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Arts and Entertainment

Die-Hard Neutra Fans Can Now Rent Space In Richard Neutra's Former Office

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Silver Lake's Neutra Institute Museum (formerly known as the Neutra Office Building) has big plans, and they might just involve you. Especially if you happen to be an architecturally-discerning office seeker. The museum, which once housed the offices of seminal modernist architects Richard & Dion Neutra, is in search of "a sympathetic Neutra fan/tenant" to take over the 164 square-foot front office space in the building.

The space doesn't come cheap—the sympathetic fan/tenant would be paying $1,200 (parking not included) a month for the 11.5 by 14.5 foot space—but there would be bragging rights aplenty. In fact, according to the Craigslist listing, the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only relatively unchanged remaining example of a Neutra-designed commercial space. Richard Neutra designed and constructed the building in 1950, with the help of his son, Dion Neutra, and it housed their architectural practice for decades. It was here that the Neutras designed many of their most famous buildings.

According to the Craigslist listing, the Neutra Institute Museum, which launched in 2014, aims to become a "cultural center for Silver Lake," with a slate of plans that include hosting exhibitions of Neutra furniture pieces and portions of the Neutra archival collections, collaborations with local museums, gatherings in support of preservation issues, and possibly even small theater productions. They are leasing the "premier" front office space, which is currently occupied by any attorney, as a means of "partially support[ing] these activities," making for some slightly odd copy in the listing about contributions and philanthropic donations.

"The gallery needs supplemental income to survive, so someone who believes in its mission, and is a real Neutra fan, would be an ideal candidate; willing to pay little over 'market rent'" Dion Neutra explained in an email to LAist.

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In the meantime, does anyone have an extra $1,200 lying around and want to finance a new LAist satellite office in Silver Lake?

[h/t: Archinect]

Note: This article was updated to include a statement from Dion Neutra. We also previously misstated the rental terms: utilities ARE included in the price; wifi is not. We apologize for the error.

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