London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Pierre Koenig’s Wilheim House in Los Angeles

Pierre Koenig’s Wilheim House in Los Angeles

The T-shaped residence combines Koenig’s trademark steel-and-glass construction with warm wooden accents, which were unexpected for the Case Study architect at the time.

Call this a case study in warm, wood-ensconced modernism from an architect known for working with steel or perhaps an example of relatively modest postwar housing from a man whose work has long been associated with Hollywood glamour. In the Crestwood Hills enclave of Brentwood, Los Angeles, known for its high concentration of homes by midcentury masters, the 1961 Wilheim House is a quintessential work by architect Pierre Koenig-with some unconventional characteristics.



The Wilheim House features two design details that were uncommon for architect Pierre Koenig at the time: a second level and warm wooden accents on the ceilings and facade.

Koenig, a World War II veteran, earned an architecture degree in 1952 from the University of Southern California. The young architect became interested in steel framing for houses, and when one of his professors rejected the idea, Koenig successfully designed and constructed a steel-framed home two years before he even graduated, which won him an American Institute of Architects Design Award.

The architect gained fame in 1960 with completion of the Stahl House, better known as Case Study House #22. A steel-and-glass box cantilevered its sloping site in the Hollywood Hills, the Stahl became perhaps the most familiar house of the iconic Case Study program, which included works by celebrated modernists like Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, A. Quincy Jones, and Eero Saarinen. Koenig’s two Case Study houses, the 1960 Stahl House and 1958 Walter Bailey House, were both framed with steel.



The T-shaped floor plan easily segments the kitchen, dining, and living areas.

While Koenig was lesser known than some of the other Case Study architects at the time, a black-and-white photo of the Stahl House taken by Julius Shulman (which is now part of the nearby Getty Museum's permanent collection) made Koenig’s work famous. A few months after the Stahl House was completed and Shulman’s photo published, Koenig was commissioned by Robert and Jeri Wilheim to design their home on North Bundy Drive in Los Angeles at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains.



The three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence occupies a narrow lot nestled against the hillside. Keonig decided against using a retaining wall to facilitate a lush setting (and save money).

The Wilheims were introduced to Koenig by their friend, Tom Seidel, husband of actress Jean Hagen (of the classic 1952 musical Singin’ In The Rain), who had already built two homes with the architect. At first, the couple were unsure about hiring Koenig due to their preference for wood, but they went ahead with the project after the architect produced a design for a steel-framed home with ample wooden accents.

Just a few months after the home was completed, the Bel Air Fire of 1961 destroyed nearly 500 homes in the area. The Willheim House was damaged by the blaze but, thanks to its steel framing, was not destroyed. After repairs, the Wilheims moved back into the residence and stayed for another five years.



To save space, Keoning also eschewed a carport on the side of the home. Instead, the architect designed a curving, porte cochère–style front driveway, with the overhanging roof acting like an awning.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence occupies a narrow lot nestled against the hillside. "By situating the house linearly in the same direction as the axis of the street, Koenig was able to get a lot more square footage onto the site without having to develop a structural system to retain the hillside," explains realtor Mike Deasy of Deasy Penner Podley. To save space, Keoning also eschewed a carport on the side of the home, instead designing a curving, porte cochère–style driveway in front, with the overhanging roof acting like a carport awning-in effect, creating a "carport-cochère."



The street-facing facade features a two-story volume clad in wood.

Koenig saved more space by giving the Wilheims something most classic California modernist homes lack: a second floor. While the great room extends as a single story on the south side, a two-story volume containing the bedrooms rises on the north side of the residence. The private wing faces the street with a completely windowless, two-story facade clad in natural wood. This was a bold and unexpected move for Koening, given that he and his Case Study contemporaries are largely associated with glass and transparency.



A wood loggia marks an outdoor seating area beside the pool.



The public and private wings enclose the pool and outdoor gathering area.

By orienting glazing on the back side of the house, "You have a very quiet, almost hidden environment," says Deasy. "The design wraps the two wings around the pool, and on the right adds a kind of loggia-it’s an intimate little enclave," he continues.



Wood ceiling beams and oak flooring add warmth to the steel-framed house.



A built-in fireplace and skylights help make the living room both cozy and full of light.



Mirrored closet doors in the principal bedroom capture light from the windows facing the backyard.

Inside the three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence, Koening paired steel vertical framing with wood ceiling beams, which add a sense of warmth, as do the naturally stained kitchen cabinets and oak floors in the kitchen and dining area. The T-shaped floor plan seamlessly segments the kitchen, dining, and living areas.



Beneath the stairway, a downstairs bedroom sneaks a view of the pool.

Viewed from the back, a grid-like wall of rectangular glass panels clads the two-level volume. A glass-enclosed stairway leads to the primary bedroom and en suite bath, which overlook the pool, courtyard, and hillside. Beneath the stairs, another bedroom looks out at the pool through a wall with glazing on the lower right half of a diagonal slant.



The principal bedroom and en suite bathroom face the pool and hillside.

For those interested in historical accuracy, the Wilheim House has scarcely been altered from its original form. "When I sold it to them 30 years ago," Deasy says of the current sellers. "This is pretty much the way it was."

Following the completion of the Wilheim House, Koenig devoted an increasing amount of his time to architectural education. Hired by his alma mater in 1964, the architect taught at the USC School of Architecture until his death in 2004. But he never stopped designing: Koenig’s last project, the Michael LaFetra Beach House in Malibu, was commissioned in 2000 and completed posthumously in 2012.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Francis Urges Unprecedented Dialogue Amid Escalating Ukraine-Russia Tensions
Dozens Survive Kazakhstan Passenger Jet Crash Amid Tragedy
Kazakhstan Air Disaster: Dozens Survive as Authorities Probe Fatal Plane Crash
Postal Workers Demand Government Probe Into Royal Mail 'Fake Deliveries' Scandal
Explosion Sinks Russian Cargo Ship Ursa Major in Mediterranean
Mystery Shrouds U.S. Citizen Gene Spector's 15-Year Espionage Sentence in Moscow
Zelenskyy Alleges 3,000 North Korean Casualties in Russian Conflict
North Korea's Unseen Hand: Over 1,000 Troops Suffer Casualties in Ukraine
Discovery of 50,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth in Siberia Fascinates Scientists
Magdeburg Attack Fuels AfD's Political Momentum Amid Rising Tensions
In Magdeburg, Germany, a man is arrested by the police for declaring, "I am a Christian."
UK News Roundup: London Shooting, Travel Disruptions, and Legal Battles
UK Economy Teeters on Recession's Edge Amid Revised Growth Figures
Australian Man Captured in Ukraine Conflict; Government Seeks Answers
Zelenskyy’s Push for NATO: A High-Stakes Gamble for Eastern European Stability
Slovak Pragmatism or EU Discord: Prime Minister Fico’s Polarizing Moscow Engagement
The Ripple Effects of a Russian Victory in Ukraine: A Global Tectonic Shift
U.S. Government Shutdown Averted by Last-Minute Agreement
Tragedy in Magdeburg: Saudi Doctor's Alleged Terror Attack at German Christmas Market Ignites Global Security Debate
Tragedy Strikes at Magdeburg Christmas Market: Terror Attack Leaves Five Dead
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger Discovered in Nursing Home Following Six Months of Inaction
Prince William to End Feudal Land Restrictions in Duchy of Cornwall, but Controversies Remain
British police appear unprepared to deal with usual suspects
Russia's Ballistic Blitz on Kyiv Sends Shockwaves Through Global Stability
Multiple Tragedies and Tensions Mark Global Events: A Closer Look
Elon Musk's AfD Endorsement Ignites Controversy from neo-Nazis who accuse the AfD of being what they themselves are
Ukraine Claims Unprecedented Russian Losses: The Truth Behind Wartime Statistics
Federal Reserve Chair Powell: "We are prohibited from owning Bitcoin and are not seeking any changes to that law."
A Democratic congresswoman with blue and black hair is having a meltdown over "President Musk."
A sizable group of unauthorized migrants is traveling through Mexico with the aim of reaching the USA before Trump assumes office.
Beatles Reunion Electrifies London: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Ignite O2 Arena with Surprise Performance
Starmer's Envoy Engages Trump Team as UK Seeks Strategic U.S. Partnership
Britain's Retail Rebound Falters as Black Friday Splurge Dissipates
Bank of Japan's Bold Reckoning: A Decade of Unconventional Policy Under Scrutiny
Republican Discord Threatens Government Shutdown Amid Holiday Season
French Retiree Dominique Pellico Convicted for Recruiting 72 Men to Assault Wife Over a Decade
Putin Defends War Strategy as Global Tensions Rise
Putin Claims Progress as Tensions Rise: Conflict in Ukraine Intensifies
Putin's Paradox: Claiming Strength Amidst Sanctions and Isolation
Water as a Weapon: The Contentious Struggle for Survival in Gaza
Syria's Future: A Fight for Democracy or Another Cycle of Oppression?
UK Considers Sending Troops to Ukraine: A Strategic Move or Intensifying The Proxy War?
Renewed ISIS Threat Puts Syria’s Cultural Heritage in Peril
Escalation in Moscow: High-Profile Assassination and International Tensions Intensify
North Korean Troops in Ukraine: A New Cold War Frontier?
Ukraine's Bold Move: High-Stakes Assassination of Russian General in Moscow
Dubai's Technological Leap: Brain Chips and AI Board Members by 2025
Tragedy Strikes Wisconsin School as Shooting Claims Lives of Teacher and Student
UK's Calculated Gamble: Balancing Defense Aid to Ukraine and Domestic Demands
UK Intensifies Stranglehold on Russian Oil, but Does It Dampen Putin’s Resolve?
×