Marcel Breuer's first binuclear house has been demolished in Long Island

2022-01-26T18:23:00-05:00

Marcel Breuer's first binuclear house, Geller I in Lawrence, New York has been demolished in the dead of night. Geller I is largely considered the project that propelled Breuer to private practice in New York and prompted the Museum of Modern Art to commission Breuer to design an exhibition house in the museum’s courtyard entitled The House in the Museum Garden in 1949.

The conservation advocacy organization chalked up the loss to a combination of changing local property dynamics and the inability of the town of Hempstead’s planning laws to prevent the destruction of a structure it says would have claims to both the New York State and National Register of Historic Places.

“Late last year, Docomomo US was alerted to plans to demolish the house for a larger project combing multiple lots. Docomomo US and our colleagues at Docomomo US NY/Tri-State, the Preservation League of New York State, Preservation Long Island and Caroline Rob Zaleski author of Long Island Modernism formed a coalition to work for a better preservation outcome,” the group’s statement explained.

A photo of the demolition underway this morning, January 26. Image courtesy of the Town of Hempstead, Landmarks Preservation Commission.

“In December, an application for local landmark status was submitted to the Town of Hempstead and enthusiastically received and supported by the Hempstead...

SPF:a breathes new life into Jerrold Lomax-designed oceanfront home in Malibu

2020-05-13T12:55:00-04:00

Los Angeles-based SPF:architects has completed a 5,000-square-foot renovation of a 1970s-era beachfront California modernist home designed by notable mid-century architect Jerrold E. Lomax.

SPF:a's renovations for the home, which is located in Malibu, California among a tightly clustered outcropping of residences sitting directly on the waters of the Pacific Ocean, offers an updated and perfected take on the original daylight-and-views design approach Lomax lent to the home's design.

Top: The home's sunlit living room. Bottom: An aerial view of the house. Images courtesy of Matthew Momberger.

A statement from SPF:a explains that the firm's approach for the renovation "focused on using advances in material technology to enhance the original modernist expressions laid out by Lomax that sought to maximize daylighting within."

Top: View of the dining area and new accent stair. Bottom: The home's streetfront garage. Images courtesy of Matthew Momberger.

The firm continues, "Thinner window...

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Marcel Breuer's first binuclear house has been demolished in Long Island

SPF:a breathes new life into Jerrold Lomax-designed oceanfront home in Malibu