Tyler Green writes in Portfolio that Christie's will try its hand at selling at auction Richard Neutra's 1946 Kaufmann House. Sometimes called the Kaufmann Desert House, the modest Modernist resort in Palm Springs, California, was restored in the 1990s to its original design. A detail from Green's article:
Crosby Doe, a Los Angeles-based real estate agent who specializes in properties by prominent architects, says that the market for California midcentury Modern architects such as John Lautner, Pierre Koenig, R.M. Schindler, and Neutra is booming. "I liken it to the stock market," says Doe. "When the real estate market is bad, these are the blue chips that people still go out and buy."Sounds a lot like what people say about the art market, too.
Novel or not, architecture's entry into the high-water mark world of arts and luxuries auctions should steer emphasis toward provenance and original designs. No additions by Barry Manilow after the original owner leaves. This is a good sign for architecture preservationists.
Posted by Kriston at April 30, 2008 5:35 PMDid Barry Manilow live in this house?
Posted by: at May 1, 2008 8:51 PMYep. It's had other owners, too, and for long periods of time it's also languished on the market. Good article here on its history.
Posted by: Kriston at May 2, 2008 1:13 PM