Mom's West Coast Architecture Tour: Part One
Right after we moved into the new house in Long Beach, we had our very first visitor - my Mom!
Although the timing seems ridiculous in hindsight (she landed just three days after we started sleeping in the new place), she actually booked her trip way back in mid-May, right after we moved to California. She ended up changing her flights three times, first to arrive in Orange County, then in Ontario (when we thought we'd be in Glendora for her trip), then to LAX, as that's the closest big airport near the house (Long Beach is actually our closest airport - only 2 miles away - but it doesn't have great flight options to the east coast - yet!). As it turned out, she'd have to change flights even more, due to the one giant dust storm Phoenix gets each year; Sky Harbor was her connecting airport on the way to see us, and when she booked the flights, we figured that would be no big deal - Phoenix is never delayed! After being routed from Tampa to Vegas, sitting on the tarmac for a few hours, finally arriving in Phoenix around 2am, and then having to take a noon flight the next day to LAX, we realized we shouldn't assume things like that.
Anywhoo, even though she didn't arrive on time, we were relatively rested up and ready to make the best of our shortened time together. In researching things for her trip, we decided that the overall theme for the visit would be the LA area's best architecture. This wasn't a truly conscious decision initially, but after we started finding out about all of the cool sites to visit out here, we committed to it! Our first stop would be what's known as the Stahl House, one of a series of Case Study houses in the greater LA area. Essentially, Case Study houses were constructed through the 1950s-1960s by a number of noted architects as true case studies to see how the area could handle its post war explosive population growth. Most attempted to make the houses smaller in area and using materials that wouldn't be cost prohibitive, should folks choose to adopt their plans wide-scale. There's tons of these houses out here, and while most are still privately owned and can't be toured, there are a few that accept visitors.
Because it is an actual home, the Stahl house limits the number of visitors each day, and the tours are somewhat pricey - $35. Still, the house itself and location are insane, and it's absolutely an iconic LA sight. Seeing the Stahl House to me was almost like viewing a Renaissance painting - suspend disbelief for just a second - it's so iconic that it's been used and copied in hundreds (potentially thousands) of movies, ads, and pictures. You see it and you immediately go, "I've seen this place before!"
Okay, enough words. Here we go. First, the house's location is stunning - way up in the Hollywood Hills. To get there, you drive through West Hollywood, which gave Mom her first "LA tourist" moment - a sighting of the famed Hollywood sign:
Mom and I,
heading to tea!
heading to tea!
Although the timing seems ridiculous in hindsight (she landed just three days after we started sleeping in the new place), she actually booked her trip way back in mid-May, right after we moved to California. She ended up changing her flights three times, first to arrive in Orange County, then in Ontario (when we thought we'd be in Glendora for her trip), then to LAX, as that's the closest big airport near the house (Long Beach is actually our closest airport - only 2 miles away - but it doesn't have great flight options to the east coast - yet!). As it turned out, she'd have to change flights even more, due to the one giant dust storm Phoenix gets each year; Sky Harbor was her connecting airport on the way to see us, and when she booked the flights, we figured that would be no big deal - Phoenix is never delayed! After being routed from Tampa to Vegas, sitting on the tarmac for a few hours, finally arriving in Phoenix around 2am, and then having to take a noon flight the next day to LAX, we realized we shouldn't assume things like that.
Anywhoo, even though she didn't arrive on time, we were relatively rested up and ready to make the best of our shortened time together. In researching things for her trip, we decided that the overall theme for the visit would be the LA area's best architecture. This wasn't a truly conscious decision initially, but after we started finding out about all of the cool sites to visit out here, we committed to it! Our first stop would be what's known as the Stahl House, one of a series of Case Study houses in the greater LA area. Essentially, Case Study houses were constructed through the 1950s-1960s by a number of noted architects as true case studies to see how the area could handle its post war explosive population growth. Most attempted to make the houses smaller in area and using materials that wouldn't be cost prohibitive, should folks choose to adopt their plans wide-scale. There's tons of these houses out here, and while most are still privately owned and can't be toured, there are a few that accept visitors.
Because it is an actual home, the Stahl house limits the number of visitors each day, and the tours are somewhat pricey - $35. Still, the house itself and location are insane, and it's absolutely an iconic LA sight. Seeing the Stahl House to me was almost like viewing a Renaissance painting - suspend disbelief for just a second - it's so iconic that it's been used and copied in hundreds (potentially thousands) of movies, ads, and pictures. You see it and you immediately go, "I've seen this place before!"
Okay, enough words. Here we go. First, the house's location is stunning - way up in the Hollywood Hills. To get there, you drive through West Hollywood, which gave Mom her first "LA tourist" moment - a sighting of the famed Hollywood sign:
Tourist achievement unlocked!
All right, fine. That picture wasn't that exciting. Here's the really good stuff:
The Stahl House!
Look familiar?
Be sure to click this to make it bigger.
As you can see, their view sucks, right? I mean seriously:
Tough life, that.
As it turns out, the Stahls aren't actually wealthy people, and they've fought time and time again to be able to pay for the mortgage on the house and live there. They've moved out several times, particularly to rent the house out for movies to be shot on the property, but they've always refused the tons of offers to buy the house as they love it so much. I mean, who wouldn't want to keep this amazing place?
Although the architecture and views are obviously stunning, the setup inside is also great, as the house is done up in mid-Century grandeur (the furnishings aren't all original to the house, but they are time period appropriate):
The massive fireplace
The kitchen and dining area from outside
and below, a close-up.
and below, a close-up.
The master bedroom
Chris in the kitchen
Relaxing!
The Stahls are super mellow about visitors in the house, just asking that you take off your shoes before you come inside; you can sit on the furniture and even use the bathroom (I did. Of course).
Said bathroom.
A few more shots from around the property:
We are on a very high spot in the hills,
so this hawk figured he'd share our vantage point.
so this hawk figured he'd share our vantage point.
Guys, we have SO MANY PICTURES.
The Griffith Observatory,
on the next hill over.
on the next hill over.
Overall, all three of us would highly recommend a visit to the Stahl house. It's pricey, but it's worth it as you get a close-up look at one of the area's iconic sites. It's also so quiet and peaceful up there, and even with a group of about 20 people, it never felt crowded. Really, it's a great place to visit, and if the high price helps preserve it for generations to come, hey, that's cool with us. The Chateau Marmont is also directly beneath it, along with its accompanying bar (creatively named the Bar Marmont), which is supposed to be fabulous, so you know, just saying.
On future installments of the blog, we tour other architectural marvels of the greater LA area, including the Getty Villa and another Case Study house, the Eames house!
Later!
Amy
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