Renowned architect Pierre Koenig is celebrated for his innovative steel-framed houses, most famously the iconic Stahl House (Case Study House #22), which offers sweeping views of Los Angeles from its perch in the Hollywood Hills. Lesser known but equally admired is Koenig’s earlier work, the Bailey House (Case Study House #21), located on a modest, unassuming lot in the same hills.
Commissioned by psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary, the Bailey House was designed to reflect the couple’s contemporary sensibilities and their openness to modern materials and methods. Unlike many clients of the time, the Baileys embraced the idea of a steel-framed home, enabling Koenig to realize his vision for an affordable yet strikingly elegant open-plan design. Completed in 1959, the Bailey House was conceived as a prototype for scalable, modern housing—a key objective of Arts & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program. The one-story structure, with its flat roof and minimalist steel-and-glass construction, exemplifies mid-century modern ideals of simplicity and efficiency.
Koenig positioned the house along a north/south axis to optimize solar gain during the winter and reduce heat in the summer. Thoughtful adaptations, including sliding glass doors for cross-ventilation and shallow reflective pools for evaporative cooling, ensured that the home was perfectly attuned to its Southern California climate. An opaque side façade and integrated carport shield the house from the street, while floor-to-ceiling glass on the front and rear façades creates a seamless indoor-outdoor connection, a hallmark of mid-century modern design. The result is a home that is not only visually stunning but also highly functional, embodying a sense of tranquility and harmony with its environment.
In the 1990s, Koenig spearheaded a meticulous rehabilitation effort to undo previous alterations that compromised the home’s integrity, a process that took twice as long as the original construction. Most recently, in 2023, the Bailey House underwent a structural retrofit and a comprehensive restoration. This project incorporated historic documentation, including Julius Shulman’s renowned photographs and Koenig’s original drawings, to faithfully preserve the architect’s vision while modernizing the home for contemporary living. Though some features required careful removal and salvage, the house was returned to its original appearance, with its structural steel grid prominently on display.
Today, Case Study House #21 endures as a rare and exquisite example of steel-framed residential architecture in the graceful mid-century modern style. Its clean, minimalist design and innovative use of materials continue to inspire architects and enthusiasts, standing as a testament to Koenig’s visionary approach to modern housing.
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