The Eames House

In addition to creating some of the most iconic furniture designs of the 20th Century, husband and wife Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Eames (1912-1988) built a lovely modern house and studio in Pacific Palisades as part of the influential Case Study Program. Through the Los Angeles-based program, which ran from 1945 to 1966, Arts & Architecture magazine commissioned top architects to design and build inexpensive and efficient modern houses that could serve as models for the post-WWII housing boom.


After building the Pacific Palisades house for the Case Study Program, the Eameses resided in the house from its completion in 1949 to their deaths in 1978 and 1988. The Eames House is one of the Case Study Program's most popular houses and has even been replicated in miniature out of chocolate.

The house was constructed out of pre-fabricated, industrial materials and the Mondrian-inspired exterior is composed of white and primary colored panels of varying sizes outlined by black steel beams:

Twisting bark on a row of large, fragrant eucalyptus trees in front of the house provides an interesting textural contrast with the glass and steel of the structure's exterior:

The two buildings and their adjoining patios are set against an 8-foot high, 200-foot long retaining wall which abuts the hill on one side of a small meadow. The far edge of the meadow ends on a bluff with views over the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Bay.

A view of the house from the top of the retaining wall:

A view from the studio over the little meadow toward the ocean:

The grounds of the Eames House are open to visitors who call in advance to schedule an appointment. The interior of the house is not open to the public, but the living room, kitchen, and dining area are visible from outside through the glass doors and windows. The living room, with its high ceiling, warm rugs, tropical plants, and tall book shelves, is unusually livable and comfy for a modernist house. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take interior photos. Here is the living room from the outside:

The side of the living room as viewed from one of the patios:



A few blocks away from the Eames House, modern treehouse-style homes are perched above little creeks running through the narrow, lush Santa Monica Canyon. Kappe House, built in 1968 on Brooktree Road by architect Raymond Kappe, is the most well-known of these treehouse residences. From the road, the Kappe House appears to be floating above the canyon. Wooden terraces jut out from the house and blend in with the treetops and a creek runs underneath the house on wide, rocky boulders.

Unfortunately, my photos do a poor job of capturing the charm of the Kappe House:

While Kappe's name is not well known among the general population, architects and designers love his houses and the L.A. Times ranked the Kappe House as number 8 on its 2008 list of the best Los Angeles Houses of all time. Also on the L.A. Times list were several other houses that I have visited including the Eames House (#4), the Gamble House (#6), the Ennis House (#3), Hollyhock House (#10), and the Schindler House (#1).

Another view of the Kappe House from the street:

Here is a map with the locations of the Eames House and Kappe House:

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The Getty Villa

In the early 1970s, billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (1892-1976) built a re-creation of a first-century Roman villa on his ranch in Pacific Palisades to display his growing art collection to the public. Critics derided the project as a kitchy theme-park, but Getty defended the faux-Roman villa arguing that it was more appropriate for displaying classical art than a traditional "neutral" museum setting.

The Villa is located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Here is the main pool with the Villa in the background:

The Inner Peristyle has bronze replicas of the statutes found at the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy, the building on which the Getty Villa is based:

In 1997, the Getty Foundation relocated its main collection, as well as its administrative and research centers to the giant Getty Center in nearby Brentwood. The Villa was reopened to the public in 2006 after a major renovation by architects Machado and Jorge Silvetti and it continues to house the Getty's ancient collection.


In 2005, the Italian government indicted the Getty's head antiquities curator, Marion True, for conspiracy to traffic in illegal antiquities. The Getty has since agreed to return dozens of pieces with dubious provenance to Italy. Despite its involvement in controversy, the Getty still holds an excellent ancient art collection which it displays thematically in galleries such as "Women and Children in Antiquity," "Athletes and Competition," and "Wine in Antiquity." The thematic displays and the villa setting make the museum particularly accessible and popular with the general public. Images from the collection are available online on the Getty's website.


The Villa grounds include beautifully landscaped gardens and courtyards, picnic areas, an outdoor cafe, and an open air theater.


With an average of 345 days of sunshine per year in Pacific Palisades, even grumpy people who think the Getty Villa is tacky will probably enjoy a visit.


Admission to the Getty Villa is free, but you have to reserve a time-slot in advance online. If you drive, parking is $15 per car. More information about visiting the Getty Villa is available on the Getty website. The Getty Villa refers to itself as the "Getty Malibu," presumably for marketing purposes, however, it is actually located in Pacific Palisades in the city of Los Angeles, not over the border in the city of Malibu.


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Pacific Palisades

Pacific Palisades is a wealthy coastal town in between Santa Monica and Malibu that has many fancy houses and is also home to the Self-Realization Fellowship's Lake Shrine. The Self Realization Fellowship was founded in 1920 by new-age/meditation/spirituality guru Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) and the grounds of the Lake Shrine have been open to the public since 1950. The gardens smell heavily of incense and include meditation areas, peaceful grottos, a pretty lake, and monuments honoring Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.


Paramahansa Yogananda designed the Golden Lotus Archway for the Lake Shrine in 1950:

When Paramahansa Yogananda acquired the area around the lake, there was a reproduction of a 16th century Dutch windmill on the grounds. Yogananda converted the windmill into a chapel and it now serves as a silent meditation area that is open to the public.

Around the grounds, there are religious statutes set in lush gardens:


In the nearby residential area of Castellemmare, there are beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean to the West and Topanga State Park to the East. People from the East Coast - please take note that this is what California looks like in the middle of winter:

This glamorous modern house with ocean views on Posetano Road was built by architect Pierre Koenig (1925-2004) in 1963. Koenig is famous for these classic L.A. glass box and exposed steel residences and his houses often appear in movies.

There are many sleek, modern homes up on Revello Drive, including this shoe-box like house that is supported off of the ground by pillars:


Public and private stairways going up and down the hill:
A beautiful tree at the top of the hill:

To the beach!


This walk around Castellammare is Walk 1 in my favorite book "Walking L.A." by Erin Mahoney Harris.


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Hikes in Topanga Park

If you are anywhere on the West Side, then there are several nice hikes in Topanga State Park that are very easy to get to. From where we live in Culver City, it take 20 minutes or less to get to any of the hikes listed below and it is even faster from UCLA or Santa Monica.

1) Paseo Miramar:

The 5.5 mile Paseo Miramar Hike in Topanga Park is a strenuous out and back hike with beautiful ocean views. The trailhead starts at the end of Paseo Miramar off of West Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades and leads along the ridge with a turnoff to the Parker Mesa Overlook. (See the map below for the location of the trailhead.)

The Paseo Miramar Trail:

View over Los Angeles from the Paseo Miramar Trail:

2) Temescal Canyon Loop

This moderately strenuous 3.7 mile loop starts at the Temescal Gateway Park where there is parking for $7, bathrooms, water fountains, picnic tables, and maps. Follow the Temescal Canyon Trial up the shady canyon and then follow signs to loop back to the park on the Temescal Ridge Trail. This is a nice varied trail with ocean views, shady trees, and a little waterfall.

3) Inspiration Point Trail

There is an easy 3 mile loop from Will Rogers State Park that goes up to the lookout at Inspiration Point. At the park, there is parking for $7, bathrooms, and water. You can also tour Will Rogers' old ranch.

I got the ideas for these hikes from the book "60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Los Angeles including San Gabriel, Ventura, and Orange Counties" by Laura Randall.

Here is a map marking the Paseo Miramar Trailhead, Temescal Gateway State Park, and Will Rogers State Park:


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