Emil, an art director in the animation industry in Hollywood, and Elizabeth, who works at a real estate company, live in an Eichler home built in 1964. The gabled roof is a distinctive feature of this house, and the bright orange door, standing out against the subdued color palette, serves as a striking focal point.

Joseph Eichler, born and raised in New York, began his real estate business after turning 40. It is said that he was inspired to do so after selling his family’s egg and butter wholesale business and moving into the Sidney Bazett-Jones House in Northern California.

That house, in fact, was one of the Usonian homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Eichler was deeply influenced by Wright’s architectural works, and by adding his own ideas, he planned a more expansive housing project.

While Wright’s Usonian homes were custom-built for middle-income families, Eichler envisioned a more efficient approach. He aimed to create stylish, well-designed homes while standardizing layouts and materials, enabling construction at lower cost and in greater numbers.

As a result, whereas only about 60 Usonian homes were ever built, Eichler succeeded in supplying over 11,000 homes. The house the couple purchased six years ago is one of them. In Granada Hills, located about 50 kilometers north of downtown Los Angeles, many Eichler homes still remain. In particular, Balboa Highlands, where the couple resides, was one of the largest developments, and today, you can still find around 110 Eichler homes there.

Located on the north side of the area, the Elizabeth residence is set on a gently sloping hill and offers excellent views. Although it underwent a complete renovation at the time of purchase, the original layout has been preserved: a central atrium surrounded by a large open-plan living-dining-kitchen area, flanked by smaller individual rooms on either side.

Wright’s Usonian homes rarely featured gabled roofs, but Eichler actively incorporated designs that combined flat roofs with triangular gables. The Elizabeth residence also features such a gabled roof, positioned above the atrium (courtyard). This ambiguous space—neither entirely indoors nor outdoors—is another signature charm of Eichler homes.

PHOTO｜Kazutoshi AKimoto 秋元一利
TEXT｜Kazutoshi AKimoto 秋元一利
PUBLISHED｜2025
SOURCE｜アイクラーホームズ＆ミッドセンチュリーデザイン
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