Dion Neutra

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Dion Neutra
Neutra in August 2010
Born(1926-10-08)October 8, 1926
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 24, 2019(2019-11-24) (aged 93)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Architect
  • preservationist
Years active1937–2019
Notable work
Websiteneutra.org

Dion Neutra (October 8, 1926 – November 24, 2019) was a modernist / International style American architect and consultant who worked originally with his father, Richard Neutra (1892–1970).

Life

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Neutra started training with his father at age 11.[1] He attended the University of Southern California, spending his junior year abroad studying at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology architecture program in Zurich, and graduated cum laude.[1]

Neutra became president of the Neutra company upon Richard Neutra's death in 1970.[1] He worked with current owners of Neutra properties to update them sympathetically with original design intentions.[1]

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.[2]

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.[3][1]

Preservation efforts

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In the late 1990s, he began campaigning to save his father's Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg on the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania, which had been targeted for demolition; by 2004, he had collected over a thousand letters in support of preserving the building, including one from Frank Gehry. The American Institute of Architects described the Cyclorama as "one of the most important buildings constructed by the [Park Service] during the 20th century."[4][5][6] The long battle ended with the Cyclorama Building's demolition in 2013.[7] In 2011, Neutra began writing a blog dedicated to the preservation of the 1954 Kronish House in Beverly Hills, California, then under threat of demolition.[8] Neutra's campaign was successful and the building was saved.[9] Among other projects Neutra championed was the 1963 Mariners Medical Arts Building in Newport Beach, California, which was restored in 2023.[10] He was also concerned about the future of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records since the Records Department had been relocated to Norwalk, California.

Selected works

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Dion Neutra, architect". neutra.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  2. ^ "Institute for Survival Through Design". neutra.org.
  3. ^ Lank, Barry (June 9, 2021). "Silver Lake's 'Reunion House' by Richard Neutra declared an L.A. historic monument". The Eastsider LA. City News Service. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  4. ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-27-tm-neutra26-story.html
  5. ^ Rozzo, Mark (2019-11-25). "Architect Dion Neutra, who fought to save his father's iconic buildings, dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  6. ^ "cyclorama". 20 March 2023.
  7. ^ https://www.archpaper.com/2013/03/neutras-gettysburg-cyclorama-demolished/
  8. ^ "kronish". Archived from the original on 2016-07-27. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  9. ^ https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/kronish-house/
  10. ^ https://www.archpaper.com/2023/11/burnham-ward-properties-sieglinde-pukke-restore-richard-neutra-medical-office/
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