Eric Chavkin shared an interesting story about this house in the comments from the news post announcing Niemeyer's death...
 

I wrote this a couple of years ago

Go Oscar go...102 years.

In 1964 Oscar Niemeyer designed a residence for the art doc and film director and also producer Joe Strick. I got to meet Joe Strick as he was partners with a friend of mine, screenwriter and director Fred Haines, who I invited and they arrived to party at the book launch of Voluptuous Panic held at Adam Parfrey's Echo Park house.

That was fun evening. Of course Parfrey and I asked Strick about working with Niemeyer but the owner and architect never did meet only corresponded.

Funny how it goes; Inventor and new cinema filmaker Stick hires a world famous architect Niemeyer to design a modern home in Los Angeles, then the Brazilian architect's only residence in North America. During construction Strick and his wife divorce. The property is sold and later forgotten, almost demolished, becomes a hot preservation issue 40 years later and today restored to its mid century modern charm by the new owners.

What could of been an incredible dialog between two creative individuals; the film maker artist Joseph Strick and architect Niemeyer just never developed. No Green Light as they say in Hollywood. No Hollywood ending.

But that night Strick and company were more interested in drinking beer and watching, appropriately, young German communists practicing nudist gymnastics in architectural formations. Busby Berkeley eat your heart out...

And a salute to Oscar

eric chavkin