Frederick and Mary Auerbacher House

Frederick and Mary Auerbacher House

Set above the unsightly aspects of suburbia, Frederick and Mary Auerbacher’s house offers an expansive view of the mountains beyond through extended windows along one side of the house. That mountain view is then enhanced by a low mirror that Richard Neutra positioned on the back wall of the dining room, giving all guests the opportunity to enjoy the sight. The house is located just below the grade of the street it sits on, and this street side of the house is closed off with the exception of clerestory windows. Experimenting with peripheral vision, Neutra designed a long view corridor, funneled through perpendicular walls that end in windows. While this corridor bisects the house longitudinally, the house is divided laterally in terms of function. At one end, the master bedroom offers a view of a corner pool through a mitered glass corner while the other end, a work and play room is set off of the kitchen. The living and dining areas are surfaced in birch paneling and have redwood ceilings, while the bedrooms are painted in flat whites, dark browns, and greens. At Neutra’s order, a flagstone fireplace in the living and dining area was redone after its stones had first been positioned symmetrically so that no large stone would command a central focus. For Mary Auerbacher, who was a musician, Neutra provided sheet music and instrument storage in the living area, while also making room for a phonograph player to accommodate Frederick Auerbacher’s interests.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 257.