Gelb House

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

Gelb House 

Bruce Norelius Studio

AREA
1200 ft²

YEAR
2013

LOCATION
Los Angeles, United States

CATEGORY
Houses

Commissioned in 1949 and owned by the original family for 60 years, the Gelb House was one of the least modified in A.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

Quincy Jones’ Mutual Housing Association, an ambitious experiment in Los Angeles post-war housing.

Each architectural element and detail was designed and executed with extraordinary economy and elegance.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

The post-and-beam frame is laterally reinforced with judiciously placed redwood-cladshear walls and exposed concrete block elements.

Exterior window and door jambs are integrated into the structure, without a redundant move anywhere.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

Principal materials consist of concrete, concrete block, redwood cladding, and douglas fir posts, beams and plywood.

Our rehabilitation philosophy has been one of a light hand. We began by sketching and understanding each joint before any design work commenced.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

Early on, it was decided that nothing of the post-and-beam frame or of the shell would be altered.

Instead, we coaxed the house back to vigor by updating systems, rehabilitating finishes where possible or replacing them with similar materials when necessary.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

Bathrooms and kitchen have been replaced in entirety, using components and materials sympathetic to the original simple palette, although no walls, doors or windows were moved.

Our first aim was to respect the original house and to maintain its spirit. However, when we have made interventions, our goal was to express them—quietly—as independent from the 1949 fabric.

Kitchen cabinetry is oiled steel and appears almost black; lighting fixtures hang on cables and provide indirect light.

Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio
Gelb House
Courtesy of Bruce Norelius Studio

The landscape strategy moved away from the original semi-tropical concept, probably typical of its time, to a no-water, mostly native and dry-climate landscape.

Each design decision has been made deliberately and with the understanding it could be reversed in the future when, no doubt, a different attitude toward preservation and rehabilitation will predominate.


Gelb House
Floor Plan