Neutra, Richard Joseph

Neutra, Richard Joseph noiˈtrə, no͞oˈtrə [key], 1892–1970, American architect, born and educated in Vienna. Although Neutra worked for a time with Eric Mendelsohn and later with Frank Lloyd Wright, after he opened his own practice in Los Angeles in 1926 he adhered to a more functionalist approach (see modern architecture). A notable early example (1929) is the Lovell “Health House,” Los Angeles. His Corona Avenue School, Los Angeles (1935) reflects his interest in opening a structure directly into natural surroundings. Neutra planned several federal housing projects, including Channel Heights, San Pedro (1943). Among his later works are Research House II, Los Angeles (1967) and the Northridge Medical Arts Building, Calif. (1968). Neutra's many books include Survival through Design (1954), World and Dwelling (tr. 1962), and Building with Nature (1971).

See his autobiography (1962); studies by E. McCoy (1979) and T. S. Hines (1982).

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