2210 Neutra Place
Richard Neutra, Architect
1959–1961
Restored by Bonura Building
1995–2003
According to realtor Richard Stanley's Web site (
visit link) Neutra designed this house for June and Hitoshi Ohara and their two daughters. This house is one of nine homes in the “Neutra Colony,” the closest Neutra came to realizing the modern townscape he envisioned.
Construction of this house is superb with the highest quality of craftsmanship. The house is set on a hillside which affords stunning lake and mountain views, including views to the Griffith Park Observatory and famous Hollywood sign. The west facing site fills the house with natural light. Breezes from the lake flow up the hillside and throughout the house, cooling it in the process.
In August, 1995, Patricia and C.J. Bonura became the second owners of this signature home, moving in with their infant son. Maintenance of the house had been deferred since construction. However, while in need of restoration, all original finishes, colors and systems remained in the as-built state. Over the next eight years, Bonura Building proceeded to restore the house to the original specifications. What really distinguishes this house from the other Neutra designs in the Colony is the recent landscaping which really enhances bringing the outside in.
The Ohara House has appeared in numerous books and magazines, including the cover story of the Summer 2005 issue of Modernism Magazine, and has been a favorite on the architectural tour circuit. I had the fortune of touring the interior of the house as part of the 2005 Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy conference.