Dion Neutra (October 8, 1926 – November 24, 2019) was a modernist /

International style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

American architect and consultant who worked originally with his father,

Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra ( ; 8 April 1892 – 16 April 1970) was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for most of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. His most ...

(1892–1970).

Life

Neutra started training with his father at age 11. He attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, spending his junior year abroad studying at the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology The Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology are two institutes of higher education in Switzerland (part of the ETH Domain): * Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Sw ...

architecture program in Zurich, and graduated cum laude. Neutra became president of the Neutra company upon Richard Neutra's death in 1970. He worked with current owners of Neutra properties to update them sympathetically with original design intentions. Neutra hosted the 85th anniversary party for Neutra Architecture 1926-2011 from April 8–10, 2011 at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center and the

Neutra VDL Studio and Residences Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, the home of architect Richard Neutra, is located in Los Angeles, California. It is also known as the Neutra Research House, the Van der Leeuw House, the Richard and Dion Neutra VDL Research House II, or the Rich ...

. Neutra died on November 24, 2019, at his home on Neutra Place ("Reunion House") in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles at the age of 93.

Preservation efforts

As of July 16, 2011, he began writing a blog dedicated to the preservation of the Kronish House in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

, California, while under threat of demolition. Other projects Dion has championed include the Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg on the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania, and the Mariners Medical Arts Building in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

. He was also concerned about the future of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records since the Records Department has been relocated to

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census. Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles a ...

Selected works

*Dion Neutra Reunion House, 1950,

Silver Lake, Los Angeles Silver Lake is a residential and commercial Neighbourhood, neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California, United States, originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe, so named in honor of Ivanhoe, ...

*Kester Avenue Elementary School, 5353 Kester Avenue, Los Angeles (with

), 1951,

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...

* Kronish House, 1955,

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

* VDL II Research House, 1966,

*Treehouse Apartment, 1968,

*Scheimer House, 1972,

Tarzana, Los Angeles Tarzana () is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan. His ...

Huntington Beach Public Library The Huntington Beach Public Library (HBPL) is a library system located in Huntington Beach, California. It offers online databases, print and electronic books and magazines, children's programs, computer lab, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks for anyon ...

, 1975,

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...

*Canfield Elementary School, 1976,

West Los Angeles, California West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped ...

*Treetops Apartments, 1980,

*Claremont Graduate Management Building, 1982,

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pomona Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had ...

References

1926 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American architects American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Jewish architects USC School of Architecture alumni 21st-century American architects {{US-architect-20C-stub