
The house was in danger of being torn down in the 1960s. First, in 1963, the Board of Education said the property was "extra." Then, in 1964, the land was changed to allow many more apartments to be built. This made the land very valuable for new buildings.
To protect the house, local people and architects formed a group. They called themselves the "Citizens' Committee to Save the Dodge House." A historian named Esther McCoy was part of this group. She even made a film in 1965 to help save the house. Because of their efforts, the Board of Education turned down a big offer for the land. The buyer would not promise to save the house.
Why It Was Hard to Save
Many people did not think the Dodge House was special. Even though experts loved it, it looked very plain to others. A writer for the Los Angeles Times said it looked like a newer home. They wrote that it had "neither the charm nor nostalgia of a 'period piece'." It had plain white walls, a flat roof, and simple windows.
In 1966, the Board of Education sold the property to a financier named Bart Lytton. He planned a big project for the 2.75-acre (11,100 m2) site. He said he would save the Dodge House and add 48 apartments. But his business ran into trouble, and he lost control of his company. The Los Angeles Times said the Dodge House "lost its protector" when Lytton left.
People kept trying to stop the demolition in the late 1960s. The American Institute of Architects tried to get money from the government to save it. Famous architect Richard Neutra said the Dodge House was studied by architecture students worldwide. He warned that tearing it down would be an "international scandal."
Demolition and What Came Next
In November 1969, a lawsuit by the Citizens' Committee failed. The house was sold to Riviera Management Company. The new owner tore down the house on February 9, 1970, during a rainstorm.
Architect Kurt Meyer, who had fought for seven years to save it, was very sad. He said, "This is like slashing a Rembrandt with a razor." Many people called the destruction of the Dodge House a "shameful chapter" in Los Angeles history. The New York Times called it a "tragic commentary on how we throw our national heritage away."
New apartments were built on the land where the house once stood.
Why It's Still Famous
Even after it was torn down, the Dodge House is still praised by experts. Here are some things they said:
- A leading historian, William Jordy, said it was one of the 15 most important American houses. He felt it showed what modern architecture would become.
- The American Institute of Architects also rated it among the top 15 most important homes in the U.S.
- Another historian, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, called it a "prophetic paradigm of Modernism." This means it was a perfect example of what modern design would look like in America.
- The house made Lewis Mumford think Gill was as important as other famous architects like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Dr. Ludwig Glaeser from the Museum of Modern Art said Gill's ideas, seen clearly in the Dodge House, are only now fully understood.
- The New York Times called the Dodge House Gill's "masterwork."
- The Historic American Buildings Survey said it showed Gill's amazing talent. They called it a rare example of the "International Style" and a great example of early concrete architecture.
- In 1965, historian Esther McCoy made a film about the house and Irving Gill. She hoped it would save the house. The film was found and fixed up in 2011. It is now one of the best ways to see what the house looked like.
In 1991, the Daily News wrote about the loss of the Dodge House. They said Gill designed homes for people, on a human scale. They also said that most of his best work, like the Dodge House, is now gone.
In 2008, experts chosen by the Los Angeles Times picked the Walter Dodge House as one of the top ten houses in Southern California. The Times said it was "hard to believe this Modernist treasure was torn down." They noted that the house now lives on only through photos, memories, and its reputation.
Images for kids
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The Walter L. Dodge House
