![Photos by John King Tarpinian via File 770]](https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/0f/0fa437243d061ad807295e5941435e5f?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514 "Photos by John King Tarpinian via File 770]")
[Ray Bradbury's] Cheviot Hills house ... hit the market last May, and sold in a little over a month for $1.765 million [...]
the buyers were Pritzker-Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, of the firm Morphosis, and his wife, Blythe Alison-Mayne. [...]
the new property owner's plan is to demolish Bradbury's house to put in a new house with three underground levels—one of which will hold a swimming pool—and two stories above ground.
— la.curbed.com
CurbedLA also points out that, according to Morphopedia, this will be Mayne's first residential project in LA in more than ten years.
More photos via File 770.
14 Comments
Ray Bradbury was a friend and client. Sorry to see thge house go.
The last time I saw Ray was at a party we gave for him and we invited his old friend Forry Ackerman. As 20-year old Ray, Forry and another Ray (Harryhausen) put together several mimeographed science fiction fan-zines. These were Btadbury's first stories. The other Ray becvame an Oscar winning special effects artist (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans). The other third of the trio Forry Ackerman who coined the world SCI-FI.
I have lots of Bradbury stories, Forry stories and Harryhausen stories. And btw, when they started the science fiction clubs, Ray Bradbury lived on Traction , just down thw street from present day SCI-ARC.
Good for him. I'm suspicious of any big-name architect who doesn't want to live in a building he/she designed (Eisenman...)
I wonder what it's like being on the project team for that - I assume Mayne isn't designing this all himself. It would seem like an awkwardly too-close relationship to have your boss as the client.
Eisenman's is the coolest. An old millhouse and he makes no bones about his creature comfort. He also said that is a house in which he lives vs, architecture which he designs. He makes a clear distinction. A very conceptually excellent question and definition of his architecture.
Mayne is a hand colorist drafter and a sketcher on paper. Three underground levels is pretty curious and strong. He has been processing the art of sinking light into the lower elevations. Going down three floors in Los Angeles is unusual and very artistic concept. It can't be for ecology and environmentalism since I don't know what one can gain by going underground in this climate and geology. Probably it is for small footprint desired or adhered to and height limits in the area vs. sq.ft needed by Maynes.
LA has an interesting geography and I've never seen a digout like this in local residential and small commercial. Only building I know goes down other than parking levels, is the LA Central Library.
The idea of it already has many strategies from real estate grade site re-assignment to applying a new local typology by going down that much. It is actually is not a new conversation among LA architects but nobody had the chance to do it as far as I know. I trust he knows what to do, meaning what goes into that artful building type and not necessarily easy one to do. I think the office talent are just going to draw it up for Thom and help him out to get it done rather than him being a client and such.
Maybe eric can tell us more about the demoed Bradbury's house. What kind of significance Ray or the literary historians has attached to that house, or not? Maybe just being a Ray Bradbury house was significant in this city of residential exchanges.Vow, Thom has got some money in the end. I remember him driving around a beat up VW rabbit convertible.
Ray lived in Cheviot Hills. Nothing special about his house. urban suburan. I dont think that he incorporaetd any of his futuristic scenarios into his place. Although the robo-vacume would be appropriate, as well as singing plants. His favorite film had a sort of architecture theme. Robert Wise's THE HAUNTING, based in Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House.
Will Bradbury's spirit haunt Thoms new residence?.... only time will know.
Robo vacuum. That's a funny and vivid picture Eric... Can we continue this as a dusty film noir from here on? ...
"He also said that is a house in which he lives vs, architecture which he designs. He makes a clear distinction" That says everything you need to know about Eisenman.
Orhan, I so enjoyed reading that entire post. Lovely collection of information and speculation in a few paragraphs.
The site does appear to be fairly sloped so the "3 underground levels" may be deceptive, but it is true as you state "He has been processing the art of sinking light into the lower elevations." He's been successful at it, too.
Very excited to see what this project becomes.
The NIMBY's on curbed are really going at it. Basically hating on Mayne for destroying the character of the neighborhood with his McMansion as well as destroying history. Also doing three sub levels isn't too crazy, just expensive as hell. It's a loop hole in zoning that gets people way more square footage than they could if they followed the letter of the law.
A very nice article and interview with Thom Mayne about the demolition and project.
http://www.mhpbooks.com/why-was-ray-bradburys-home-demolished-an-interview-with-architect-thom-mayne/
Here is a great interview on KCRW's DnA with Thom Mayne and his wife Blythe about the house. Sounds like three underground floors is a total fabrication - maybe someone misunderstood "levels" to mean "storeys"?
Thom Mayne be messin with the Fault Line digging that deep!
I still like to see someone digging down in LA. that's my storey.. As to .5 or 1 level below terra firma, those still unusual but already exist.
It's interesting to observe in the conversation the sort of casualness about regard to protecting the Bradbury house. Especially since we came just came off of a big year in preservation discussions around the Folk Art. Architectural, cultural, emotional, we need to have a stronger discussion about questions of preservation and provide a stronger position maybe residing in some middle ground. Ideally, if we regard Ray Bradbury as the brilliant writer that he was, I feel it would be paramount to understand the environment within which he wrote, "good" or "bad".
We discuss this story in the latest episode of our podcast.
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