» Architecture and/or Art? A Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece is Sold at Auction

Architecture and/or Art? A Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece is Sold at Auction

Homes are shelter, homes are places we eat, sleep, work, celebrate, and ??? Some homes are more. They are architecturally inspiring. Marlow Harris often writes of unique homes on her blog, 360digest. Few homes achieve icon status, but those that do, are they art or architecture or art and architecture? Are these homes works of art?

There’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, Greene and Greene’s The Gamble House, and Philip Johnson’s Glass House, which opened to the public last year, just to name a few. These homes are all incredible, unique, and wonderful examples of superb design.

Two of these homes were owned by the same family, The Kaufmanns. Not only did they own their namesake home, The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, but they owned Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. A Pittsburgh department store family, they chose two titans of architecture to design and build two phenomenal homes. The Kaufmann house, built in 1946, was one of the first mid-century modern homes to dot the Palm Springs landscape.

Mid-century modern architecture has become to Palm Springs what art deco style has been to Miami Beach. Mid-century modern means clean, simple lines, big windows, and light, open and airy spaces. Glass, steel, wood, and stone are the materials of choice. Preservationists have been working hard to save these mid-century masterpieces which contribute to the uniqueness and very soul of Palm Springs. Over the last couple of decades, some famous properties and homes have been demolished in the area. Lloyd Wright, Frank’s son, had designed a hotel in the 1920′s which has since been torn down. (Interestingly, Lloyd Wright was the inventor of the all-important Lincoln Logs)

The current owners of the Kaufmann house purchased it as a run down fixer upper in the early 90′s. They hired the Los Angeles architectural firm of Marmol Radziner to help bring the home back to its original splendor. To help save the house from some future owner tearing it down, as has happened too often with iconic architecture, the owners hired Christie’s to auction their home off as an art piece. Their goal, as stated in Edward Wyatt’s The New York Times article was “promoting architecture as a collectible art worthy of the same consideration as painting and sculpture.” The New York Times article has some great photos of this masterpiece of modern design.

The expected selling price was to be between 15-25 million dollars. Last week the home sold at auction for $15,000,000 and some change.

So, is architecture art? Should it be up for auction?

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http://www.sanfranciscomodern.com san francisco modern

The home is beautiful (and definetly one of a kind) however $15M does seem a little steep. Regardless, the visiblity that the property received because of the tie-in with Christies and subsequent publicity obviously played a role in bringing more interested parties to the table.

Hopefully the $15M will be utilized to keep the house AS-IS!
http://www.debrasinick.com Debra Sinick

Hi San Francisco Modern,

I, too, hope the Kaufman house stays as-is. I do believe that was to be a condition of the sale. It would surprise me that someone would pay that much for the home and not preserve it.

Are there many mid-century modern homes in
SF?

Thanks for stopping by
TheHomeAsArt

PALM SPRINGS, CA, SEES SALES UP IN HOMES AS ART BY ARCHITECTS OF ONE-OF-A-KIND ESTATES BUILT IN THE ’70s…

International philanthropists Craig Baskin and Donald Russell have purchased the “Waterfall House”, created by noted Modernist architect James Cioffi, in Palm Springs South End, near singers Keely Smith and Barry Manilow, and actress Suzanne Somers. Designed in 1978, the home features only two bedrooms but 4.5 baths in 5,000 SF. The noted feature is a waterfall which flows off the roof and into the pool, with 360 degree views of the San Jacinto Mountains. The pair sold their country estate, Hound Hollow, in Charlottesville, Virgnia’s horse country,to that state’s former Governor Gerald Baliles. Charlottesville is the home to bandleader Dave Matthews, authors John Grisham, Jan Karon and Rita Mae Brown, actress Sissy Spacek and philanthropist and vintner, Patricia Kluge. Baskin and Russell were benefactors of the Heritage Repertory Theatre at The University of Virgnia. The pair will now divide time between Palm Springs and their villa, Casa sin Vista in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they help fund SAFE, Salud de los Animales y Familias con educacion, a foundation which rescues dogs and cats and educates families about proper pet care. In Palm Beach, Florida, they were among the founders of the Tri-County Humane Society Home for Geriatric Dogs. Russell is a former executive with McDonald’s Corporation, (he ran the company’s operations in Mexico in the 90’s. Baskin is a cousin to the late Princess Grace of Monaco, who frequently visited Palm Springs during her film career in Hollywood with James Stewart, Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant.
http://www.debrasinick.com Debra Sinick

Home as Art,

Thanks for the information. The California desert is a fabulous place for cutting edge architecture. This home sounds incredible. Hmm…I wonder if it will ever be open to the public.

I’ve had the chance to go to John Lautner’s Elrod house, another gem in the desert. Boith times have been awe-inspiring with the views and the wonderful spaces Lautner created in the house.
Feel free to let me know about other desert architectural happenings. I am always interested.

Thanks!
Pingback: California Desert Homes, Greta Garbo and Seattle/Eastside Real Estate « Eastside Real Estate Buzz
http://www.debrasinick.com Debra Sinick

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2008/10/kaufmann_house.html

Wow, just caught this article online about this deal for the Kaufmann house falling apart. Let’s hope whomever buys the home will preserve and protect it! The price has gone down though, it is now priced at $12.9 million.