Conservation Plan Finalized For Eames House In Pacific Palisades

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – The completion of a management plan for the historic Eames House in the Pacific Palisades was announced Wednesday by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Eames Foundation on the 70th anniversary of the home's construction.

The house, a glass and steel icon of modern architecture built in 1949 by pioneering husband-and-wife design team Charles and Ray Eames, is a designated National Historic Landmark set on a wooded bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The couple built the house for themselves to serve as their home and studio. It introduced new ideas about materials, construction and industrial design.

The plan provides the framework for the ongoing care, management, conservation, display and interpretation of the site, including the house and studio, the collection of objects in the home, and the landscape.

"While the GCI undertakes initiatives all over the world, it is critical to recognize the important organizations that we engage locally, like our work at the Eames House," said Tim Whalen, the John E. and Louise Bryson Director of the Getty Conservation Institute. "The Eames Foundation have been excellent stewards of this site, and have been enthusiastic collaborators since they invited us to work with them. We are pleased that the completion of the Conservation Management Plan will now guide future conservation efforts."

The Eames were emblematic of a fresh Southern California design approach, but they quickly became global influencers, leaving a widespread legacy in the fields of architecture, filmmaking, furniture, graphics, and exhibition and industrial design. From its earliest days, the Eames House at 203 N. Chautauqua Blvd. has attracted worldwide attention as an expression of their creativity and design principles.

"In developing the Conservation Management Plan, the team started with the history of the house and its design, its physical features, and how the house embodies Charles and Ray's creative spirit," said Chandler McCoy, a senior GCI project specialist who manages the Eames House conservation project. "From there, it identifies what is significant about the Eames House and presents policies that will protect this significance. The plan will be a vital tool in the creation of a long-term strategy to ensure that the house may be enjoyed by visitors well into the future."

City News Service