Tuesday, January 4, 2011

eichler neighborhood of thousand oaks, california



i grew up in thousand oaks, california where tucked away off of lynn road lies a neighborhood of approximately 100  joseph eichler homes built in the 1960s. most of these houses have stayed true to their midcentury roots whereas others have been updated with terrible facades. gah. i would like to punch some of their owners. anyway... i remember mom driving me through there as a kid a zillion times and it wasn't until i became an adult that i too fell in love with these houses. you will have to please excuse some of my photos as it was a gray november day when i took these.

what is unique about eichler homes is that they typically feature glass walls, post and beam construction, and open floor plans in a style indebted to frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe. 

eichler homes exteriors feature flat and/or low-sloping a-framed roofs, vertical 2" pattern wood siding, and spartan facades with clean geometric lines. one of eichler's signature concepts was to "bring the outside in", achieved via skylight patio gardens, swimming pools, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows with glass transoms looking out on protected and private outdoor rooms.

the interiors have numerous unorthodox and innovative features including: exposed post-and-beam construction, tongue and groove decking for the ceilings following the roofline; concrete slab floors with integral radiant heating, sliding doors for rooms, closets, and cabinets; and a standard second bathroom located in the master bedroom. later models introduced the famous eichler entry atriums; an open-air enclosed entrance foyer designed to further advance the eichler concept of integrating outdoor and indoor spaces. (all info taken from wikipedia)

what is extra cool about mr. eichler is that unlike most builders at the time, he established a non-discriminatory policy and offered homes for sale to anyone of any religion or race. 

if you're interested in learning more about eichlers www.eichlerhomes.com is a good place to start.

4 comments:

  1. This is amazing news to me! I wonder if these lucky homeowners ever do a open house kinda tour thingy? I would die to walk through those homes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know, I like to look at these homes and I'm glad people love them and preserve them, but with no attic space, where would I store all the valuable crap I keep picking up? :-D

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been to this neighborhood several times and one of the owner's was nice enough to give me a tour of their home. I love this neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We drive by that 1708 number house every day after school. Giant Numbers! lol Love the houses.

    ReplyDelete