Richard Neutra’s Chuey House in the Hollywood Hills is currently for sale. While listed as a development opportunity, I’m encouraging developers looking at this residence to create an enclave of modern homes.
Neutra designed this glass and steel house in 1956 for Josephine Ain Chuey, a poet and former wife of Gregory Ain.
The residence sits on two massive contiguous pieces of land high above the Doheny Estates. One lot offers approximately one acre of land, and the other offers about 1.5 acres.
So, it’s easy to see why a developer might want to build here. Still, I’m hoping they take a cue from Joseph Eichler, the real estate developer known for developing residential subdivisions of mid-century modern-style tract housing in California.
Instead of razing an architecturally significant property to build McMansions, think about creating an enclave of modern homes around the Chuey house.
Each home will offer unmatched panoramic views of the Los Angeles Basin, including the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park Observatory, along with expansive ocean views from Newport Beach to Pacific Palisades.
Here’s something else to think about; according to Architectural Digest, Mrs. Chuey wrote to Neutra after the home was completed saying, “You are an alchemist who has transmuted earth, house, and sky into a single enchantment. I can only hope that I can in some measure grow up to the wholeness and balance embodied here.”
Think about how many letters you’ll receive if you take the time to save an admired residence and build similarly styled houses around it. Listed by Denise Moreno and Gordon MacGeachy, the property is located at 2640 Sunset Plaza Dr, seeking $10,500,000.