I botched Ellen's. Can I have a do-over?
[NOTE: PLACEHOLDER WRITTEN BY AI FROM VERY SHORT PROMPT]
Have you ever had a moment where you wished you could turn back time and make a different choice? That's exactly how I felt when I realized the significance of the residence I was working on. Let me tell you the story of how I got the opportunity to draw and quote the proposed address set for this high-profile house, and why I now long for a do-over.
What was the significance of this house?
Little did I know, the house I was working on was not just any ordinary residence. Located at 360 South Mapleton in Los Angeles it is also known as the Brody House. It was designed by A. Quincy Jones, the renowned modernist architect (and later, Dean of USC architecture school), in 1949 for Frances Brody, a prominent art collector and philanthropist. The house is considered a masterpiece of mid-century modern architecture, with its elegant lines, spacious rooms, and expansive windows. The house also featured a stunning collection of artworks by Picasso, Matisse, Giacometti, and others.
The rest of the design dream team
The grounds of the Brody House were the work of the inestimable Garrett Eckbo who created a harmonious integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, using geometric shapes, water features, and native plants. Billy Haines, the interior designer, furnished and decorated the house. He used many of his own custom-made pieces, along with some antiques, and fabrics to create a sophisticated and comfortable atmosphere. Both Eckbo and Haines were influenced by modern art and collaborated with Jones to achieve a cohesive vision for the house.
Frances Lasker Brody asked Henri Matisse to make a huge wall mural out of ceramic tiles for their courtyard in 1952. It was one of the rare times the artist agreed to do such a project. She and her husband Sidney went to France the next year to see his first draft. Frances was not happy with Matisse's cut-out design, so managed to convince him to try something else – which over 50 years later she donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), an institution Frances helped launch.
Uncovering the background to the Neutraface font family
Not long after selling the address sign to my client – the accomplished Los Angeles designer, Stephen Stone, undertaking the ambitious Brody reboot with money from a silent partner – I stumbled upon a treasure trove of architectural lettering artwork (in a roundabout way through an estate sale from the late celebrated art director Robert F. Boyle: North by Northwest, Fiddler on the Roof, Vertigo, Thomas Crown Affair). To my surprise, among the extensive artwork was contained the very letterforms behind the creation of the iconic Neutraface font family, a font that has become synonymous with mid-century modern design.
The clash of old and new
As I compared the classic mid-century lettering with the contemporary Neutraface font on the house, I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. The differences were stark, and it became clear to me that the Neutraface font was more of an homage, a work of "fan art," rather than a suitable choice for a historically sensitive restoration.
A buyer for the Brody appears suddenly: once, then again
18 months after supplying the address sign, Stone found a buyer for the Brody. The house sold to Ellen DeGeneres in 2014 for $39.9 million, which made a splash across entertainment, real estate and architecture news. That's when I began to read how significant a work of residential architecture the Brody House had been, and learned of the trio of designers responsible for the 1947-49 masterclass in siting, landscape, interiors and the exemplary indoor-outdoor relationships. Surprise number two? Ellen flipped it to Sean Parker (the founder of Napster and co-founder of Facebook), for $55 million – less than 9 months later.
A lesson in preservation
If I had the chance for a do-over, the first thing I'd consider is employing the very mid-century architectural lettering that A Quincy Jones frequently specified, and by coincidence, the very same lettering for which I now possess the original artwork.
That letter style is called Modern Narrow Face (MNF), and does in fact have a lower case, although undiscovered by Christian Schwartz who created the original glyphs for his Neutraface font family, but had to cobble together a lower case from print and typographic examples completely unrelated to mid-century architectural lettering sources (and that "made up" lower case currently adorns '360 south mapleton'). For comparison, here's what the Brody House address would look like in the letterforms of the era, using the original lower case from A J Bayer's MNF:
If I were to consider taking inspiration from another of the stellar contributors involved, my next choice would be Billy Haines, whose furniture designs grab my eye (for a decade before the sign and number business, I designed and built custom furniture – guys like Haines are idols for me, along with such luminaries as Jacobsen, Breuer, Elaine Gray, Bertoia and well, the list goes on).
Here's a pair of chrome framed armchairs from one of the fantastic spaces in the Brody House:
When the above letterforms are applied to the Brody house address sign, here's the handsome result: the spirit of Haines's armchairs is referenced handily in the glyphs that make up this rectilinear stunner:
The power of hindsight
Looking back, I only wish I'd already connected with the original sources I now have access to. This has truly changed how I approach any and all projects where the mid-century legacy simply demands to be acknowledged. When we're able to do so – in as many seemingly inconsequential details as possible – the net effect of all the small moments lends the larger historical statement some authenticity.
So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, remember my story. Take the time to understand the historical context, seek expert advice, and make choices that will stand the test of time. Let's ensure that our restoration efforts become a testament to our passion for preserving our architectural heritage.